With this quick and easy crêpe batter recipe with helpful tips, you are guaranteed to make delicious French pancakes at home.
Whether with jam or chocolate cream, crêpes always hit the spot! This is no wonder: The thin French pancakes can be filled individually - and always remind me somehow of an exuberant visit to the fair.
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Taste and Occasion
With my basic crêpes recipe, you can also conjure perfect crêpes at home, like at a fair. The preparation is anything but witchcraft. Basically, it is similar to the German pancake basic recipe. The main difference is certainly that crêpes are very thin, as they are made of a much more liquid batter. Due to the filling and unique folding technique, they somehow also taste significantly different from pancakes. With one bite, you sort of get a layered treat. My family and I, we love it! For breakfast, lunch, coffee dates.
Ingredients
The fact that the crêpes recipe is easy adds icing on the cake. It takes less than 5 minutes to mix the batter. Okay, for baking in portions, you have to take a little time. French crepes are best when you bake them in a traditional cast iron pan. Meanwhile, there are also crêpes pans with non-stick coating, for which you need less fat. The typical dough spreader (made of wood or plastic) is helpful from experience. However, a regular large pan and a turner for spreading and turning can also be used in a pinch. By the way: The basic recipe is also suitable for crepe makers.
Whether you make the crêpes recipe sweet or neutral does not matter. We always add a maximum of 1-2 tablespoons of sugar to the dough. The remaining sweetness comes from the more or less luscious fillings or toppings 😉 . Among the top favorites of our crêpes fillings are cinnamon sugar, berry jam, applesauce, and Nutella.
How to make the French Crêpes
First of all, whisk together the flour and milk, stirring constantly. Then gradually add the melted butter and eggs, stirring constantly. Finally, add salt and sugar. There should be no lumps in the dough. If necessary, blend everything again briefly. Now, cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it rest for 30-60 minutes. Stir again briefly.
Continue with heating a shallow (crêpe) pan and brushing it with a little clarified butter or oil. Place a ladleful of dough in the center of the pan and spread thinly in the pan using a batter spreader or by swirling back and forth. Once the crêpe comes away slightly from the bottom, turn with a spatula or similar and bake again briefly from the other side.
After this, simply do the same procedure with the remaining dough and fill crêpes as desired.
Top Tip
To ensure you succeed with the batter, here are a few helpful tips on preparing it. And after reading - nothing like go to the stove!
First, it is essential to mix the ingredients while stirring constantly. I start with flour and milk, then butter and eggs. Sometimes it is also advised to mix eggs with flour first in any case, then add the milk. If the dough still has lumps, it's easy to blend it again until smooth, put it in a stand mixer, or pass it through a sieve.
This allows the gluten in the flour to work and the dough's ingredients to combine better.
It's easy to spread the filling on half of the crêpes, then fold the second (empty) half over the top and fold the half circle into a quarter again. Rolling also works, of course.
You can keep the unbaked batter covered in the refrigerator for 2 days. The finished pancakes will also keep for a day; however, they are always better fresh.
Easy in the oven at 120°F-160°F / 60°C-80°C.
Recipe Card
French Crêpes
Ingredients
- 3 eggs, medium
- 500 milliliters (2 cups) milk
- 40 grams (3 tablespoons) melted butter
- 250 grams (2 cups) all-purpose flour
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar, or more
- clarified butter, or oil for frying
Instructions
- Whisk together the flour and milk, stirring constantly. Then gradually add the melted butter and eggs, stirring constantly. Finally, add salt and sugar. There should be no lumps in the dough. If necessary, blend everything again briefly.
- Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it rest for 30-60 minutes. Stir again briefly.
- Heat a shallow (crêpe) pan and brush with a little clarified butter or oil. Place a ladleful of dough in the center of the pan and spread thinly in the pan using a batter spreader or by swirling back and forth. Once the crêpe comes away slightly from the bottom, turn with a spatula or similar and bake again briefly from the other side.
- Do the same with the remaining dough and fill crêpes as desired.
Notes
- Crêpes are delicious with just powdered sugar or filled with cinnamon sugar, jam, chocolate cream, applesauce, etc.
Ingredient substitutions
Variations
Enjoy making your own crêpes! Desserts are real soul food for the whole family: Whether American pancakes, low carb pancakes, classic Kaiserschmarrn, or vegan pancakes. And if you've been bitten by the French bug - why not try other French classics like chocolate mousse?
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About Kathrin & Jan
It's like a little miracle to me every time. Seemingly simple ingredients are made into something that can brighten up your life. Butter, sugar, eggs, and flour melt into an airy biscuit, a fine tart, a juicy cake, or a crispy biscuit. Baking simply makes you happy. Welcome and enjoy our blog!
Kathrin & Jan
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