Thin French Crêpes
Thin, tender pancakes from a pourable batter, rested for half an hour, cooked in a hot pan and finished with lemon and sugar.
Ingredients
1× · makes 8 crêpes · serves 4
| Plain floursifted | 125 g |
| Fine salt | 1 g |
| Caster sugaroptional, leave out for savoury | 5 g |
| Eggs, 100 g beatenmedium, room temperature | 2 eggs |
| Whole milksemi-skimmed also works | 250 ml |
| Unsalted buttermelted and slightly cooled | 15 g |
| Unsalted buttermelted, for greasing | 10 g |
| Lemoncut into wedges | 1 lemon |
| Caster sugar | 40 g |
Kit for 8 crêpes
- Mixing: a bowl or jug of at least 1 litre
- Pan: a 24 cm non-stick frying pan, and a ladle that holds about 55 ml
- Keeping warm: one heatproof plate, 24 cm or larger
- Also: whisk, sieve, thin spatula, kitchen paper, foil
Method
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Mix a thick paste
3 minSift 125 g flour, 1 g salt and 5 g caster sugar into a bowl or jug of at least 1 litre. Make a well in the middle, add 2 eggs (100 g beaten) and 50 ml of the milk, then whisk from the centre outwards to a thick, smooth paste.
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Thin with milk and butter
3 minWhisk in the remaining 200 ml of milk a little at a time, then stir in 15 g melted butter. The batter should run off the whisk like single cream. Pour it through a sieve if any lumps remain.
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Rest the batter
30 min restCover and leave at room temperature. This gives the flour time to absorb the milk. You can rest it in the fridge for up to 24 hours instead; whisk again before cooking.
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Heat the oven and pan
3 minTo keep the crêpes warm, heat the oven to 100 °C fan (120 °C conventional). Put a 24 cm non-stick frying pan over a medium-high heat for 3 minutes, then wipe it lightly with kitchen paper dipped in melted butter. 10 g of butter covers the whole batch.
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Cook the crêpes
about 12 minPour in about 55 ml of batter (a small ladle) and tilt the pan to coat the base thinly. Cook for about 1 minute, until the edges lift and the underside is golden, then flip and cook for 20 to 30 seconds. Repeat to make 8 crêpes, stacking them on one heatproof plate, 24 cm or larger, covered with foil, in the oven. The first crêpe is a test: if it tears, whisk a splash of milk into the batter.
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Serve
2 minSqueeze 1 lemon over the warm crêpes, scatter with 40 g caster sugar and fold into quarters. Serve straight away.
Tips
- Storage. Cool the crêpes completely, stack them with a square of baking paper between each and wrap well. They keep in the fridge for up to 2 days. Warm them in a dry pan for about 20 seconds a side.
- Freezing. Layer with baking paper, seal in a freezer bag and freeze for up to 1 month. Thaw in the fridge overnight, then warm in a dry pan.
- Batter ahead. Covered in the fridge, the batter keeps for up to 24 hours. Whisk it before using and loosen with a splash of milk if it has thickened.
- Savoury. Leave out the sugar and swap 50 g of the flour for buckwheat flour. Fill with ham, grated Emmental and a fried egg.
- Sweet. Add a little finely grated orange zest or a drop of vanilla extract to the batter. Swap the lemon and sugar for chocolate spread, honey or jam.
- If they tear. A crêpe that tears or sticks usually means the pan is too cool or the batter is too thick. Heat the pan a little longer or whisk in a splash of milk.