Saturday, January 12, 2008

Sweet Breakfast Crepes

A wee stop by France this morning with some tasty vegan crepes. I developed this recipe a year or so ago, and still think it is pretty good after trying a few other recipes. I don't really like crepes with chickpea flour for breakfast because the flour adds a bit of a taste (yes, I am a weenie) and makes the crepes tougher. These crepes are delicate and require care when flipping, but once you get the hang of it (and have a well-seasoned crepe pan), they are well worth the time. I have also included my "healthier" variation in parentheses. I never fill my breakfast crepes, I just roll them and top them with heated jam and sliced berries.

INGREDIENTS
Makes about 12 crepes if you don't screw up
- 1 cup all purpose flour (or whole wheat pastry flour)
- 2 tbsp sugar (optional)
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup soy milk
- 1/3 cup water
- 3/4 cup firm silken tofu (or 3tbsp ground flax seed)
- 2 tbsp canola oil

METHOD
1. Place dry ingredients in a food processor and process for 30 seconds. Keep blade running and add in wet ingredients. Process until smooth. Transfer batter to a juice pitcher.
2. Heat crepe pan on medium heat (I find cooking these slower and on lower heat than non-vegan crepes works well). Pour a 4 inch (or so) circle of batter on the pan, tilting and rotating quickly to spread the batter thinly into a circle. Cook until top is dry (40 seconds, or so), carefully flip, then cook another 15-20 seconds. Repeat. Keep the crepes small to make it easier to flip.

Vegan crepes tend to be stickier and more finicky than their egg-filled brothers. With some trial and error and some patience you will get the knack of making them.