Grind the grain and melt the butter.
Weigh all the ingredients into a large bowl or blender, except for the water, which should be set aside for later use.
Beat everything together on low speed, and once the ingredients come together, beat on high speed for a couple of minutes. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula, then beat again until the batter is completely smooth and lump-free.
Let the batter rise, covered, on the kitchen counter for 30 minutes if you want to bake the pancakes right away. If you plan to bake them tomorrow, let the batter rise for 1 hour and then let it rise in the refrigerator.
Once the dough has risen, add the water and whisk until everything is thoroughly combined.
Now the pancakes are ready to bake. If you don't want to bake them right away, you can simply let them rise further in the refrigerator overnight.
I cook the pancakes in "de Buyer" crêpe pans ranging from 18 to 24 cm. The pan should be warm enough, but not so hot that it smokes or burns the butter. That’s the balance you need to find.
I cut a square of about 50 grams of butter, wrap it in cheesecloth or unbleached paper towel, and grease the pan with this small piece of butter before pouring the batter in and making a pancake.
It often takes a good hour to bake all the batter in a 22–24-cm pan; if you make small pancakes in an 18-cm pan, it often takes more than two hours, although you’ll end up with a lot of pancakes, and they can be frozen for another time.
