French Pancakes (Crêpes)
Easy recipe for classic thin French crêpes (French pancakes). No resting time needed, no lumps, and even the first crêpe works if you follow this method.Best served for breakfast, goûter (teatime) or dessert, rolled or folded and topped in a thin layer with lemon and sugar, jam, chocolate or salted caramel - just as they’re served in France.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 40 g (1.5oz/ 3 tbsp) butter melted
- 250 g (9oz/ 2 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
- ½ teaspoon salt (fleur de sel)
- 2 tablespoon icing/powdered sugar
- 3 medium eggs organic/free-range
- 500 ml (18fl oz/ 2 cups) whole milk (or semi-skimmed for skinny crepes)
- ½ tablespoon lemon or orange zest optional
Instructions
- Stir together the dry ingredients: sift the flour, powdered sugar and salt into a large bowl. Make a well in the middle and break the eggs into it.
- Add only about a quarter of the milk to the eggs and, using a hand whisk, beat the mixture well until you have a smooth, thick paste. This ensures no lumps. Gradually add the rest of the milk.
- Add the melted butter and zest, if using and whisk vigorously to let in as much air as possible into the batter (this way no need to leave it to rest). The mix will look quite runny but this is perfectly normal.
- Ladle one small quantity of the batter into a very hot crêpe pan that has been wiped with butter on kitchen paper. Swirl the batter around the pan quickly, as thinly as possible, covering the surface of the pan. Cook over a medium-high heat for about 2-3 minutes until bubbles form on the surface. Using a spatula or your fingertips, quickly flip the crêpe over and cook for another couple of minutes.
- Turn down the heat slightly (but still at medium) and repeat the process, topping up with wiping of butter in the pan, until you have about 12 crêpes (depending on pan size), stacking them aside on a large plate.
Notes
Flour: If using farine fluide (Type 45, a finer French cake flour), there’s no need to sift.
How to serve: French crêpes are best enjoyed warm, rolled or folded, with toppings spread in a thin layer - lemon and sugar, jam, chocolate spread or salted caramel sauce. See topping ideas and recipes in the post above. For dessert or teatime, serve with French cidre.
Keep warm: Stack the crêpes on a plate and cover with an inverted plate until ready to serve.
First crêpe tip: The first crêpe doesn’t have to fail. Heat the pan a little higher for the first one, then reduce to medium-high for the rest.
Chocolate Crêpes: Add 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder to the flour in step one.
Measures: I recommend digital kitchen scales for best results. Metric grams are precise; cups and ounces are guides only.
Makes 12 crêpes, so for 3 each is 423 calories per serving.
Nutrition
Calories: 437kcalCarbohydrates: 58gProtein: 15gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 159mgSodium: 451mgPotassium: 304mgFiber: 2gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 632IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 185mgIron: 3mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!