Raise your hand if you like crepes. Okay, now raise your hand if you don’t like MAKING crepes! Or raise your hand if you’ve never even attempted because they’re a pain to make. You’re not alone. The solution? Oven Sheet Pan Crepes.
Oven Sheet Pan Crepes with Strawberry Rhubarb Compote and Mock Mascarpone
I know there are people with mad crepe skills, flipping them in the air, and loving it. I know practice makes perfect, but crepes are a struggle for me, even when making my Christmas favorite, Austrian Crepes in Custard Sauce, every year. That’s a shameless plug!
About Oven Sheet Pan Crepes:
After making Sheet Pan Pancakes with the Grandkids, a lightbulb went off. Why not try Sheetpan Crepes? (Some French Chef is rolling in his grave.) It took a few tries (none were wasted, lol), but here they are.
Turn out Oven Sheet Pan Crepes in 35 minutes (20 minutes is resting time) with no special skills, and very little effort or cleanup. Make them for breakfast, after dinner, for after-school snacks, when a midnight craving hits. Make any time. They’re that easy.
These do lack the ethereal lightness of classic crepes; they’re just not as thin. And, they’re in a giant rectangle. (That does make them easy to roll up with a filling.) But the taste? Classic Crepe.
The Oven Sheet Pan Crepes Ingredients:
The batter is a no-brainer, minutes to make. It varies from the classic formula: 1 cup milk to 1 cup flour to 1 egg; these crepes do need to be sturdier than the classic.
There are the usual suspects: eggs, flour, sugar, salt, and melted butter, along with optional vanilla; sometimes lemon zest is added. More on the liquid, below.
- Sugar and butter help with the texture and color.
- Sugar is used in both sweet and savory crepes.
- For dessert crepes, add more sugar, up to 1/8th of a cup.
The liquid is always a combo of whole milk and soda, sparkling or seltzer water. In a pinch, use all milk; they’ll be heavier.
When I made this at a cabin (the general store was closed), I raided the drink cart and tried 7-UP. It worked so beautifully, the group wanted them the following morning. This time, I went for the Squirt! My apologies to the French Chef mentioned earlier; he might haunt me, now!
Oven Sheet Pan Crepes Just Cut.
Mixing and Resting the Batter:
Mix batter with a whisk (my choice), hand mixer, or blender in short bursts. Don’t overmix; mix just until the flour is incorporated. Small lumps or trails of flour are ok and will dissolve as the batter rests.
Rest 20 to 30 minutes on the counter; I haven’t tested using fridge temperature batter.
When ready to cook, gently stir the batter and divide into two portions, 1 1/3 cups each. It’s best to place it in something easy to pour from but wide enough for a spatula; every drop should be scraped out. You won’t want to fiddle with a heavy bowl when it’s time to pour the batter.
The Details to Prepping and Adding the Batter:
Making these crepes is easy; following directions, not always so much, especially for ADD types like myself! Familiarize yourself and follow the directions precisely; don’t fudge the process even a tiny bit. Hows and whys are helpful; I’ve included them.
The crepes take 2 minutes to bake; it’s best to do one batch at a time; using the same sheetpan is fine.
The Sheet Pan:
Use a large, heavy sheetpan close to 12 x 17. Lightweight pans can warp. Much variance in size affects the thickness, which might affect timing. Thinner crepes can be uneven with holes; thicker crepes are “heavy.”
Preheating and the Oven:
To avoid smoking, at these temperatures, it’s best to use a cleanish oven. Preheat the oven for 10 minutes after it comes up to temperature before adding the sheet pan. (This is the ideal time to divide the batter.)
The Butter:
Scatter the butter across the sheet pan and toss in the oven. Watch closely, the butter should be slightly browned, not burned. Have a clear place to set the hot sheet pan. Working quickly, spread the butter across the pan. Use a pastry brush, preferably silicone. (In a pinch, fold several layers of parchment or foil into a four or five-inch “pad”)
Adding the Batter:
You did already divide the batter into something easy to pour from, right? Immediately and quickly dump the batter in one fell swoop onto the center of the hot pan; use a spatula to get every drop. Quickly tilt the pan around to spread the batter. The pan has to be hot, hot, hot, to jumpstart the cooking; otherwise, the batter will run and pool.
