The 3-Ingredient Acadian Flatbreads I Serve for Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

Perched in Aroostook County at the very top of the state, the St. John Valley is nicknamed “The Crown of Maine.” This remote region that borders Canada is home to Maine’s Acadian population, who are descended from French settlers who arrived there in the early 17th century. Having endured centuries of upheaval and persecution, Acadians continue to make their home in Maine and the Maritime provinces of Canada today, where they seek to preserve and honor their unique heritage. One of the essential dishes stemming from that heritage is ployes. 

Ployes (rhyming with “boys”) are a unique pancake-crepe-crumpet-flatbread hybrid beloved in the Acadian community. These versatile flatbreads are served with every meal of the day. The most traditional way to serve them is to spread them with butter, roll them up, and dip them into soup or stew. But you can also serve them with fruit, syrup, or molasses for breakfast or dessert.

It’s easy to see why they’re so popular in this region. The pancake-like batter takes only minutes to prepare and cook ( a cast-iron pan or griddle is best). They’re made with locally abundant buckwheat flour, and are a quick-cooking, economical accompaniment to any meal.

These buckwheat pancakes are so cherished in the area that the town of Fort Kent holds a ploye festival every year, where intrepid cooks work together to make the world’s largest ploye (thus far measuring 12 feet in diameter!). But you don’t need to visit remote Northern Maine to enjoy them. I tested my way through piles of ployes to come up with my recipe below. It requires just three main ingredients and only a few minutes to cook. Hot off the griddle, these ployes are a delectable savory stand-in for a dinner roll, or a sweet treat when sprinkled with cinnamon-sugar or dunked into syrup or molasses. 

The Best Buckwheat Flour for the Ployes

Though I grew up in Maine, I wasn’t very familiar with ployes before deep diving into their history when developing this recipe. Luckily, Bouchard Family Farms, a French-Acadian farm in its sixth generation, not only grows the buckwheat needed to make ployes from scratch, but also sells a pre-made mix (the only commercially-available ploye mix in the world!).

I ordered a bag of buckwheat and whisked up a batter from the mix to see this pancake in action. I heated up a cast iron pan, spooned on the batter, spread it into a thin round, and watched in awe as hundreds of tiny bubbles formed on the surface of each distinctively yellow pancake. In just over a minute, the ploye was cooked through and ready to serve straight from the pan. I made sure to cook it on just one side—the Bouchards and other Acadian sources are emphatic that you never flip a ploye. Instead, you cook one side, allowing the bubbles to boil and burst leaving pillowy air pockets. It had a balanced earthy, slightly nutty flavor from the unique type of buckwheat flour in the batter.

Traditional Acadian ployes use Tartary buckwheat, a specific variety of silver-skinned buckwheat that grows in the St. John Valley region in Northern Maine and Canada. It has a lighter, less assertive flavor and green-yellow color that's much lighter than American, French, or Japanese buckwheat varieties, which are typically a deep purplish brown. And while these other varieties of buckwheat are readily available at many grocery stores across the US, to make true ployes, I strongly recommend seeking out Maine-grown buckwheat from growers like Bouchard Family Farms or Maine Grains brands. But if you substitute with other another buckwheat flour, know that the ployes will have a dark purplish-brown color rather than yellow, and the pancakes will have a stronger buckwheat flavor.

Finding the Right Ratio of Ingredients for Ployes 

Buckwheat is in fact not wheat at all, but the seed of a flowering plant that can be ground into a flour. It’s naturally gluten-free, but ployes need a little bit of gluten formation in order for them to keep their shape and have a pliable texture. I tried Acadian recipes for ployes that called for varying amounts of each type of flour, and ultimately settled on a ratio of two parts buckwheat flour to one part all-purpose flour. This creates pancakes with a balanced earthy, nutty flavor and the ideal pliable structure. 

A tablespoon of baking powder gives the flatbreads their signature holes (known as “les yeux” or “eyes”), and enough water is added make the batter the right pourable consistency to spread easily into a thin flat disc, like a crepe (but don’t call it a crepe!). 

Unlike other pancakes, ployes contain no added fat and aren’t traditionally cooked in fat. So to ensure the pancakes release easily from the skillet when cooked, it’s important to preheat the empty pan. A well seasoned cast iron skillet is the best— and most traditional—option. Because the pan is heated while empty, I don’t recommend using a nonstick or ceramic pan, as this can damage the pan’s coating over time. 

Once cooked they can be served both savory or sweet in a variety of ways: They can be served savory, spread with cretons (a Quebecois minced pork spread), filled with other meats, veggies, and/or cheeses, or simply buttered and rolled to dip into stews, soups, or baked beans. Or, for a sweet and easy breakfast, swipe with butter and sprinkle of cinnamon sugar, roll and dip them in molasses or maple syrup, and/or fill with jam, berries, or whipped cream.

In a large bowl, whisk together buckwheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt to combine. Add water and whisk until a smooth batter with the consistency of half-and-half forms. Let sit until slightly thickened and bubbly, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 200°F (90°C). Set a wire rack in a rimmed baking sheet and transfer to oven.

Preheat a 10-inch cast iron skillet or griddle over medium heat until hot, 3 to 4 minutes. (If your pan is well seasoned, then no cooking oil will be necessary; if it's not, add 1/2 teaspoon neutral oil to the pan as it heats and use a wadded up paper towel to spread it into a then layer before proceeding with the recipe.)

Whisk batter to recombine. Using a 1/4-cup dry measuring cup, pour one 1/4 cup serving of batter into center of skillet. Using the bottom of measuring cup or back of a metal ladle, spread batter into a very thin circle, about 7 inches in diameter.

Cook until holes form and batter sets, top is dry with edges beginning to curl, and bottom is golden brown and crisp, 1 to 2 minutes. Use a spatula to transfer to wire rack in oven to keep warm or serving plate to serve immediately. Repeat cooking with remaining batter. You should have 12 ployes. Serve with your preferred sweet or savory accompaniments, such as butter, maple syrup, berries, or meats.

Special Equipment

Whisk, rimmed baking sheet, wire rack, 10-inch cast iron skillet or griddle, 1/4-cup dry measuring cup, spatula

Notes

I recommend using Maine-grown buckwheat from growers like Bouchard Family Farms or Maine Grains. If you substitute with other buckwheat flour, the ployes will be a dark purplish-brown color rather than yellow, and the pancakes will have a stronger buckwheat flavor.