20-minute breakfast: sourdough crepes

These rich and rustic 20-Minute Sourdough Crepes will have everyone gathering around the cast-iron skillet, mouths watering and stomachs growling! Don’t believe me? Just give this quick and easy recipe a try!

What is a crepe?

Cream-filled crepes are a decadent French-style pancake that look like they are incredibly difficult to make… not true! A crepe is basically a bubbly, very thin pancake that packs a protein punch from generous amounts of eggs and milk. This recipe for cream filled flavorful crepes is rich and sweet, while other recipes can have savory fillings. At the bottom of this post I will share my Strawberry Rhubarb variation that is ABSOLUTELY DELISH. Other delicious fillings are homemade jam, jelly, preserve, pudding or fresh fruit will do! Filling the crepe with sausage and gravy or sautéed veggies would be an example of a savory crepes. Also incredibly good! There are no rules with crepes, you have a wide choice of fillings that you can use!

Are sourdough crepes gluten-free?

The sourdough starter discard provides the binding agent and texture for this dish. This is also what makes it more easy for gluten-sensitive stomachs to tolerate. While sourdough is NOT gluten-free, most of the gluten from the flour has been fermented and changed into a more digestible form. The hungrier the discard, the more sour it will taste and the less gluten it will have! Speaking as someone who has to generally avoid gluten due to sensitivities, I am able to eat sourdough crepes without noticing stomach or neurological symptoms. So… you will have to make your own call on whether or not this dish is for you!

If you love the traditional American pancakes and sourdough, I have the perfect recipe for sourdough pancakes! Sourdough pancakes are rich and fluffy!  There are actually many ways to use your leftover sourdough starter and active sourdough starter. Some of our favorite sourdough recipes are Easy Sourdough Discard English Muffins, Sourdough Discard Coffee Cake, Sourdough Discard Crackers, and Sourdough Bread Batard.

The recipe for 20-Minute Sourdough Crepes Batter

Y O U W I L L N E E D | F O R T H E C R E P E S

• 8 eggs

• ¾ cup whole milk

• 1 cup unfed (hungry) sourdough starter

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (omit if making a savory crepe)

• 2T cane sugar

• ¼tsp salt

Add all ingredients to a stand mixer and beat with the whisk attachment until smooth and frothy. The batter will be runny and have tiny bubbles when it is ready. Preheat a cast iron skillet over medium heat and add a bit of butter. Pour a very thin layer of crepe batter into the skillet. Allow it to cook fully before flipping. It is ready to flip when there are small bubbles in the center and the edges look matte, about 2 minutes.

Y O U W I L L N E E D | F O R T H E C R E A M C H E E S E F I L L I N G

• 4 ounces softened cream cheese

• 1T milk, plus more to achieve desired consistency

• 1tsp vanilla

• 4C powdered sugar

In a stand mixer, whisk cream cheese and powdered sugar until the mixture looks like uniformly crumbled. Add the vanilla and milk. Whisk for about a minute. Gradually add a little extra milk, one tablespoon at a time. Mix will between each addition. For fluffier filling, use less milk. For a smoother drip & drizzle, add more milk. Today I used about one fourth of a cup of milk to have a decadent melted ice cream effect.

Tips for making perfect sourdough discard crepes

Listen, this recipe is VERY straight forward. Don’t overthink it! That being said, I want to share a few little tidbits that could make this a better experience for you.

• When stirring the batter, keep whisking until it has a bubbly and frothy appearance. This will make the crepes lighter and fluffier!

• While the batter is being prepared, preheat the cast iron skillet over medium heat. I like to add a small amount of butter to season the pan as it gets hot. Remember, a hot pan is a nonstick skillet. NON-STICK IS GOOD!
• Allow the crepes to cook for about 1-2 minutes before turning. The cooking process is very similar to making pancakes. Wait to flip the crepe until there are tiny bubbles in the middle and the edges look matte and slightly cooked. In this sourdough crepes recipe, they are fully cooked they will have slightly crispy edges. 
• Cooled crepes can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week. I have experimented with prefilling them vs. leaving them empty, and we prefer them filled. It does make the crepe a little softer (soggier… but in a good way!) and the flavors really get more intimate with each other. LET’S GET IT ON (please sing that as you are reading it).

Recipe

Alright, friends. Cannot wait to hear what you think of my 20-Minute Sourdough Crepes!

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