# Crepes - what did I do wrong?



## stevan (Sep 13, 2015)

Hi All,

I was making crepes the other night and they looked a bit funny - as soon as I would pour the batter in the pan, it would start sort of bubbling - here's a pic:




  








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stevan


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Mar 13, 2016








And the other side:




  








image.jpeg




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stevan


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Mar 13, 2016








Now, the only thing I did differently compared to the other times was that I first mixed all the liquid ingredients and than added the flour - normally I would start with the flour and then add milk, water, eggs, salt; could this be the reason?

Thanks for your input!


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## chefross (May 5, 2010)

Did you allow the batter to rest for a couple hours in the fridge before you used it?

Pan too hot?


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## kuan (Jun 11, 2001)

Almost looks like you got some yeast in them or batter too thick or you have some leavening.

As for the heat get it too hot, then lower the temp by dabbing the bottom on a wet towel.  Pour your batter immediately.  It should take about 10-15 seconds for the crepe.


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## chefbuba (Feb 17, 2010)

Looks more like an omelet, too many eggs?


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## flipflopgirl (Jun 27, 2012)

chefbuba said:


> Looks more like an omelet, too many eggs?


Exactly.....

mimi


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## cerise (Jul 5, 2013)

As I understand it, letting the batter rest, for about an hour, rids the batter of tiny bubbles - unlike pancakes. Add a small amount to the center of a hot pan and swirl the batter around. You want them almost paper thin. I used to have a small copper pan I used for same.


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## frozenhawaiian (Feb 28, 2016)

looks to me like 

1. your batter is too thick, thin it it out, little bit of water water, little bit of milk. gotta get the right consistency. you want it pretty thin.

2. pan too hot, you need to be able to roll the pan to spread the batter before it all sets. 

3. did let the batter sit long enough. you gotta be patient when it comes to crepe batter. air bubbles are the enemy, let it sit for at least 2 hours before you cook with it. 

good luck!


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## meezenplaz (Jan 31, 2012)

Might help a lot if you showed us the basic recipe youre using, and start from there. 

I generally make the batter thin, then place in fridge to let the gluten relax a bit and such. 

I've found that if I leave it for a minimum of 20 minutes, it works fine--much better than using it straight away. 

The batter is basically thin pancake batter, consisting of eggs, flour, milk and melted butter. 

And a bit of sugar, if making dessert crepes. 

The batter thickens in the fridge-- when ready to use, I add milk to thin to proper consistency, then I strain 

it thru a mesh to get the lumps out. 

If the pan's too hot, you'll get bubbles and uneven cooking. 

Too cold and it sticks.

The first crepe to cook almost never turns out.

Always takes one to "prime" the pan I think.


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## stevan (Sep 13, 2015)

Thanks everyone for your comments!

This is the basic recipe I'm using (credits gratineeblog.com/):

1 cup flour
2/3 cup cold milk
2/3 cup cold water
3 eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons melted butter, plus more for brushing on pan

I normally don't let it rest, but this is the first time I got this result - they usually turn out normal (i.e. flat, thin).

I let the butter melt while I whisk in the batter, than add the butter in the end (I've seen this from Jacques Pepin at 



).

Maybe the butter got to hot this time before I added it in the batter and that caused a reaction - would that make sense?. The other option would be that the pan just got too hot - this wasn't the first time I used it, but I haven't had it for too long so I probably still don't have full control over it.


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## cheflayne (Aug 21, 2004)

SteVan said:


> Maybe the butter got to hot this time before I added it in the batter and that caused a reaction - would that make sense?.


Wouldn't really matter. Your batter was just a little too thick. A tablespoon or two of water would probably do the trick.

Humidity affects flour. Different brands of butter have different water contents. Eggs vary in size. Etc., etc., etc.


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## jimyra (Jun 23, 2015)

Any suggestions about crepes on a flattop?  I have never tried this before. Thanks


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## grande (May 14, 2014)

@Jimyra make sure it's well seasoned and not too hot... hot enough but not too hot. Spread the batter with an offset metal spatula or your ladle... spatula works better to my mind.


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## meezenplaz (Jan 31, 2012)

The only real tricks in using a flattop are getting the batter thin enough and lump
free, and ladleing it on sloooowly--this keeps better control of the shape, just
like when flatopping free-form omelettes or fried eggs.


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## jimyra (Jun 23, 2015)

Thanks for the advice and introducing the topic.  I'll let you all know how they come out.

JiMyra


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