Sourdough Discard Crepes [crispy edges]

If you're looking for a fancy breakfast recipe that's fairly easy to create, then these sourdough crepes are your answer! Made with 200g of sourdough starter or sourdough discard, these simple yet elevated sourdough crepes are going to have you mesmerized!

If you love using your sourdough discard for breakfast ideas, then check out these sourdough discard pancakes, sourdough English muffins and sourdough granola.

Why You'll Love This Recipe!

Elevate Your Weekend Breakfast - There's just something a little bit fancy about a good crepe! Not to mention one made from sourdough starter! So grab your skillet and let's get swirling!

Sweet or Savory - Sourdough crepes are so versatile. They can be served as a sweet or savory dish, making them perfect for breakfast, lunch or dinner and everything in between!

Use 200g of Discard - Empty your sourdough discard jar and use up a whopping 200g of sourdough discard in one go.

Do I Have To Use Sourdough Discard?

Like most sourdough discard recipes, you can choose whether to use sourdough discard or active sourdough starter. These sourdough crepes don't actually need any leavening so whether the sourdough starter you add is fed or unfed doesn't really make too much difference.

After testing this recipe numerous times, with varying degrees of unfed sourdough starter I found that using discard that wasn't too old gave the best result.

Sourdough discard that is old, thin and acidic doesn't allow the batter to form properly, particularly if you are allowing it to sit overnight.

Active sourdough starter or sourdough discard that is less than 48 hours old gave the best results.

You can read about the differences between sourdough starter and sourdough discard here.

How To Make Sourdough Discard Crepes

The easiest way to make this sourdough crepe batter is in a blender (or with a stick blender). You can also use a whisk to mix by hand if you prefer. Unlike sourdough pancakes, you're looking for a smooth batter with no lumps.

I recommend making the sourdough crepe batter the night before you want to cook the crepes. Allowing it to ferment overnight in the fridge makes it so much easier to work with (and really enhances the flavor too).

Add all of the ingredients to your blender (or bowl) and blend until the batter is smooth. Transfer to a clean bowl, cover and place into the fridge for at least an hour (but better overnight).

When you're ready to cook your sourdough crepes, heat a non stick skillet or frying pan (or crepe pan if you have one - I'm just using a 24cm or 9.5" skillet).

Add a little butter to the hot pan (this is important). Pour around a ¼ cup of sourdough crepe batter into the centre of the pan and then swirl it around so it reaches out to the edges. Add a little extra batter to cover the holes if you need to. I find a mini soup ladle works best for transferring the batter to the pan.

Allow the crepe to bubble and brown for around a minute. Once you can see that there's no liquid left, then carefully flip the crepe over using a large egg flip or silicone spatula.

Allow the crepe to cook for around 30 seconds on the flip side and then remove from the pan.

Repeat this process with the remaining batter until it's all used up.

You can stack the crepes on top of one another while you're cooking them. They won't stick together as long as they are cooked through. I've seen people layer parchment paper between each crepe but I feel like this is unnecessary.

Tips for Successful Sourdough Crepes Every Time

When I first set about creating a sourdough crepe recipe, I thought oh it will so simple, they're just like really thin pancakes. I was so wrong! It took me quite a few tries to get the texture of the batter right. I thought I was so cool with my fancy crepe skillet but when I went to use it, it was much harder than I thought!

After so many failed attempts at cooking huge sourdough crepes, I ended up trying my 24cm or 9.5" non stick skillet and my crepes came out perfectly!

I didn't think a 24cm or 9.5" skillet would be big enough, but turns out it was the perfect size to roll and fold! In light of this, I thought I'd put together these tips so that you can have success first time and learn from all my mistakes!

• Refrigerate Your Batter - for the best results, leave your batter in the fridge overnight. This allows the flavor to develop and the extra flour you've added to become fully hydrated.
  
• Use a Modest Sized Skillet - using a huge skillet can make it really difficult to flip your sourdough crepes (especially if you are a beginner). I found that a 24cm or 9.5" skillet is big enough - you can still roll and fold the crepes at this size.
  
• Preheat Your Skillet - Make sure your skillet is hot enough to cook the crepe quickly. You want gorgeous crispy edges and a lacy centre, not scrambled eggs! Allow your skillet to heat up while you gather all the equipment.
  
• Butter Your Skillet - it's super important to add a little butter in the pan before you cook each crepe. The butter helps the batter bubble and become lacy and brown. It also ensure you get those lacy, crispy edges. Olive oil does work too, but not as well as butter.
  
• Swirl The Batter Outwards in the Pan - Try to pour the batter into the centre of the skillet and then quickly swirl the batter around to give you those crispy edges. If you place too much batter in the pan at once your crepes will be too thick and more like pancakes.

How To Serve Crepes (Sweet + Savory Ideas)

There are so many ways to serve these delicious crepes! I love sweet, but there are also so many savory options too! Here are some ideas to inspire you to try something a little different next time you make this recipe!

Sweet Sourdough Crepe Ideas

• Strawberries (or any fresh berries) and whipped cream.
  
• Nutella and raspberries (I love adding pecans to this flavor combo).
  
• Go one step further and spread each crepe with Nutella before stacking on top of one another. Top the stack with good quality vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce or maple syrup.
  
• Spiced pumpkin cream cheese (so good for a fall treat).
  
• Cultured butter and maple syrup.
  
• Fresh peaches, whipped cream and crushed pistachio nuts.
  
• Squeeze of lemon juice and a sprinkle of fine sugar (one of my absolute favorites).
  
• Spread with whipped honey cinnamon butter and rolled up tight.
  
• Spread with your favorite jam or jelly.

Savory Sourdough Crepe Ideas

• Spread with cream cheese, smoked salmon and capers.
  
• Spread with a little whipped honey jalapeño butter.
  
• Layer on sliced leg ham, your favorite cheese and a little mustard. Roll up and brush with garlic butter. Like sourdough crepe sliders!
  
• Layer on sliced turkey, cranberry sauce and chunks of Brie cheese.
  
• Serve with this whipped Brie butter for the ultimate savory indulgence.

How to Store + Freeze

These sourdough discard crepes are always best eaten fresh, straight out of the skillet! Honestly, those crispy edges are just divine and never really last once these have been stored or reheated.

If you are making a stack of crepes for a breakfast event, they are fine to sit for a few hours, all stacked up to stay warm but I don't recommend freezing at all.

Making the batter a day ahead is a great way to be organised when you're wanting to make these more easily.

Share the sourdough love!