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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
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Ingredients

Serves4

Method

0/6 done
  1. Step 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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 min
  5. Step 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.

  6. 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.

K
Recipe by

KrazyBadal

All recipes by this chef →

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.

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