Basic Crepe
Prep: 10 Minutes | Cook: 20 Minutes | Resting Time: At least 1 Hour, up to 24 Hours | Total: 1 Hour 30 mins
Makes 8 - 10 Crepes (8” Diameter)
Ingredients
1 c All Purpose Flour
1/2 t salt
2 Eggs
3/4 c Whole Milk
1/2 c Water
4 tb Melted Butter
1/2 t Vanilla Extract
Recipe Summary
Mix together dry ingredients (sifted flour, salt). Add eggs and mix thoroughly.
Add wet ingredients (water, milk, melted butter) and incorporate fully until batter is smooth. Add vanilla.
On a hot pan pour crepe batter onto the pan and create thin crepes that cover the entirety of the pan
Cook for about 2 minutes on one side until the edges start to curl, flip and then cook for another 15 seconds.
Remove and stack crepes as the remainder are cooked.
Recipe
Make crepe batter the night before - it gives the best textured crepes when cooking them due to the flour given time to hydrate. You can make crepe batter right before cooking it, however you may get rubbery textures vs. thin and delicate crepes.
Mix together dry ingredients (flour, salt). Ensure the flour doesn’t have large clumps in it, which can be done by pre sifting the flour or whisking until all the clumps are removed.
Add eggs and mix thoroughly removing clumps as you whisk
Add half of wet ingredients (milk, water, melted butter) and incorporate thoroughly before adding the remaining liquids.
On a hot pan melt butter to coat the pan and pour crepe batter onto the pan. Crepes will cook very quickly, if the pan is on direct heat. For best results using a regular pan, lift the pan off the heat and pour the batter into the center of the pan (about 1/4 c if using a 8” diameter pan) and swirl the pan so there is a thin layer of batter across the entirety of the pan.
Place the pan back on heat and cook for about 2 minutes on one side until the edges start to curl, flip and then cook for another 15 seconds.
Remove and stack crepes as the remainder are cooked.
Why the Recipe Works
Crepes are a simple but delicious dish that can be customized for everybody’s tastes. They are thin and crispy, but also slightly fluffy with a slight taste of vanilla, which goes so well with both savory and sweet fillings.
Making sure the mixture is smooth gives a crepe that will spread thin when placed on the pan. Any clumps will cook unevenly and can cause your crepe to break when it’s being flipped or folded.
Allowing the crepe batter to rest for at least an hour and ideally 24 hours before cooking will provide the best textural results. This waiting period allows the gluten networks that formed during whisking to relax and become more pliable during cooking. Without this waiting period, the crepes risk being rubbery and tough due to the tightly formed gluten networks.