Whole Wheat Crepes

Ever since I spent a year in France as an exchange student, I have had a love for crepes. They are amazing; you can make them sweet or savory and fill them chock full of delicious things like Nutella. Ah Nutella, how do I love thee. I used the have Crepe parties where all we would do is hang out, drink wine, and knock out fantastic crepes. Those days are long since gone because I started a  journey of revitalizing health and fitness, involving the gym and specific calories a day (now much less rigid but the knowledge and self control are mostly still there). But, recently I have been going to the gym early in the morning before work. I hate to work out in the morning on an empty stomach because it makes me feel like I am going to keel over and pass out, so I usually have a whole wheat tortilla with some nut butter (Trader Joe's  unsalted Almond or Peanut Butter, delicious!). That tides me over through my work out until I can get to my breakfast.

Whole wheat crepes

The thing about tortillas is that although they are delicious, they are pretty high in carbs, calories, and salt surprisingly. I have been eating La Tortilla Factory Low Carb, High Fiber Tortillas which are pretty good, but they are very salty (I have a low threshold for salt) and I just felt like I was eating super overly processed junk that I could probably make better myself. Thus my search began for a low fat, low carb, low calorie whole wheat tortilla recipe. Search after search really didn't yield what I was looking for. But then came an epiphany, crepes are probably the answer! I can't believe that I didn't think of this sooner. Jam, one of my favorite Logan Square breakfast places serves a lovely buckwheat crepe stuffed with sweet potato puree and that was part of my inspiration!

Now, I don't normally keep buckwheat flour on hand, and I didn't want to have to go out and buy too much stuff so I turned to my Bob's Red Mill Whole Wheat Flour. I knew that I could do something with that, however, I would definitely have to tweak the traditional crepe recipe which typically calls for whole milk, butter, oil, and eggs. Thus, back to research and problem solving. I finally landed on an answer that I think will work out just fine! Now, for this recipe below, I used whole wheat pastry flour which I think made my crepe a little fluffier than I would normally like. Next week I will make a batch using standard whole wheat flour and we will see how that works out.

Crepes should be light and a little delicate and should not be thick like a pancake. The process of making crepes is rapid and the pan must be turned quickly in order to coat the pan with the batter and then shouldn't be touched until they need to be turned. America's Test Kitchen has a lovely video of making a crepe that may prove helpful. Ok, on to the recipe!

Whole Wheat Crepes

• 4 Tbsp Egg Beaters OR 1 egg
• 4 Tbsp Egg Whites (I used Trader Joe's Egg Whites) OR 1 white of 1 egg
• 1/8 tsp Table Salt
• 1 cup Whole Wheat Flour (I used pastry flour but I think regular will work better)
• 1 1/4 Cup Skim Milk
• Non-stick cooking spray

1. In a stand mixer or by hand, beat together the egg and egg whites together until frothy, about 1 minute. 
2. While you are beating the eggs, measure out the milk and the flour. Add the salt to the eggs. 
3. Add the flour and the milk, alternating each and allowing it to be incorporated. You may want to sift the flour if you can to make sure you get out any lumps so you have a smooth batter. If you want to make a sweet batter you can add a sweetener like stevia or even sugar or vanilla. 
4. Preheat your pan for the crepes. They have special crepe pans but I think a 10-12in non stick pan works just fine. Turn on the heat to about medium (or on my stove, 4). You need to make sure that the pan is ready, too soon and the crepe won't work, too long and it will burn. To test the pan, drop a teaspoon of batter into the center. If the petite crepe is golden brown after about 20 seconds, you are good to go. If it is blond or burned adjust the heat. 
5. Time to make the crepes. Spray a little bit of the non-stick cooking spray onto your pan. Measure out about 1/4 cup of batter (you won't need more than that because you want your crepes to be thin). In one hand hold up the pan, in the other pour the batter into the middle of the pan. Turn the pan and coat it with the batter; you want the batter to spread out over the pan so it is thin and the batter evenly coats the bottom of the pan. 
6. Cook the crepe, with out moving it, for about 25 seconds. You should see some bubbles form and you will see the crepe cooking through, similar to a pancake, but they cook MUCH faster. Gently slide a spatula underneath the crepe (it shouldn't stick to the pan) and carefully flip the crepe (once you are a pro you can loosen the crepe and flip it without a spatula but with the flick of the pan, but that may actually be illegal outside of the borders of France). Cook the second side of the crepe for about 20 seconds and transfer to a cooling area. 
7. I cooled my crepes on racks so they didn't collect too much moisture. I think it is a good idea to let each one cool first and then stack them. If you are going to use these crepe right away, pass them to the dressing area and douse them with whatever filling you'd like (oh... nutellla). 
8. This recipe should make about 10-12 crepes but don't dispare if the first one or two don't work out. It is the phenomenon of the first pancake (or crepe).

Eat and enjoy! I am going to have mine tomorrow morning, with a tablespoon of unsalted almond butter. I will warm the crepe for about 15 seconds in the microwave (I don't want it too warm...the crepes are easily foldable and rollable unlike cold tortillas) and smear the butter all over it. I can't wait!

Calorie Info:
Serving: 1 Crepe
75 Calories, 12 Carbs, 0 Fat, 6 Protein, 0 Sugar, 2 Fiber