Buckwheat Crepe: gluten-free, no eggs

Video Tutorial on YouTube: 27 April 20:00 CEST

After many months of experiments, I am finally able to share my favourite buckwheat no egg crepe recipe with confidence. I have made this simple gluten-free crepe recipe using only 3 ingredients; light buckwheat flour, soya milk and a teaspoon of coconut oil.

You might be asking if can this be made without the oil. Maybe. I found that the texture wasn't great with buckwheat flour and just soya milk or just water. Each time I cooked them they were dry and with water they tasted bland. When you are making crepes without gluten or eggs I found that you need some fat to make the crepes soft and flexible. If you use regular full-fat then maybe the batter might be okay. I don't drink full-fat milk so I have experimented using that. I did try making my batter using coconut milk powder and warm water and they also tasted fantastic.

Dark buckwheat flour vs light buckwheat flour? What's the difference?

Dark buckwheat flour is unhulled and the light buckwheat flour is processed so the hull has been removed. White buckwheat groats are the hulled version of whole buckwheat.

I have always bought the light version of buckwheat flour at supermarkets in Sweden, the UK and Australia. Last month I bought a cheaper bag of buckwheat flour at the Oriental shop and when I opened the packet it was dark black buckwheat. I could use it in my recipes however I baked bread and didn't enjoy the taste or texture and tried making crepes and once again the texture and taste were strange. In my crepe recipe, I added about 3 tablespoons of light starch flour like potato starch or cornflour to help but I still wasn't happy with the recipe.

Why Add In Oil?
I have found that cooking with buckwheat flour and no eggs is tricky. I  tested this recipe many times using soya milk and no oil with no success. They break and are dry. I didn't enjoy eating them. Maybe if you were to use full-fat milk you could try making the batter without the oil. When you are cooking and baking with gluten-free flour like buckwheat flour it absorbs more liquid and without any fat content from an egg you need to add in a little fat. If vegan isn't important you can add in melted butter or add in an egg. I am not 100% vegan but I like simple recipes that I can make when I don't have any eggs and many of my followers don't eat eggs.

Takes = 15 minutes
Makes = 8-10 large crepes

Ingredients

• Light Buckwheat flour, or ground from groats – 150g / about 1 cup
• Soya milk or your choice, warm – 460g about 2 cups* + extra if needed
• Melted coconut oil or similar  – 1 teaspoon

*you may need a little extra milk when using buckwheat flour and rest for 10 minutes

Method

1. Melted coconut oil if needed for 20 seconds in the microwave and warm the milk for about 30 seconds.
2. Combine flour, oil and warm milk. I discovered that if I grab the milk straight from the fridge and warm it slightly in the microwave this blends better with the flour. Rest the batter for about 10 minutes while your fry pan is heating up. Making crepes with a non-stick pan is the best way and the pan should be a consistent medium to high heat.
3. Pour 1/2 cup into your fry pan/crepe pan and swivel the pan around to thin out the crepe.  Cook the first side until golden and the sides start to curl up, this will take a few minutes. Then flip and cook the second side for about 30 seconds remove and keep warm under a cloth. Store in the fridge for a few days. They should also freeze okay. I usually make them fresh when we eat them. You can reheat from cold the next day in your fry pan. Serve savoury or sweet.

Sue Maree P Tips

• Coconut Oil: you could use olive oil or another neutral oil.  
• Coconut milk – I have made this recipe using coconut milk powder and warm water with great success when I didn't have any soya milk in the fridge.
• Water and no milk – you could replace the milk with water but I found the taste and texture a little rubbery.
• Black or dark buckwheat flour – I tried making these with a batch of dark or black buckwheat flour but I disliked the taste and texture. If you can buy the lighter version I would recommend that. If not add a little other flour like cornflour, potato start or tapioca flour to lighten the blend.
• Extras – you can add in sugar, cinnamon or salt if you prefer