Slower Saturday Mornings and Whole Wheat Crepes

I consider myself a morning person. I usually like to get up and get going! Weekday mornings I really don’t have a choice but to get up early, take Harry for a good walk (so he doesn’t tear up the house or yard!), get ready, grab a quick breakfast and off to work. Sunday mornings pretty much follow the same schedule except it is off the early church instead of work. While I’m not one to sleep in very often, every now and then it is nice to just slow down a little in the morning!

Thankfully, Saturdays are usually a little slower, at least early in the day! I usually meet a friend or two to go for a run but not until a little later in the morning, so there is more time to ease into the day. I still take Harry for a walk but can allow him a little more time to sniff every mailbox post and shrub along the sidewalk, bark at the crows and make sure there are no stray cats lurking under any cars! Saturday mornings also allow me a little more time to take some deep breaths, enjoy a less-rushed breakfast and linger over a cup of coffee with Patrick.

After we got married a few years ago, Patrick went through one of my cookbooks and copied a few recipes he wanted us to make together. One of the recipes was for basic crepes. I don’t think I had ever made crepes before that time. In all honesty, he is much better at cooking crepes than I am (he’s a lot better at omelets too!). We’ve tinkered with the basic crepe recipe over the years, adding some water along with milk to make them thinner, refrigerating the batter overnight and most recently using whole wheat flour instead of regular all-purpose flour. We tried a batch substituting part of the all-purpose flour with whole-wheat flour and then tried all whole-wheat flour and liked it the best! Using whole-wheat flour increases the fiber content as well as all the wonderful naturally occurring vitamins and minerals found in whole grains.  Refrigerating the batter overnight allows the flour to absorb the liquid and makes a very easy breakfast to make on a slower morning!

The batter is super-simple to make. Combine the whole-wheat flour, milk, water, eggs, sugar, melted butter and a pinch of salt in a blender. Blend until combined and place in a covered container in the refrigerator overnight. To cook, brush an 8 or 10-inch skillet with melted butter over medium heat and pour about ¼ cup of batter into the skillet, lifting and tilting the pan as you pour so it coats the bottom of the pan in a thin layer. The crepes only take about 30 seconds on each side to cook. We like to serve them with fresh fruit and a little whipped cream but you could also leave the sugar out altogether and have savory crepes with chicken salad for brunch or lunch. The crepes will keep well in the refrigerator for a day or two in a re-sealable bag in case you have leftovers.

Next time you have a slower morning, take some deep breaths and try a nourishing plate of whole-wheat crepes!

Whole Wheat Crepes

Ingredients:

¾ cup whole-wheat flour
½ cup milk
½ cup water
2 eggs
1 tsp sugar
2 Tbsp butter, melted; plus additional for buttering the pan
Pinch of salt

For the crepe batter, combine the whole-wheat flour, milk, water, eggs, sugar, 2 Tbsp of melted butter and salt in a blender. Blend until combined and no lumps remain. Place in a covered container in the refrigerator overnight.

To cook the crepes, heat an 8 or 10-inch skillet over medium heat and brush the bottom with butter. Pour ¼ cup of crepe batter into the skillet, lifting and tilting the pan as you pour so it coats the bottom in a thin layer. Cook for about 30 seconds or until the edges are slightly brown. Flip the crepe with a spatula and cook the other side for 30 seconds. Remove to a plate and repeat with the remainder of the crepe batter. Serve and enjoy!