Prep. time: 15 minutes + 2 hours resting time for the batter
Cooking: A few minutes

Brittany and pancakes go hand in hand. They are made for Candlemas, and later they become the queens of the festival at Gourin in the third week of July. "Les Anciens" beat the rye with a flail as in olden times while the women's tall headpieces hover above hot stoves.

Wheat flour crêpes in lower Brittany (the western part of the peninsula) or buckwheat galettes in upper Brittany were once eaten by country folk with salted butter or just an egg. Today crêpes and galettes are eaten with eggs, ham, sausage or cheese… or simply with sugar and jam.

Making the batter

1. Melt the butter.
2. Place the flour in a large bowl and form a well in the centre; add in the eggs, sugar and salt;
3. mix the ingredients, adding the flour in a little at a time to prevent lumps.
4. Pour in the melted butter and milk and combine; the batter should be almost liquid. Let rest for an hour or two.

Cooking the crêpes
Don't worry: the first one is rarely successful!

1. Take a half ladleful of batter with your right hand and hold the pan in your left. Pour the batter into the pan and immediately tilt the pan with your left hand to spread the batter evenly over the whole surface.
2. Leave over the heat until the crêpe is set enough to be turned.
3. Cook for a few seconds on the other side and then slide onto a plate. Keep warm until all the crêpes are cooked.

How to make a crêpe - method 1: flipping

1. Hold the pan off the heat; shake it horizontally with short jerks until the crêpe no longer sticks to the bottom.
2. With a snap of the wrist, slide the crêpe to the curved edge of the pan and then give the pan another flick of the wrist to flip the crêpe: because of the curved shape of the rim, the crêpe will usually flip over naturally.
3. Be careful not to flick too hard or you may end up decorating your ceiling!

Simple Method

1. Holding the pan off the heat, shake it horizontally with short jerks until the crêpe no longer sticks to the bottom.
2. Turn the crêpe out onto a plate (cooked side down).
3. Place the pan upside down over the plate; firmly hold the two together and turn over - be careful: use oven mitts or a towel to prevent burning yourself.
4. You can also practice with small crêpes, in which case you need only slide a spatula underneath and flip them over.

These delicious pancakes can be accompanied by a bowl of cider or "lait ribot," a slightly fermented milk drink typical of Brittany.