Description
Ployes are this perfectly delicious cross between a pancake and a crumpet. They are thinner than a pancake, only cooked on one side in a heated-just-right, dry cast iron pan. They have tons of little holes on top (my Dad always called them eyes) giving them a light, spongy and tender texture. They're SUPER versatile (savory or sweet) and you can't argue with the simplicity of the recipe.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 cup unbleached, all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 cup light buckwheat flour
- 1 tbsp baking powder (make sure it's not super old!)
- 1 tsp salt
- water (amount varies, see instructions...)
Instructions
- Whisk together all dry ingredients in a large bowl.
- Stir in about 1 cup of cold water, enough to make it into a wet paste. Amount may vary. Mix just until combined.
- Start adding hot water (not boiling) 1/2 cup at a time. Use a whisk to mix. The goal is a smooth, thin batter, with no lumps. Think thinner than pancake batter but thicker than heavy cream. Mix mix away!
- Let the batter sit for 30 - 45 minutes. You should see some bubbles form.
- Heat up your cast-iron skillet to medium-high.
You CAN use a non-stick but the whole thing about cast-iron is being able to hold a consistent heat for long periods of time, so just watch your heat. - Once pan is heated, whisk up your batter for a few seconds to prepare it for cooking.
- Drop a small scoop of ploye batter into the center of the pan. This is the very important "test ploye"!
It should be able to cook through without burning on the bottom.
Bubbles will form & pop. The top will start to dry as it cooks. Do NOT flip it, only cook on one side until the entire thing is dry on top. Adjust your heat if needed. - Use a thin metal spatula flipped over to carefully ease the edges up as it gets close to being done. They should NOT stick to the dry cast iron pan. If they do, your heat is too low.
You'll get better as you go, trust me. - Each one should only take a couple of minutes to cook through. Stack them on a plate and cover with a clean towel until you serve them. Ployes are always best served right away! 🙂
