I am not sure when or why crepes became a standard Sunday morning breakfast in our household–I do know, though, that it was long enough ago that we called them “rolled-up pancakes” for clarity’s sake. Crepes are one of those things that sound far fancier and far more complicated than they actually are. We tend to be pretty simple in our fillings as well–sugar, yogurt, and our favorite variation– a Josh original: brown sugar. Here’s the batter recipe:

1 Cup milk
3/4 Cup water
3 eggs
3 Tablespoons melted butter
1/2 Teaspoon salt
1 Teaspoon vanilla
1 Tablespoon sugar
1-1/2 C flour

Beat the eggs and sugar, then add the milk, water, and vanilla. Mix. combine the salt and flour in a separate bowl, and then add dry ingredients to wet and mix.

And here’s a confession: I never sift. I have tried making crepes using sifted and unsifted flour, with little appreciable difference. The most important step in eliminating lumps is to let the batter sit for at least a 1/2 hour before you start making crepes.

Let’s see: did I forget anything? The butter!

I add the melted butter to the batter mixture last, just before I let it sit. Can you add it sooner? Sure–but the fact is, for whatever reason, I have a bad habit of forgetting this step, sometimes only remembering after I am trying to flip a crepe that is now not cooperating. Adding it last helps me remember not to forget it!

Speaking of butter: there’s plenty of fat in the batter to keep the crepes from sticking, but you should still lightly butter your pan for the very first crepe. And speaking of pans: I don’t use a special crepe pan–just a standard 10 inch non-stick frying pan.

When your batter has sat for at least a half hour, give it a quick, light stir. Get your pan hot (a drop of water should dance), give it a quick swipe with a stick of butter, then pour enough batter to make a 4-5 ” circle in the middle of your pan (you should cover just under half the area of the pan). Then, raise the edge of the pan, rotate and swirl. Don’t be afraid of getting the crepe too thin. Bring the batter all the way to the edge.

You are going to want to let that crepe sit for a couple of minutes. It’s your choice how long to keep it going. I usually like them with just touches of color, but not crisp at the edges. When you’re happy, give the crepe a gentle flip with a spatula. You only want heat on this side for maybe 30 seconds. Don’t worry if the first one comes out less than perfect. I treat it as part of the pan-seasoning process.

Transfer the crepe to a plate, darker side down. Now you add your filling–brown sugar, or whatever. Add a small amount to the bottom third of the crepe–Don’t go overboard–this isn’t a burrito, though you will roll it up like a burrito.

Do you know how to do a burrito fold? It looks like this:

And then:

You can use this same recipe for dinner crepes too–just remove the vanilla and sugar from the batter and fill as you see fit!