Crêpes can be filled with all sorts of tasty things—fresh fruit and whipped cream, leftover ham and cheese, roasted vegetables—but a truly excellent crêpe can be eaten straight out of the pan, all on its own. With that in mind, we’ve fine-tuned this recipe to yield crêpes that are buttery and just sweet enough to caramelize lightly in the pan. If you’d prefer a sweeter crêpe, you can add more sugar (up to 2 tablespoons per batch), and if you’d like your crêpe unsweetened, just skip the sugar. Sweet or savory, these are perfect—read on for how to get them right every time.
How to make great crêpes.
—Give it a rest. Crêpes cook up quickly, but the batter does need to rest for at least an hour before using. Don’t skip this step! Resting the batter gives the flour a chance to hydrate, so the crêpe will hold together, and also allows the gluten in the flour to relax, which helps create a tender crêpe. The batter will keep in the fridge for up to 2 days, which means you can even make it the night before so it’s ready to go in the morning.
—The first crêpe is just practice. Crêpes and pancakes have one rule in common: No matter how skilled you are, the first one is usually a disaster. It's a lesson in patience and fortitude. Press on and things will quickly improve.
—Pick the right pan. One of the trickiest things about making crêpes is getting the batter to spread into an even, perfect circle in the pan. It’s definitely more difficult without a crêpe pan, but you can achieve good results in a standard 8" or 9" nonstick pan.
—Swirl the batter. Pour the batter into the center of the pan with a ¼-cup measuring cup, then lift the pan off the stove and tilt it in a gentle circular motion to encourage the batter to spread. It might take a little practice, but you'll soon get the hang of it (and any mistakes will still be delicious).
Made these? Let us know in the comments below.
