The salted butter crêpe with sugar is the simplest of all crêpes, and to me the best one. A thin, golden wheat crêpe, a piece of salted butter melting on top, a sprinkle of sugar, and you fold it. It comes from Brittany, but you find it all over western France, as far as Normandy.
On 24 October 2026, at the start of a new trip, I wanted to try the local specialities and ordered a salted butter crêpe with sugar at Les Tables de la Gare in Neufchâtel-en-Bray, in Normandy. Nothing fancy, just the perfect afternoon snack.
Here is the traditional recipe for wheat crêpe batter, with a resting time so it stays nice and supple. With a good, hot pan you will get thin, lacy crêpes just like in a crêperie.
The story of that day: 🇫🇷 Épernay and Neufchâtel-en-Bray - Champagne then a Norman crêpe
The recipe
Classic recipeThe traditional recipe for the dish, not the one from the restaurant where I tasted it.
Ingredients
Crêpe batter (12 crêpes)
- 250 g plain white flour
- 3 eggs
- 500 ml whole milk
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 pinch salt
- 40 g melted salted butter + a little for the pan
Topping
- 80 g salted butter
- 4 tbsp caster sugar
Method
- In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar and salt. Make a well, crack in the eggs and start whisking from the centre.
- Pour in the milk little by little, whisking all the time to avoid lumps. Finally add the melted butter and whisk until the batter is smooth and runny, like single cream.
- Cover the bowl and let the batter rest for 1 hour at room temperature. It will be more supple and the crêpes will not tear.
- Heat a crêpe pan over medium-high heat and grease it lightly with a piece of kitchen paper dipped in melted butter.
- Pour in a small ladle of batter (about 60 ml) and tilt the pan straight away to spread it thinly. Cook for 1 minute, until the edges turn golden and lift away.
- Flip the crêpe with a spatula and cook for another 30 seconds to 1 minute. Repeat with the rest of the batter, greasing the pan from time to time.
- To serve, put a crêpe back in the hot pan, add a knob of salted butter (about 7 g) and let it melt as you spread it, sprinkle with a teaspoon of sugar, then fold the crêpe into quarters. Serve straight away.
Tips and variations
- If the batter is lumpy, pass it through a sieve or give it a quick blitz with a stick blender.
- Plain crêpes keep for 2 days in the fridge, stacked and covered with cling film. Warm them in the pan just before filling.
- For a caramel version, melt the salted butter and sugar together in the pan before folding the crêpe in it.
- Replace 10 % of the milk with beer or cider for even lighter crêpes.
Recipe shared for guidance only, adapt it to your equipment: times and temperatures may vary. Check for allergens (gluten, milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, nuts, sesame…) and make sure ingredients are fresh. Raw or undercooked fish, meat and eggs are not recommended for pregnant women, young children, elderly or vulnerable people. Take care with hot oil, flambéing and alcohol. I am not a health or nutrition professional.