cast offs and discards … Sourdough Crepes

It seems we’re all giving sourdough a whirl during these strange times, myself included. The first thing you have to do is get a starter going. It’s relatively simple, just flour and water, flour and water, flour and water for several days until the wild yeasts take over and really get going. Inevitably you will run into a puzzling situation … what to do with the discard. Once you have a lively starter, you pour off half before you feed it – either to bake with or to do something else. This bit is known as the discard or cast off. If you bake every day it isn’t a really a problem but I suspect the majority of us don’t. Here’s where the challenge comes in as dealing with the discard can be a whole project unto itself.

Some people literally discard that bit but that seems like such a waste, especially given the scarcity of flour these days. During this quarantine, I’ve been actively looking for ways to use that stuff. My friend Cathy Barrow published a great recipe in the Washington Post a few weeks ago based on another friend’s recipe for castoff crackers that I’ve made twice. Last year I posted a recipe for sourdough spätzle that is quite nice. King Arthur has a whole section of discard recipes – biscuits, pancakes, English muffins, waffles, crumpets –  that are very reliable. But my current favorites are crêpes. The sourdough gives them a really nice tang and creates a very tender and delicate batter. The best part? They don’t use any additional flour. Given the scarcity of that particular ingredient these days, this is fantastic. Save that flour for the bread.

There are two tricky things to know about making crêpes. One is getting the batter consistency right. It needs to be thick enough to coat the pan but thin enough to swirl nicely and evenly. Think of it as a sort of thin pancake batter. I like a really thin batter as it makes a thin, delicate crêpe but it can be a bit tricky to work with. If you’re not sure, too thick is easier to correct than too thin (only because you’ll have to add flour, reblend and let it rest for 30 minutes. Thinning just involves adding more liquid and whisking.) Keep in mind that everyone’s starter is a different consistency so while I may use ¼ cup milk (I feed my starter a 50/50 mix so it’s rather liquid), yours may be thicker and need ½ cup. Test it out and see what works best.

The second thing to learn is the cooking technique. This takes a little practice to figure out what works best for you. The pan has to be hot enough to slowly cook the crêpe but not so hot that it over browns. It has to be buttered enough to release the crêpe neatly but not too much so the batter fries in butter or too little that it sticks. You have to pour that batter in and use quick wrist motions to swirl that batter around to coat the pan evenly. You also have to figure out exactly how much batter with give you just the right thickness. I like my crêpes on the thin side, so for my 8” pan, a scant ¼ cup is just about right. I usually butter the pan the first one or two crêpes and then don’t have to again. As the edges start to release, I use a small rubber or offset spatula to ease it up and then, with my fingers, pull the whole crêpe up and flip. It takes practice and the first one usually is a mess. Don’t get discouraged; eat it right then and there and keep going using less/more butter, less/more heat, less/more batter.

How you eat them is up to you. My favorite is a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and a sprinkle of sugar. I rarely eat them any other way. Maybe Nutella is your thing, or jam or lemon curd. Or maybe you go savory – leave the sugar out if that’s the case. It’s your call.

A quick chat about crêpe pans as they vary by size and material. I have two steel crêpe pans (like this) I bought in Paris and lugged home long ago so if you have something similar, kudos, they work great. A lot of folks use non-stick pans and I’ve heard some use a cast iron skillet. I imagine your forearms would get quite the workout. A friend has a nifty little electric contraption that you dip in a bowl of batter that works great too. Or maybe you impulse purchased one of those big electric griddles after a French vacation thinking you’d crank out crêpes every day like a Parisian street vendor. Bust it out! The time is now.

STRESS THERAPY BAKING FACTOR: 1000%. Everything about this one is spot on. Repurposing at its best and with enough technique involved to keep you brain engaged. Dealing with sourdough discard/cast off can be overwhelming sometimes. If you’re tired of biscuits and pancakes, give this one a try. They are tender with crispy feathery edges, have a nice sourdough tang (that works exceptionally well against tart lemon juice) and make a very nice snack. I started the night with two, sprinkled with sugar and lemon juice, and had another two shortly thereafter. Then I had a few more. And later, just before bed, a few more. That’s just how it goes sometimes.

eleven years ago: Khachapuri (cheesy Georgian bread)
ten years ago: Will It Waffle?
nine years ago: Guinness Stout Floats
eight years ago: Greek Sunday Lunch
seven years ago: Classic Yeast Coffeecake
six years ago: Guinness Crème Anglaise
five years ago: Flourless Chocolate Cookies
four years ago: Soft Potato Rolls 
three years ago: Key Lime Bundt Cake
two years ago: Easter Recipe Round Up (and some polka favorites)
last year: Vietnamese Style Chicken Salad

SOURDOUGH CREPES
Makes about 12 but really depends upon the size of the pan and the batter thickness.
The most important thing is getting the batter consistency right. It should look like a thin pancake batter. If too thick, add more milk. If too thin, put it back in the blender, add a tablespoon or two of flour, blend and let rest for 30 minutes.

3 large eggs
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ -½ cup whole milk
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 ½ cups sourdough starter (mine was 12.5oz)
2 Tablespoons melted unsalted butter

butter for the pan

1. Place the eggs, salt, milk, sugar and starter in the blender and run on medium-low until blended.
2. With the blender running, pour in the melted butter and run until incorporated. The batter consistency should be like a thin, runny pancake batter.
3. Heat an 8” crêpe pan or non-stick skillet over medium-low heat.
4. Take a stick of butter and give the pan a nice even swoop/swirl to evenly and lightly coat.
5. Pour a scant ¼ cup of the batter into the center of the pan, pick the pan up and quickly swirl to get a nice thin, even coat. Try not to make the crêpe too thick – go for a thin even coat. This is when you learn if you batter is the right consistency and if your pan temperature is correct. If it’s too thick or too hot, it won’t swirl nicely. Adjust as necessary to get the right consistency/heat.
6. Cook for about one minute until the center is set and dry and the edges start to very lightly brown and come away from pan.
7. Gently pull the crêpe up from the edges and flip (a small rubber or offset spatula helps).
8. Cook an additional minute or two until the second side is just set and lightly browned.
9. Flip the crêpe out of the pan and let cool.
10. Continue with the remaining batter. Depending on your pan, you might not need to butter it again. (I like to get two pans going and flip the finished crêpes onto a wire rack to cool before stacking on a plate. If you stack them while warm, they have a tendency to stick together.)
11. Serve with lemon juice and sugar, jam, Nutella or whatever you like. Crêpes keep tightly wrapped and refrigerated for a few days. I’ve successfully frozen cooked crêpes as well, with a layer of parchment between each one.