French crepes are thin and delicate pancakes and can be filled with anything you like – nutella, jam, cream, sugar, fruit … 

This recipe can be used immediately after making it. It doesn’t contain sugar because it really is sweet enough when you add your toppings! (This batter can also be used for savoury recipes – coming soon!)

For 600ml of batter (double the ingredients for 1.2 litres)

Ingredients :

• 160g plain flour
• 2 eggs
• A good pinch of salt
• 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil (or melted butter)
• 330ml of milk

Method :

1. In a large bowl, beat eggs and milk together with an electric mixer
2.  Beat in flour and salt until smooth; stir in oil (or butter if using)
3. Heat a lightly frying pan
4. When hot use a ladle to pour the batter onto the pan
5. Tip and rotate pan to spread batter as thinly as possible
6. Brown on both sides and serve

You can add flavours to your crepe mixture such as  a few drops of orange blossom water (my favourite!), rum or orange rind etc

A breton galette is a large, thin pancake from the Brittany region made with buckwheat flour, usually with a savoury filling – also known in France as a “galette complète” (or complete galette). Here in France you can buy ready-made galettes to which you can add your filling but you can also make your own easily enough.

One word of warning with the buckwheat flour – it has a very short shelf-life so you need to use it fairly quickly after buying – I have been caught out before!

Ingredients :

For the galette 

• 330 g buckwheat flour
• 75 cl water
• 10 g coarse salt
• 1 egg
• Butter

For the filling (per person)

• 1 egg
• Slice of ham
• Grated cheese

Method :

For the galette

1. Add the salt to the flour in a large bowl
2. Make a well in the flour and very slowly add the water mixing energetically all the time with a wooden spoon to obtain a thick liquid batter
3. Add the egg and mix well
4. Leave the batter in the fridge to rest for at least 2 hours

For the breton galette

1. Heat a large pan and add some butter
2. Add a ladle of the batter and move it around to completely cover the bottom of the pan
3. Cook both sides of the galette for 1-2 minutes each side
4. Add your grated cheese and then the sliced ham leaving a space in the middle for the egg
5. Add your egg in the middle of the galette (if you want a well cooked egg you might want to fry it in a separate pan and add once cooked)
6. Once the egg turns white you can fold in each side of the crepe leaving just enough space for the egg yolk.

*You can always chop and change the ingredients with mushrooms, bacon, tomatoes etc.