Description
Delight in JB’s classic French crêpes, featuring a light and smooth batter made with simple pantry staples. Perfectly thin and golden, these versatile crêpes can be served sweet with berries, whipped cream, Nutella, or simply dusted with icing sugar. A staple for breakfast, brunch, or dessert, this recipe includes resting the batter for one hour and quick stovetop cooking in a non-stick pan to yield soft, flexible crêpes every time.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 1 2/3 cups plain flour / all-purpose flour, sifted
- 3 tbsp caster sugar / superfine sugar
- 1/4 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt
Wet Ingredients
- 3 large eggs (55g/2oz each, fridge cold is fine)
- 2 cups full fat milk (lite milk works too)
- 1/3 cup water
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil or other neutral flavoured oil
- 45 g (3 tbsp) unsalted butter, cut into small cubes (for cooking)
Toppings and Serving Suggestions
- Icing sugar for dusting
- Berries
- Whipped cream
- Melted chocolate or Nutella
Instructions
- Make the batter: Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl. Add sugar and salt, then whisk to combine evenly.
- Add eggs: Form a well in the center of the dry mixture and add the eggs. Whisk gently, incorporating only some flour to form a thick paste, as you can’t blend all the flour just with eggs yet.
- Add milk gradually: Slowly pour in the milk while continuously whisking to prevent lumps, creating a smooth batter with a glossy, pourable consistency.
- Incorporate water and oil: Whisk in the water and vegetable oil until the batter coats the back of a spoon lightly—neither too thick nor too runny.
- Rest the batter: Cover the bowl and let the batter rest at room temperature for 1 hour. This resting period helps develop the gluten and results in tender crêpes.
- Prepare the pan: Heat a 24cm (9.5-inch) non-stick crêpe pan over medium-high heat. Melt about 1/2 teaspoon of butter in the pan, then wipe it off with a paper towel so only a thin film remains without visible pools.
- Cook the crêpes: Lift the pan off the heat, ladle 1/4 cup of batter into the center, then quickly swirl the pan to evenly coat the surface with a thin layer of batter. Tilt the pan to fill any empty spots.
- First side cooking: Cook for 45 seconds to 1 minute until the underside is lightly golden and edges start to lift.
- Flip and cook second side: Use a long spatula to flip the crêpe carefully, cooking for an additional 30 seconds on the other side.
- Stack and repeat: Slide the cooked crêpe onto a plate and continue cooking the rest, brushing the pan with a little butter before each crêpe. Stack them as you go to keep them warm and flexible.
- Serve: Serve warm either rolled burrito style with ends tucked in to hold fillings, or folded into quarters topped with icing sugar, berries, whipped cream, Nutella, or your favorite toppings.
Notes
- Resting the batter for one hour is essential for tender crêpes as it allows the flour to hydrate fully and gluten to relax.
- Use a good quality non-stick pan or a dedicated crêpe pan for the best results; adjust batter quantity based on pan size.
- Wiping off excess butter ensures crêpes don’t fry but cook evenly and remain soft.
- If the batter feels too thick after resting, whisk in a little extra milk or water to reach the desired pourable consistency.
- Crêpes can be kept warm stacked in a low oven (around 90°C / 200°F) while you finish cooking the batch.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: French
Keywords: crêpes, French crêpes, breakfast, brunch, pancakes, easy crêpe recipe, sweet crêpes, JB's crêpes
