Are you interested in cooking some crepes for yourself?
Crepes are a hugely popular French dish that can be eaten for breakfast, dessert, or even as a savoury meal.
As soon as you get the batter right, the rest of the process for cooking great crepes is fairly simple.
With recipes like crepes, there's no reason not to cook your own meals.
The History of Crepes at a Glance
Crepes are a dish that has variants all over the world, but the French version of them always goes by that name and never “pancakes”.
Crepes are made on a hotplate or pan using a batter from flour and milk. Since they're so thin, they're quite versatile and can be enjoyed using sweet fillings (popular options include chocolate or lemon and sugar) or savoury options like cheese, vegetables, or meat.
Pancakes, typically thicker and likely contain a raising agent, are more like the original dish that dates back thousands of years.
The history of crepes begins around 7,000 BCE. They were made by cooking a mixture of water and crushed cereals on a flat stone.
However, the Breton crepe would appear thousands of years later. The galette was born in the 13th century thanks to the buckwheat brought back from Asia.
If you ask a French person, they'll explain that galettes are not crepes and vice versa, but in the English language, the term is certainly used more interchangeably for most of these dishes. In this article, we're using crepes more as an umbrella term to encompass all of these pan-cooked batters, which are among some of the easiest recipes to cook.
Crepes and their derivatives and related dishes are sold all over the world. There are blinis in Eastern Europe, tortillas in Mexico, and pancakes in North America. Each of these variants typically starts with a batter being cooked in a pan or on a hotplate, with the main difference being the ingredients used, which are often locally sourced. Other related dishes include the Ethiopian injera, using teff flour, and the Indian dosa, which contains fermented rice and lentils. These dishes are typically cooked in a pan or on a hot, flat surface.
Just like pizza recipes differ around the world, so do crepe recipes. Crepes are popular for their simplicity and adaptability. With a basic batter, you have the power to create your own unique crepe variations.
How to Make Crepe Batter
Let's say you want to make crepes like they do in France. The key to success is ensuring your batter is smooth and well-balanced so your crepes cook properly.
It can be difficult to get the perfect batter consistency, especially the first few times you make it. If your batter is too thick, you can always slowly add more milk or water, a tablespoon at a time. The ideal consistency is smooth enough to pour but not runny.
A whisk will do the job, but you can make batter more quickly in a blender. Almost every type of crepe batter needs to rest for a time so that the flour can absorb all the liquid, resulting in soft and evenly cooked crepes.
Here are the ingredients you'll need to make crepe batter for around a dozen crepes:
- 250g of flour (about 2 cups)
- 2 tablespoons of sugar
- 5g of salt
- 4 eggs
- 450ml of milk (about 2 cups)
- 50g of melted butter (around 4 tablespoons)
To make the crepe batter, follow these steps:
- Sieve the flour in a large mixing bowl to remove the lumps.
- Make a well in the middle of the flour and whisk in your eggs.
- Whisk constantly as you pour in the milk to ensure a smooth mixture.
- Add sugar, salt, and melted butter. You're looking to achieve a liquid that's slightly thicker than water.
- Let the batter rest in the fridge for an hour before cooking with it.
A blender can help you mix your ingredients more quickly, but as with all cooking. Practice makes perfect.
Cooking Your Crepes
Once the batter is ready, it's time to start cooking your crepes.
This process takes practice, but it's much easier if you use a non-stick pan or hotplate.
- Heat your pan over a medium heat until it's hot.
- Add a small amount of butter and spread it evenly across the pan using a paper towel. You can do this by attaching a paper towel to a spatula using butcher's twine.
- Pour a ladle of crepe batter into the middle of your pan and tilt the pan to spread the batter out as thinly as possible.
- Cook your crepe for a minute or two until you can easily lift the edges.
- You can flip your crepe using a spatula or with the more impressive crepe toss.
- Cook the other side of your crepe for about 30 seconds.
- Serve with the fillings or toppings of your choice. Popular sweet fillings include fruit, cream, chocolate, or lemon and sugar.
Tossing crepes is a fun part of the process and will become second nature if you make them regularly.
Before tossing a crepe in the pan, it's recommended that you gently shake your pan. If the crepe slides slightly, it's ready to flip. If it sticks, give it a few more seconds to cook. You can even loosen the edges with a spatula before you try flipping your crepe.
Don't worry about getting the first crepe right, either. This is normally called the "test crepe", and it'll help season your pan for the rest of the batch. Try making a great croque monsieur if you get bored of making too many test crepes.
You can even snack on this first crepe while you cook the rest of the batch. Nobody needs to know.
Making Savoury Crepes
The Breton galettes we mentioned earlier are a more savoury version of crepes. They are prepared in a similar way, but the batter recipe is different.
- 330g of buckwheat flour
- 10g of coarse salt
- 750ml of cold water (around 3 cups)
- 1 egg
How to prepare the batter:
- Mix the flour and salt together in the bowl.
- Slowly whisk the water until the mixture is smooth.
- Add the egg to the mixture and whisk until blended.
- Let the batter rest in your fridge for 2 hours.
You can cook galettes much the same way as sweet crepes. However, the timings will be slightly different, so it's better to watch them cook than simply timing them. Once finished, you can serve them with different savoury fillings like cheese, meat, or vegetables.
Certain types of savoury crepes can be made with seasoned batter. Certain variations on savoury crepes include herbs like parsley, chives, or thyme. Spices like paprika and cumin are listed in certain more adventurous recipes.
Naturally, which spices are added should be considered with the fillings you'll choose later. You may be interested in cooking a quiche, too, which is another popular French recipe.
Vegan Crepes
You can make a vegan equivalent to crepes that omits the dairy and eggs.
The ingredients needed are:
- 500g of flour (around 4 cups)
- 1 litre of soy milk (about 4 cups)
- 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil
- 100ml of sparkling water or cider
Preparing the batter for your vegan crepes:
- Whisk the flour and oil together in a bowl.
- Warm the soy milk slightly before adding it to the flour.
- Stir in the sparkling water to aerate the batter.
- Let the batter rest for 20 minutes before cooking your vegan crepes.
Toppings for Crepes
Here are a few different topping choices when eating crepes or galettes. Typically, crepes can be served with sweet or savoury fillings, but sticking to savoury fillings with galettes is better.
Sweet Crepe Fillings:
- Chocolate sauce
- Whipped cream
- Fruit like strawberries or bananas
- Lemon juice with sugar
- Ice cream
Savory Crepe Fillings:
- Cheese and ham
- Spinach and cream
- Smoked salmon with dill sauce
You can even add a dash of rum or beer to your crepe batter to improve the flavour or the thickness.
Top Tips for Cooking Crepes
- Always use medium heat for the pan.
- Let your batter rest to ensure the best consistency.
- Adjust the thickness of the batter with milk or water.
- Don’t be afraid to experiment with fillings and toppings.
In terms of difficulty, crepes are one of the easiest recipes to make, but getting them really good may take a while.
They are great for breakfast, dessert, or as an entire meal in themselves, and they can be quickly made in no time.
If you'd like to learn more about cooking crepes (or any other dish), why not look for a cooking tutor on the Superprof website?
Enjoyed this article? Leave a rating!
Loading...
