My 1-2-3 basic crepes recipe

When I was a child, I loved crepes. But somehow my mum hated making them. Not too good of a match, right? But I can’t actually complain, she was actually baking a lot of other great stuff for us. I think she just didn’t like the fact that she was supposed to stand there, next to a frying pan and fry them one by one. It was of course easier to just throw a tray of cake in the oven for some time, and do something else in the meantime. I can understand that.

However, growing up and moving away to study, making crepes was a fun activity we’d do in the common kitchen area. We would do rounds of who can flip the crepe without sticking it to the ceiling or to the walls or floor. Cleaning was involved in these sessions. But I remember it as a fun activity with my gang in the dorms. And moving further, crepes have always been that quick, at hand desert you can prep in the evening if you have some sudden sweet cravings and only got some honey in your pantry or a jar of jam in the fridge. And you probably have all the ingredients at home. Plus, they’re ready in less than an hour and you might also have some left for breakfast the next day.

Nothing more convenient than this. That, of course, if you are fine with spending about half an hour next to the stove. There are many variations to a crepe recipe. But I was, for a long time, sticking to this base recipe, that would never let me down. And once I got confident with the base, I started experimenting here and there. So my crepes are never the same anymore.

Neutral or sweet?

Most of the times I make my crepes neutral. I can even trick a whole meal with that. This allows you to fill them with both savoury and sweet stuff, and that’s pretty great if you ask me. Some savoury fillings I enjoy in my crepes are goat cheese and fresh baby spinach, or cream cheese with chives.

But for those moments I know we’re only going to have sweet crepes, I like an addition of vanilla extract and orange zest. Oh that orange zest works like magic! I could even eat the crepes just as they are! Don’t even need the sugar, so it¨s actually very kids friendly also. And let’s face it – kids love crepes!

But let’s get started with the base! And then I’m sure you’ll find your favourite combo!

Ingredients (makes about 10-12pcs.):

• 100 grams flour
• 2 eggs
• 300ml whole milk
• a pinch of salt
• oil/butter for frying

Extras, if making sweet crepes:

• 1tbsp sugar (for the ones with sweet tooth)
• 1tsp vanilla extract
• 1tsp orange zest

Tools:

• whisk
• mixing bowl
• ladle to pour the batter
• frying pan
• spatula to flip the crepes

Instructions:

1. In a mixing bowl whisk the eggs with a pinch of salt (and the sugar if going for sweet ones) just until you get a little light foam on top. Add the flour and try to incorporate. If too dry, pour a little bit of the milk. You are looking to get the consistency of a paste. The idea is to try hydrate all the flour and reduce the flour clumps as much as possible.
2. Once the eggs-flour mixture is consistent, start pouring the rest of the milk while whisking. At the end you will get a pretty liquid batter – that’s how it’s supposed to be. This is where you can add the desired flavourings if you opted for them (fx. vanilla extract, orange zest).
3. Heat a non-stick frying pan on a medium-high heat. Use some neutral taste oil or butter to lightly oil the pan. I’m using a spray with a mix of butter and rapeseed oil, but another good trick I learned from my friend Victoria (thanks!), is to use a pastry brush and a little oil in a cup, and simply brush the pan when needed. Once the pan has heated, pour crepes batter with a ladle, and rotate the pan, so the batter covers it as even as possible. Reduce heat to medium and fry on one side until the top is not shiny anymore. Then flip with a spatula. Or have fun defying the gravity if you feel like, just don’t try it above the fire! Fry for about 20-30 seconds more, then flip on the plate where you’ll be stacking them, so they soften and keep warm.

Serve warm with your favourite fillings!

Tips on how to get extra fluffy/spongy crepes

There are two things I have tried on my way to extra spongy or extra fluffy crepes.

1. This one I know from my mom, it’s a common practice in Romania, I would say. Substituting a little bit of the milk with sparkling mineral water. The bubbles will give you a spongy batter and you’ll end with nice lacy crepes.
2. The second trick I kinda learned along the way, as I heard it from several crepes makers. Resting the batter for half an hour to one hour in the fridge, before frying the crepes allows the amidon in the flour to absorb more of the liquid, and your batter will fluff a bit, giving you extra fluffy crepes. This is not always an option, especially if you’re on a rush to enjoy your crepes as soon as possible.

Let me know how you like your crepes – is it fluffy or paper thin and lacy? Also, do you have other tricks for making crepes even better? Let everyone know here in the comments, ’cause remember: sharing is caring 🙂