Q: What is the secret to lump-free crepe batter?
_ Chris Renteria, Dearborn, Mich.
A: Ahhh ... crepes. A great treat whether you fill them with a sweet or savory filling or fold them and drizzle with chocolate.
While you can buy a crepe mix that needs additional liquid ingredients, I prefer making my own. (More on this later). But, yes, sometimes lumps of flour just happen with crepe batters. In fact, many recipes call for straining the batter to catch any of those lumps.
But you can prevent those pesky lumps. Like with cake batters, lumps can form if you don't sift the flour. If a recipe doesn't call for sifting the flour, just give a few whisks (use a wire whisk) in the bowl. Flour settles when it's stored so whisking aerates it. You can do this with the crepe mix, too.
If the crepe batter is under mixed, you could see some lumps. So be sure to mix thoroughly.
With many batters, ingredient temperature is key to a smooth texture. Have you ever added cold cream cheese to a cheesecake batter to find it doesn't mix in quite right? You see little specks of cream cheese in the batter because it is too cold.
In the case of a crepe batter that requires melted butter _ as in today's recipe _ it's best to melt it and allow it cool. If you add piping hot butter to a flour mixture with cold milk, there's a chance some of it will become solid and clump up. And when you do add the butter, drizzle it in slowly while stirring.
Now lumps of flour can also form even though the above precautions are taken. If this happens, you can strain the batter through a sieve, leaving the tiny lumps behind. Straining also helps achieve proper texture. Crepe batter should be thin _ thinner than pancake batter. If it coats the back of a spoon and drips off in a thin stream, it's good.
While you can whisk the batter in a bowl by hand, you need to do so vigorously to remove any lumps. A food processor or blender is best for lump-free crepe batter.
Using a blender is my preferred method, which brings me to another important step in crepe making _ resting the batter. When making crepes, it's best to let the batter rest a good hour in the refrigerator and even overnight before using. Again, the blender is perfect because you can store and pour from it. This allows the flour to absorb some of the liquid and gluten that formed when you mix it.
Once you make the batter you will also notice bubbles; when the batter rests, those go away. The result is a crepe that is tender and shouldn't tear when cooked.
Today's recipe for basic crepes can be filled with a sweet or savory filling. If you want sweet crepes, see cook's note.
