Name: Sweet Crepe for a Slow Morning
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 8 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 13 10-inch crepes
Ingredients: 1 ½ cups whole milk; 4 large eggs; ½ teaspoon kosher salt; 6 tablespoons butter melted; 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour; ½ cup cake flour; 1 cup water; unsalted butter; granulated sugar; strawberries; raspberries; whipped cream; Nutella or another chocolate spread

Sweet Crepe for a Slow Morning keeps the shopping list focused on whole milk, eggs, and kosher salt. It serves 13 10-inch crepes.

Count on 10 minutes of prep, 8 minutes of cooking, 1 hour of resting, about 1 hour from the first measurement to the plate.

Ingredients Method

What goes in the bowl

For the crepe batter

1 ½ cups whole milk
4 large eggs
½ teaspoon kosher salt
6 tablespoons butter melted
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup cake flour
1 cup water

For optional toppings

unsalted butter
granulated sugar
strawberries
raspberries
whipped cream
Nutella or another chocolate spread

How the cooking goes

Prepare the crêpe batter

In a large mixing bowl whisk together the eggs, salt, milk, and melted butter.
Slowly whisk in the flours, adding a little at a time like popovers. Whisk in the water last.
Allow the batter sit refrigerated overnight or for at least an hour at ambient temperature. This allows the flour to hydrate properly and any gluten to relax (a wet batter also helps reduce gluten formation even while sitting overnight).

How to cook crêpes

If you refrigerated your batter, remove it from the fridge about an hour before you plan to start cooking. Preheat a crêpe pan or nonstick skillet over a moderate flame. Slow and steady wins the race here.
Using a fork, stab a piece of butter and quickly butter the pan. You only need to do this for the first crepe.
Pour in a ladle (just shy of 4 ounces) to the center of the pan with one hand and swirl the pan using the other to distribute the batter around evenly.
Cook over medium-low heat on the first side until the edges begin to brown and you can see some browner spots showing through near the center. The outer edge is an excellent barometer for readiness. For me, it took 6 minutes for a 12-inch crepe.
Flip by sliding the spatula underneath the center of the crepe and flipping it over like a pancake. If it folds, just unfold it. If you flip it too early and it’s blonde, flip it back. Don’t stress.
Continue to cook on the second side for an additional 1-2 minutes.
Remove the crepe and move it onto a wire rack to cool, or add the toppings and serve warm!
Repeat with the remaining batter and stack the crepes once they cool until it is no longer warm.

To assemble & plate sweet crêpes

To prepare butter sugar crêpes: You will want to prepare them hot in the pan. After flipping the crêpe, rub a bit of butter (the same one you put on the fork before the first crêpe) over the surface, sprinkle half with a dusting of granulated sugar, fold the crêpe in half, and continue to cook for an additional minute or two. Fold through half once more and serve hot. And maybe serve with some maple syrup.
To prepare Nutella crêpes: You can serve them fresh from the pan or assemble them later. Spread half the crêpe with Nutella or another chocolate hazelnut spread, fold through half, and then half again.
To prepare berries and cream crêpes: Let these crepes cool, or your cream will melt. When you prepare your crêpe batter, toss 2 cups of chopped strawberries and other fruit with about ¼ cup granulated sugar and a squeeze of lemon. Stir and cover until you are ready to serve. This can be done up to 3 days in advance. Whisk together heavy cream, a little powdered sugar, and vanilla extract until the seasoning suits the pot until soft peaks form. You can add vanilla bean paste for a visual effect. If you want to serve these hot, you suggest using vanilla bean ice cream instead of whipped cream.