Simple French Crepes Recipe
Classic and simple recipe for French crepes. This is the recipe my kids are growing up on!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 Cups Unbleached, all-purpose flour
- 1/2 Tsp Salt
- 4 Large eggs
- 2 1/4 Cups Whole milk
- Butter (for cooking)
- Any desired toppings such as fresh fruit, whipped cream, jam, chocolate sauce, etc.
Instructions
- Measure the flour and salt into a large bowl.
- Crack all of the eggs into the flour and gently mix using a whisk, breaking up the eggs yolks. The flour will start to clump and stick to the whisk- that's okay.
- Measure out the milk but do not add it all at once, as this will cause small lumps of flour to form that will become impossible to break up no matter how much you mix! This results in lumpy crepe batter. To make a smooth batter simply add the milk in 1/4 cup increments, mixing between each addition. Once it starts to form a thick paste and there are no (or almost no) lumps of flour, add in the remaining milk and mix well. By the time all the milk has been added you should have a fairly thin batter.
- Set an 8-inch or 10-inch pan onto the stove and set to medium heat. Give the pan a few minutes to heat up, and then drop a small pat of butter into the pan. The pan should be hot enough that the butter will make a sizzling sound and begin to melt right away. Use a butter knife to spread the butter around the pan as it melts, coating the surface evenly. I like the to let the melted butter brown a bit because it adds a nice color and subtle caramel-y flavor to the crepes, but this is optional!
- Pour a couple large ladles full (about 1/3-1/2 cup worth) of batter into the center of the pan. Before the batter cooks, use the handle of the pan to lift the pan off of the burner and tilt it around in a circular motion so that the batter spreads evenly across the entire surface of the pan. Once it has spread, set the pan back onto the burner and allow the crepe to cook for about 1 1/2 minutes. You'll see the edges and surface begin to look like they are cooked and no longer a liquid batter. Use a spatula to flip the crepe and cook on the other side about 15-20 seconds. The crepe should be soft and "floppy"- not at all stiff or crispy! If it is stiff and crispy then you've cooked it for too long and you need to either cook it for less time, or turn the heat down a little bit.
- Repeat step 4 and 5 (starting at melting more butter in the pan) with the remaining batter until you've it all. If you find you have enough crepes and still have leftover batter you can leave it in the fridge and reuse within a couple days.
- To dress the cooked crepes, lay one flat on a plate and sprinkle, spread or drizzle in your favorite fillings. Then you can either roll or fold the crepe with the fillings inside. Dust with powdered sugar if you want!