Healthy Crepes ? Mais Oui, milk-free and fiber-loaded !

Flip that crepe !

Is buckwheat healthy ? Oh yes ! As I found out in this information-rich wikipedia entry, buckwheat has many attributes of its own, including reducing plasma cholesterol levels, a lack of gluten, and rich in iron, zinc, and selenium. But the attraction as a flour substitute is what makes it shine.
In my previous post for crepes (Mastering the Art of Crepe), I highlighted the use of whole milk and regular flour as the main ingredient for supple crepes. That's the basic crepe recipe. For advanced "creping", I present here a twist to reduce the amount of regular flour by 80% and totally eliminate milk ! Buckwheat thickens in presence of water, no need for milk, that's the trick.
Now, a word of caution. It's also much trickier to cook buckwheat crepes in the pan. They stick a lot more, and tend to break more easily during the flipping process. So make sure to practice your crepe skills first with the basic recipe ! THIS IS FOR ADVANCED CREPE-MAKERS !
Also, buckwheat adds a very strong taste to the crepe, akin to an earthy, mushroom-y flavor. As such, I find them perfect as a main dish or appetizer with a salty filling. For example, scrambled eggs, rice and veggies, chicken, etc...But they work great with sweets, for breakfast or as a dessert. Let your own tastes guide your imagination, I only provide the tools.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup buckwheat flour
• 1/3 cup white unbleached flour
• 2 cups water
• 2 eggs
• 2 tbs canola oil
• pinch of salt

Directions:

1. In a big bowl, add both flours and salt. Pour the water slowly while mixing (I use a whisk), you'll obtain a thick liquid. Blend in the eggs and the oil, and let it rest for at least an hour. Overnight is fine too if you wish to reserve it for breakfast the following day.
2. To make the crepes, use a nonstick pan that you rub with canola oil. Remove the excess of oil to leave only a film behind. I use a folded paper towel, which helps me reapply between crepes (important to avoid sticking!). Preheat the pan until it sizzles when dropping a drop of water, then keep it on medium heat. Pour a ladle into the pan and swirl it to create a thin layer of dough all over the pan. When the sides start lifting off the pan, it's time to flip! Lately I have been using a silicone spatula (instead of wood) and I love it. Its sides are thinner and easily allow sliding the spatula under the crepe for a cleaner flip. The other side cooks much faster, usually in 30 sec.
3. The buckwheat crepes do not last as long as regular crepes. They tend to dry up more quickly because of the lack of milk. So consumme quickly, but somehow I don't think that will be a problem :)

Enjoy !