Crêpes
Thin Breton sweet pancakes with butter, sugar and lemon
Sweet crêpes made from wheat flour, milk and eggs are Brittany's gift to the rest of France, and on 2 February, Chandeleur, French families make piles of them at home, flipping the first with a coin in hand for luck. They are thin and tender with golden, lacy spots, and the classic filling is simplest: a smear of salted butter and a sprinkle of sugar, or sugar and lemon. Children love them with chocolate spread, jam or sliced banana. Chef's tip: make the batter thinner than you expect, like single cream; thick batter is the common mistake and gives heavy pancakes, not crêpes.
- Total time
- 30 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Whisk 4 ½ oz plain flour, 1 tbsp caster sugar and 1 pinch salt in a bowl. Make a well, add 2 eggs and a little of 1 ¼ cups milk and whisk to a smooth paste.
Step 2: Gradually whisk in the rest of the milk, then ⅞ oz butter. The batter should be smooth and pour like single cream. Rest it for 10 minutes if you can.
Step 3: Heat a non-stick frying pan (about 22 cm) over a medium-high heat and wipe with a little butter on kitchen paper.
Step 4: Pour in about 3 tbsp of batter and tilt the pan straight away to cover the base thinly. Cook for 1 minute, until the edges look lacy and lift easily.
1 minStep 5: Flip with a spatula and cook for 30 seconds, until spotted golden underneath. Stack on a warm plate and repeat; you should get 10–12.
Step 6: Spread each crêpe with 1 oz salted butter, sprinkle with 3 tbsp caster sugar, squeeze over 1 lemon if you like, and fold into quarters.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 310 kcal
- Protein
- 9 g
- Carbs
- 38 g
- Fat
- 14 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does crêpes take?
- About 30 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of caster sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Baklava
The famous layered pastry: crisp sheets of buttered fillo sandwich a filling of almonds, pistachios and cashews spiced with cinnamon, cardamom and saffron. After baking, the hot baklava is soaked in a syrup of sugar, honey, lemon, rose and cardamom and decorated with almond and pistachio flakes. Cut into 40 diamonds; serve with fresh cream or ice cream.
Chocolate sauce
A thick, glossy chocolate sauce made from store-cupboard cocoa and milk, ready in under 10 minutes. Pour it hot over vanilla ice cream, or let it cool and spread it on cakes and puddings.
White sauce
The classic white sauce behind pasta bakes, lasagne, baked vegetables and creamy soups. Butter and flour are cooked together first so the sauce tastes of nothing raw, then milk is whisked in until it turns thick, glossy and smooth. Use it straight away, or keep it covered in the fridge for up to 2 days.




