My First Attempt at Crepes... and it went well!!!

After searching long and hard on the internet for a crepe recipe that appealed to me, I finally decided on the following link:http://constableslarder.blogspot.com/2009/02/savory-crepes.html. I had never made crepes before and at first found the thought a bit intimidating, but the more I looked at recipes, the easier the whole thing sounded. So, I decided to bite the proverbial bullet and make them... it went well, just ask my waistline.

Ingredients:

1 cup cold milk

1 cup cold water

4 eggs

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups flours

4 tbsp melted butter

The writer of the above blog said that he always uses Julia Childs' crepes recipe and as he was telling, saying, writing, whatever you call it, about this fact, he stated that she always put the ingredients in the blender. His way of doing it, however, was to simply whisk all the ingredients together. I found out that I much preferred Julia Childs' way of doing things. I started out just whisking the things together, and that went well up until the point I put in the flour. The batter got lumpy and I knew that wasn't right, as the recipe stated it was to be a thin batter. I double-checked to make sure I hadn't made a mistake and put the flour in too fast, but no, the recipe said nothing about that. So, I decided to do what the well-known cook used to do- blend it. And that worked well. Very well.

After the batter is ready, it needs to be refrigerated. Some recipes said one hour, this one said at least two hours. I just let it sit for two hours as I was busy anyway.

Right before taking out the batter, I got out a small, non-stick frying pan that I put a light coating of butter on. I then let it sit on medium heat for a few seconds before putting batter in it. I used a 1/2 cup as my pourer. This particular recipe recommends a 2/3 or 3/4 cup, but I thought I had seen something in others about even as small as 1/4 cup. I am glad I did, as it was, the recipe didn't make as many as I expected.

So, you pour the batter in. Next you wait at least a minute if not closer to two minutes to let it cook the first side. Don't be afraid of the first side burning, it has to cook just a little bit longer then the second side. Then you test whether it's ready or not by gently lifting the edge of the crepe with a spatula... I REPEAT, a spatula. I used a fork for the first one--- BIG mistake. Crepes are too thin to be poked by tines. But if the crepe lifts easily it is most likely ready to be flipped. The second side only has to cook for about a minute.

Some of the recipes suggest you put the filling on when the second side is cooking. That is what I did for the ones I made and I think that it is a great idea as it softens up the filling quite nicely.

Here are some filling ideas-

Nutella... no hassle, no fuss

Plain cream cheese filling... this link is the recipe I used- http://caloriecount.about.com/cream-cheese-strawberry-crepe-filling-recipe-r58293, it was yummy.

Cream cheese with cocoa... I wanted to spice up the above cream cheese filling so I added some cocoa mixed with sugar into it... that was also PPPRREETTYY yummy!!

Enjoy... I did!!:-)

My mom bakes a lot. And when I was still at home, she baked a lot, and I, as a homeschooled child, baking was part of my education:). I am grateful for this though and this recipe is one I remember as always being yummy, well except for the first time I made it but that was my fault. Anyways, I was stuck at home one day last week and thought that would be a good day to make some good, old-fashioned, homemade yeast bread. Maple Oat Bread is a Taste of Home recipe and you can find it at the following link: http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Maple-Oat-Bread. My mom always makes it with regular old pancake syrup rather than maple and it tastes delish.



Maple Oat Bread:



1 cup old-fashioned oats

1 cup boiling water

1 package (1/4 oz.) dry yeast

1/3 cup warm water

1/2 cup "regular old pancake syrup"

2 teaspoons canola oil

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

31/2 -4 cups flour



Topping:



1 egg white, lightly beaten

2 tablespoons, old-fashioned oats




Place oats in a blender or food processor (I used a blender), cover and process oats for 6-7 seconds or until coarsely chopped. Transfer to a small bowl; let stand until mixture is cooled to 110*-115*. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in a 1/3 cup warm water; add syrup, oil, salt, oat mixture and 2 cups flour; beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough.

Turn on to a lightly floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to greased top. Cover, and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. Mine didn't rise as high as I would've liked and I think that that has something to do with the fact it wasn't very warm in my kitchen at the time.

Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface. Shape into a 9-in. round loaf. Place in a 9-in. round baking dish. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes.

Brush with egg whites and sprinkle with oats. Bake at 350* for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pan to a wire rack to cool.

This is a really yummy recipe. I have never had it with maple syrup before, but I bet that would taste really good.

Note:

• Make sure it is rising in a warm place.
• Make sure the liquids are not too hot or too cold when combining them with the other ingredients.