Crepes are easier than pancakes.
Why you should cook this
Crepes are easier than pancakes. The batter rests, the pan is hot, the action is fast. Sweet (sugar and lemon, nutella, jam) or savoury (ham and gruyere, mushroom and bechamel). Same batter for both.
Rest the batter at least an hour. The flour hydrates fully and the gluten relaxes; you’ll get tender, lacy crepes instead of rubbery ones.
What to drink with it
Sunday brunch with a Coconut French 75, our recipe, or hot French press coffee. Savoury crepes pair with a cold pinot blanc.
Notes from the kitchen
Rest the batter. One hour minimum, overnight is better. The first crepe is always sacrificial. It tells you the temperature is right. Eat it standing at the stove. Brown butter, not just butter. Cook the butter until it smells like hazelnuts before adding to the batter. Adds depth.
The recipe
Ingredients
Method
- Whisk flour, salt and sugar in a bowl. Make a well in the centre. Crack the eggs in. Start whisking from the centre, drawing flour in slowly.
- Add milk in a slow stream, whisking, until the batter is the consistency of thin cream and lump-free. Add the browned butter. Whisk again.
- Cover and rest in the fridge at least 1 hour, ideally overnight.
- Heat a 22cm crepe or non-stick pan over medium. Brush with butter. Pour 60mL of batter into the pan, swirling immediately to coat thinly.
- Cook 60-90 seconds until edges lift and the underside is golden. Flip with a spatula. Cook 30 seconds more.
- Slide onto a plate. Stack as you go (they steam each other and stay soft).
- For sweet: top with lemon and sugar, nutella, jam, or fresh berries. For savoury: ham and gruyere, mushroom bechamel, or smoked salmon and creme fraiche.
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Rubbery crepes
Not enough rest. The flour needs to hydrate fully and the gluten needs to relax. One hour minimum, overnight is better.
First crepe always tears
Normal. The pan tells you the temperature. Eat it standing at the stove.
Variations worth knowing
Buckwheat (galettes)
Replace half the plain flour with buckwheat. Savoury, nuttier, the Brittany classic.
Lemon and sugar
The simplest filling. Squeeze of lemon, sprinkle of caster sugar, fold in quarters.
Crepes Suzette
Flambeed in butter, orange juice, and Grand Marnier at the table. Showstopper for guests.
Leftovers and make ahead
Cold crepes keep two days fridge between sheets of baking paper. Reheat in a dry pan thirty seconds per side. Or freeze the cooked crepes in a stack, pull as needed.