Crepes: the basic recipe, thin and pliable
The recipe everything else starts from: crepes with sweet cheese, with apples, croquettes, even a crepe lasagne. The ratio is easy to remember — 250 g of flour, a glass (250 ml) of milk, a glass of water, two eggs. Water makes a lighter batter than milk alone, and half an hour of resting makes the crepes pliable enough to roll up without tearing.
Your own work in that: 35 min.
- Batter 10 min
- Resting 30 min
- Frying 25 min
Step by step
0 / 6 doneWhisk the batter
Put the flour in a bowl with the salt and sugar, make a well, break in the eggs and add half the milk. Whisk from the centre outwards until you have a smooth, thick paste with no lumps. Only then pour in the rest of the milk and the water, whisking all the while. Finally stir in the oil.
Ingredients: 250 g plain flour · 250 ml milk · 250 ml sparkling water · 2 pcs eggs · ½ tsp salt · 1 tbsp sugar · 2 tbsp oil
TipLumps come from adding all the liquid at once. A thick paste at the start breaks up every speck of flour; once the batter is thin, no whisk will rescue it.
A thick paste first, the rest of the liquid afterRest it half an hour
Cover the bowl and leave it on the counter 30 minutes. In that time the starch granules soak up water and the gluten, tightened by whisking, relaxes. Rested batter is visibly smoother and the crepes roll instead of tearing.
TipThe batter can sit in the fridge overnight. Just stir it before frying: the flour settles.
Thirty minutes and the batter smooths itselfHeat the pan properly
Heat a 22–24 cm pan over medium heat for 3 minutes. Wipe it with kitchen paper and a little oil — it should be greased, not wet. The test: a drop of water should skitter across the surface rather than hiss and steam away.
Ingredients: 2 tbsp oil
TipThe first crepe nearly always fails because the pan has not yet reached temperature. That is not your fault and not the recipe's.
Pour and swirl
Pour one ladle into the centre and immediately tilt the pan in a circle so the batter runs out thinly to the edges. Fry 60–90 seconds, until the edges lift away and the underside is patterned gold.
TipIf the batter won't spread it is too thick — add 50 ml of water. If it runs instantly and comes out full of holes, stir in a spoon of flour slaked in a little milk.
A ladle in the middle, then swirl the panFlip and finish
Lift an edge with a wide spatula, take it between your fingers and turn it in one movement. The second side needs only 30 seconds and always stays paler and spotted — that is normal, and it is the side traditionally folded inwards.
The second side is paler, as it should beStack them under a cloth
Pile the finished crepes on a plate and cover with a tea towel. Steam from the warm stack keeps them soft and pliable. Left uncovered they dry out within 10–15 minutes and split when rolled. Frying the whole batch, one crepe at a time, takes about 25 minutes in total.
A stack under a cloth stays soft
Before you start
Sweet and savoury
For savoury fillings leave out the sugar and add a pinch of pepper. For sweet ones keep the sugar and add a spoon of vanilla sugar.
Freezing
Interleave the crepes with baking paper and freeze flat in a bag. They thaw in 20 minutes on the counter, or 40 seconds in the microwave, one at a time.
Why sparkling water
Some of the bubbles stay in the batter and the crepes can come out a touch more delicate. The difference is small, because most of the gas escapes while the batter rests — still water gives almost the same result.
Blender instead of whisk
Everything in at once, 20 seconds, and the batter is perfectly smooth. Don't skip the rest even then: a blender tightens the gluten harder than a whisk does.
