Crêpes

Crêpes (Classic French)

A simple, thin batter of flour, eggs, and milk cooked on a hot griddle until golden and lacy, then folded with sweet or savoury fillings. Brittany is the spiritual home of the crêpe, and this is the classic sweet version; for a buckwheat galette with ham and cheese, swap the flours as noted below.

Prep

10 min

Cook

20 min

Total

30 min

Serves

8-10 crêpes

Difficulty

Easy

Recipe ingredients

• •125 g (1 cup / 4.4 oz) plain (all-purpose) flour, for sweet crêpes; use 100 g buckwheat flour + 25 g plain flour for savoury galettes
• •2 whole (2 large) eggs
• •250 ml (1 cup) whole milk
• •125 ml (½ cup) water, cold; helps a thin, tender batter
• •30 g (2 tbsp) unsalted butter, melted, plus extra for the pan
• •1 tbsp caster (superfine) sugar, omit for savoury galettes
• •1 pinch fine sea salt
• •1 tsp vanilla extract or rum, optional; skip for savoury
• •lemon juice and granulated sugar, to taste, classic Breton finishing: squeeze of lemon and a shower of sugar
• •thinly sliced ham and grated Gruyère, to taste, savoury galette filling only; for a galette complète, add a fried egg

Steps

1. 1 Whisk the flour, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Make a well in the centre and add the eggs; whisk from the centre outwards, drawing in flour gradually to avoid lumps.
2. 2 Slowly pour in the milk and water while whisking to form a smooth, very thin batter with the consistency of single (light) cream. Stir in the melted butter and vanilla or rum, if using.
3. 3 Cover and rest the batter in the fridge for at least 1 hour, ideally 2-4 hours; this relaxes the gluten so the crêpes stay tender and lacy. The batter should coat the back of a spoon in a fine layer; if thickened, whisk in 1-2 tbsp cold water.
4. 4 Heat a 24-26 cm crêpe pan or non-stick skillet over medium heat. Lightly grease with a small piece of butter on a folded paper towel; the pan should be hot but not smoking.
5. 5 Pour about 60 ml (¼ cup) batter into the centre of the pan, then immediately lift and swirl so the batter coats the pan in a thin, even layer. Cook for 45-90 seconds, until the edges lift and the underside is light golden.
6. 6 Loosen with a thin spatula, flip, and cook the second side for 20-30 seconds. Slide onto a plate. Repeat, stirring the batter between crêpes and re-greasing the pan lightly as needed. Keep cooked crêpes warm under a clean tea towel or in a low oven (about 90°C / 200°F).
7. 7 For the classic sweet finish: fold each crêpe into quarters on the plate, squeeze over fresh lemon juice and sprinkle generously with granulated sugar. The sugar will melt slightly against the warm crêpe. Serve immediately.
8. 8 For a savoury galette complète: pour the buckwheat batter, cook as above, then sprinkle grated Gruyère over the cooked first side, add a slice of ham, top with a fried sunny-side-up egg, and fold the edges toward the centre. Cook briefly until the cheese melts and the egg sets.