I am trying to make crepes in a non-stick skillet. I've got the batter ready, well refrigerated. However, I am having trouble getting the batter to spread enough to cover the whole skillet before it cooks too much to do so. So I'm ending up with small crepes shaped like a splatter, instead of pan-sized ones shaped like nice circles. Also, the edges are crisping way too much and folding up and down in unattractive ways.
I'm mostly cooking on low-medium heat, closer to low than medium because I don't want the batter to cook. But no matter what I do, it seems to cook almost as soon as it hits the pan and no longer flows. So when I try the 'dip and swirl' method to spread the batter, it's already too thick to flow.
Any help? Should I try higher heat?
Best Answer
Your batter is too thick. You say it's refrigerated, but if that's the case it's likely thicker than if it was at room temperature. Also, as it sits it gets thicker, and if you're making a solid batch, for a few people, you need to keep thinning it as you go. Take the liquid you were using to begin with (milk), and add very small quantities at a time, on the order of tablespoons, stirring and evaluating the texture after each one. If you go too far, you'd have to add flour again and get into an overly involved cycle of correction.
Crepe batter thickening is a common problem in crepe establishments in the US. The crepes early in the day are fine but they get thicker and thicker as the day progresses because nobody thinks to thin the batter.