Problems Spreading the Batter:
If there’s trouble spreading the batter, the pan wasn’t hot enough, the butter amount is incorrect, too much or not enough. Nudging the batter can create holes; it’s better to have the edges ragged and trim after.
Baking and Removing the Crepes:
Now you’re home clear. Bake two minutes until the top looks dry and edges have a little color. It might look splotchy, but it will come out just fine. Don’t overbake; the crepes will be pale.
Once out, cool for a minute or two, cover with a generous sheet of parchment. Hold the parchment to the pan together at the short edges and boldly turn over. Move the pan just over the counter and gently drop. Be bold, this is no place for hesitation.
Use a thin spatula or butter knife to get under the edge of the sheetpan, lift it enough to grab the pan with a hotpad, and remove the pan.
Once the Sheet Pan is Removed:
There will be condensation as the crepe cools; if not serving right away, wait until crepe is cool, then lift onto a fresh sheet of parchment. If left in moisture, it will be wet and/or gummy.
Strawberry Rhubarb Compote
Serving:
The number of servings depends on how it’s cut, trimmed, and whether you roll or have a filling. This recipe makes two sheet pans; about 12 to 16 “crepes” is a reasonable expectation. Allow for two to three per person, depending on whether they are filled.
Once made, treat as any Crepe, sweet or savory; there’s no limit to what can be done; check out Wikipedia for classic ideas.
Today I filled them with Strawberry Rhubarb Compote and used my Mock Mascarpone to top the crepes.
Leftover Oven Sheet Pan Crepes:
- Never as good as when first made, leftovers always go quickly, either eaten cold or microwaved for seconds.
- I have not attempted to freeze these; let me know if you do.
Oven Sheet Pan Crepes with Strawberry Rhubarb Compote and Mock Mascarpone
Oven Sheet Pan Crepes
Super simple, minutes to make, Oven Sheet Pan Crepes are a game changer! You can have sweet or savory crepes any old time you want!
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 12-16 1x
- Category: Breakfast or Brunch Dish
- Cuisine: French
Ingredients
Note: I find it easier to bake in two batches rather than juggle two pans at the same time. Once the batter goes in the pan, it takes about two minutes to cook, so the process is fast. You will need a heavy sheet pan with sides, dimensions at or very close to 12 x 17″. Read through all the hints in the above post and familiarize yourself with the process before beginning.
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons sugar – may use more, needs some for browning
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cups milk
- 3/4 cups club soda, sparkling water, or seltzer (from a new bottle)
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted for crepes
- 2 tablespoons butter, divided, pinched or cut into small pieces, 1 tablespoon scattered on sheet pan foe each batch.
Instructions
In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the crepe ingredients: the flour, eggs, sugar, salt, milk, club soda, and melted butter. Set the oven to 450 degrees F. and set aside the crepe ingredients for about 20 minutes as the oven heats up. When the oven is ready, lightly stir the batter and divide in half. The total amount is 2 2/3 cups, so half is 1 1/3 cups.
When oven is preheated, scatter the small pieces of butter across the pan and place in oven for about five to six minutes until the butter is melted; it will slightly brown. Watch closely so it doesn’t burn.
When butter is ready, working quickly, remove pan, brush butter across the pan in an even layer, and add one of the portions of batter, tilting to distribute. Place back in oven for about 2 minutes (start watching at a minute and a half) until top looks just dry and the edges have a very slight browning. Do not over-bake.
Remove from oven, let rest for a minute or two, then cover with a sheet of parchment large enough to hang over the edge and turn over the pan, parchment and all by grabbing the parchment and pan together. and turning onto a counter. Lift sheet pan up using a thin spatula or knife and remove it.
Serve immediately or set aside to cool; after the crepe is cool, place on a dry sheet of parchment. If storing, simply roll crepe up in the parchment and tuck in edges. Crepes are best immediately after they’re made.
Trim edges if desired and divide crepes into desired serving sizes, four by two works well, and three by two is great for a bit larger portion. A pizza cutter makes quick work of the cutting.
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