Exquisite Supreme Crêpe (Pancakes) Recipe

Everybody knows how to make pancakes. There are as many recipes as there are families. But here's the perfect recipe for pancakes that are exquisitely flavoured, soft and won't tear. The quantities and method of preparation must be strictly followed.

Apart from a good homemade jam that is not too sweet, the fillings that work wonders are my recipe for chocolate hazelnut spread and my recipe for salted butter caramel, which are a divine match for these pancakes. Forget all the other toppings! Even on their own with their rum and vanilla or orange flavours, they are already excellent. It would be a shame to spoil their taste with a cheap topping. The pancake is excellent and of superior quality. Guaranteed success among gourmets. Everything is detailed so that you succeed on the first try.

• 500 g full-fat milk (or 80 g full-fat milk powder, 450 ml water),
• 200 g all-purpose wheat flour T65 type,
• 4 eggs,
• 0 to 60 g blond cane caster sugar (to be used as a seasoning, adjust the quantity according to the sugars provided by the flavours),
• 60 g water,
• 20 g melted butter,
• 3 g salt (1 teaspoon).

Choice of flavours:

• 30 g rum and 10 ml (2 teaspoons) liquid natural vanilla extract or 3 g (3/4 teaspoon) powdered vanilla or 15 g vanilla sugar with an intense taste and reduce the amount of sugar accordingly, or a small vanilla bean (split the bean and add the seeds),
• 1 tonka bean (1.5 g maximum) to be grated and the grated zest of one tangerine,
• 30 g Grand-Marnier or Cointreau and the grated zest of an organic orange,
• For savoury pancakes, do not add sugar, but add fresh chopped aromatic herbs (parsley, chives, coriander, basil, tarragon…).

Course of the recipe:

The simplest choice for making the dough is to mix everything with a blender or hand blender. You mix all the ingredients for 2 minutes at the same time, no more splashing, no more lumps, everything goes perfectly. Otherwise, prepare the dough in a bowl and mix with a whisk, respecting the following procedure: whisk eggs with sugar, then add salt, vanilla or orange peel and mix, then add flour as you go along while continuing to whisk. The mixture should be smooth and homogeneous. In a bowl, separately mix water, milk and alcohol (rum or Grand-Marnier) and pour them gently into the dough while whisking. Finally, pour in the melted butter and whisk, the mixture should always be smooth and liquid.

It is essential to let the dough rest for 2 to 4 hours at room temperature in a closed bowl. This will allow the gluten to develop and you will have soft pancakes that will not tear or shrink and will keep soft edges.

Mixing the dough

Cooking the pancake

Cooking pancakes:

Either you own a crepe maker and know how to use it, or you use a frying pan. The cast-iron pancake pan will be bottomed (i.e., it will have blackened after several firings and will not stick) or the pan will be non-sticky. A little oil or melted butter is spread on the crepe pan with a brush or paper towel between each pancake, if necessary (this is usually done for the first pancake and not afterwards).

Warm the hotplate on high heat between 7 to 8/10. If you like rather blond pancakes, set the heat to medium-high at 6/10. Cooking will take a little longer. Pour the batter over the pancake pan with a ladle and turn the pancake over with a spatula. For a crepe of 22 cm in diameter, you will pour between 60 and 70 ml of batter. For a pancake of 26 cm in diameter, pour between 80 and 90 ml of batter. The pancake must be thin without a hole. The pancake is turned over when there is almost no more liquid and raw dough on the surface. In general, the first side is cooked in 30 seconds, and the second side is cooked in 30 seconds.

The pancakes are made to order and served immediately. It is imperative that the plate that will receive the pancakes is hot to place the first pancakes and does not cool.

Pancakes keep very well for one week in the refrigerator, stacked one on top of the other on a plate and covered with plastic wrap or in an airtight box. Simply reheat them on a skillet over medium heat (5/10) to avoid cooking them. Do not reheat them in the microwave as they will remain soft. Unfortunately, they do not keep well in the freezer, losing their taste and elasticity.

after Pierre Hermé.