12

What are the different ingredients in crepe mix versus pancake mix?

I'd like to try my hand at making crepes from scratch...

How is making crepes different from making pancakes?

Jolenealaska
  • 58,386
  • 30
  • 196
  • 321
AttilaNYC
  • 7,516
  • 48
  • 95
  • 147

3 Answers3

13

Crepes do not contain baking powder or baking soda for leavening. They also typically use melted butter vs. oil in pancakes and have a higher liquid to flour ratio. Basic crepes contain only eggs, milk, water, a pinch of salt and flour.

You can however make them more sweet or savory by adding chopped herbs or a bit of sugar (not too much or you'll have too much browning), cocoa powder, spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, etc.

For additional help & recipe for Black Forest Cherry Crepes: Tips for Successful Crepes

Darin Sehnert
  • 18,141
  • 58
  • 79
  • 5
    Crepe batter also often includes instructions to let the batter rest (to result in even flatter crepes), unlike pancake batter which should be used immediately. – Allison Mar 14 '11 at 06:41
  • Just wanted to vote up Allison - resting crepe batter is REALLY important. – Matthew Jul 21 '13 at 23:28
6

The thing to remember about crepes is, unless you are very good (I am one of the lucky people who is; some people are and some aren't, it has absolutely nothing to do with skill), you will lose the first one 'to the pan'. It just won't turn out right.

To cook crepes properly you need a medium-hot nonstick pan and a good offset spatula. Throw a tablespoon of butter into the pan, melt it, swirl it around to coat. And then pour the butter out. Yes, really. Add a ladleful of your batter, and twist the pan around to coat the entire bottom. Cook until set (French style, colourless crepes), or until you see a tiny bit of crisping around the edges (alternate style, gives you a lacework pattern of golden brown across the whole thing), then using your offset spatula, flip. (Or if you're very good which I am not, flip in the pan). Each crepe should take about a minute or so. It's very easy, once you get into the rhythm, to generate a stack of crepes very very quickly.

It's similar to making pancakes, but it's a much more delicate process.

Jolenealaska
  • 58,386
  • 30
  • 196
  • 321
  • I've learned the similar lesson that the only way to prepare a griddle for pancakes is to cook some pancakes on it. They'll turn out somewhat odd, but those that follow look fine. – Pointy Jul 25 '10 at 12:20
  • I alway loose the first, and sometimes the second, to the pan. – papin Jul 25 '10 at 12:44
  • bah ...colorless crepes ... that's why I prefer pannenkoeken; the crepe like version, not the baked one that's more like a large yorkshire budding : http://www.dutchclub.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=35:pannekoeken--dutch-pancakes – Joe Jul 25 '10 at 12:49
  • 1
    +1 for the tester .. the pan needs to heat up before the crepes can be created successfully. – codeinthehole Jul 25 '10 at 13:49
  • I disagree. I don't know how you are doing it but not only the very first crepe I made in my life turned out fine in my country making crepes is perceived to have the sort of difficulty a child can handle. An additional secret: you don't need to butter the pan if you have a good non-stick pan. I regularly make pancakes in mine with no coating what so ever (I don't know if this will help but when I try to put oil or butter on it it is like the surface is hydrophobic and doesn't allow said liquids to spread out properly. That's how I discovered I don't need them.) I hope this helps – mathgenius Nov 30 '16 at 10:10
2

I think it's the thickness that differ the two. I have a very great crepe recipe here, which has been favorite. Pair it with Grand Marnier, an orange flavored liqueur, and you're good to go.

Walter A. Aprile
  • 2,312
  • 1
  • 17
  • 15
Melanie Palmero
  • 31
  • 1
  • Agreed. British pancakes are crepe-like in that they're unleavened, but they batter is spread through gravity, while crepes are spread mechanically, so are thinner. – Joe Nov 20 '18 at 17:02