The weekends always seem to involve pancakes of some kind and these Buckwheat crepe style pancakes are a family favourite. I have always preferred the French style, lacy and crisp-edged style pancakes to the more doughy bouncy ones we tend to find in SA and I enjoy them with savoury fillings (smoked salmon, avo & egg) as much as sweet.

Buckwheat flour can be ground from whole buckwheat – which makes it a very dark colour (see my Buckwheat strawberry recipe here: https://bit.ly/2C0mZYI ) or from dehusked Buckwheat which gives it a lighter more kid-friendly familiar pancake colour. I love the stone-ground Buckwheat flour from La Rozelle at the OZCF market as it is a nice pale colour but they have preserved some of the husks so you get these nutty flecks. Best of both worlds!

These pancakes are not only naturally grain free and gluten free but buckwheat is a powerhouse of nutrition so they also make a fantastic breakfast any day of the week! I find them much easier to digest than wheat flour pancakes and I prefer the texture.

With oranges in full swing and so many varieties like Cara Cara and Blood Orange available (and being so sweet!) I was determined to use them and this combination of an orange cinnamon syrupy sauce with fresh zingy segments of orange was a winner!! I would really recommend a non-stick pancake pan or crepe pan – I honestly can’t do without mine these days and it means your pancakes will all turn out perfectly. They are relatively inexpensive these days and I have some smallish sized ones from @home and then a larger more sophisticated one from la Creuset – they are both just as good.

One of the things I love best about these crepes is that you can make a stack of them and place baking paper in between them and wrap and store for up to 5 days in the fridge or freezer for a month. Then all you have to do is reheat and fill with scrambled eggs or avo and salmon – If you want the option to use them for savoury keep the vanilla out!

Ingredients for 10 pancakes

1 cup milk or plant based mylk

2 large eggs

1 cup Buckwheat flour

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla extract (I added orange blossom water instead on this occasion)

Pinch salt

A variety of 4 to 5 oranges segmented

Orange Cinnamon butter sauce (see below)

Instructions

You can whisk these by hand in which case follow the usual protocol of making a well in the dry ingredients and then whisking in the wet gently incorporating everything to a smooth batter however I have a food processor which is much easier, so everything just goes into that and I blend until smooth. Whether you blend in a processor or whisk by hand you need to let the batter sit for an hour before making the pancakes, so cover and leave somewhere cool or in the fridge.

Just before you are going to cook them you then add an extra 1/3 cup of water and whisk it in to loosen the batter up. You are looking for a single cream consistency.

Heat up your non-stick or crepe pan over medium high heat, brush with butter or vegetable oil, and pour 1/3 cup of batter or just enough batter into the pan to thinly cover the surface of the pan. You will need to swirl fast to do this! If the batter seems too thick after the first pancake you can add a little more water so allow it to move quicker to cover the pan. Leave for 1 to 2 minutes or until the pancake looks dry and the edges have started to curl up. Flip and cook for 1 minute on the other side and transfer to a plate and repeat until all of the batter is used. Once finished cover with foil and keep in a warm oven until you are ready to serve.

Orange butter sauce

6 oranges juiced

100g icing sugar

100g butter, diced, softened

1 stick cinnamon

Add the orange juice into a saucepan with the cinnamon and the icing sugar. Gradually bring the mixture to the boil and cook until the volume of liquid has reduced by half. Remove the cinnamon stick.

Turn off the heat and whisk in the butter, a little at a time.

Serve with Orange segments of different varieties and a scatter of pistachio nuts or some torn mint leaves.