Multiplying a crepe batter recipe

I have a standard crêpe recipe (1.5 cups milk to 1 cup of flour, plus 2 eggs and 2 tblsp of butter) that makes 3 cups of batter. I want to make about 13 times as many. 13 times 3 is 39 cups, but when I 13 times the recipe instead of getting 39 cups, i get about 27 cups.
What is happinging?
How should I expand this recipe?
Will I still ge the same delicious crêpes?
Thanks.

Lans
  • Posted by: Lans
  • November 16, 2022
  • 2270 views
  • 5 Comments

5 Comments

Nancy November 17, 2022
Sometimes funny (but not necessarily bad) things happen when you scale up a recipe more than double or quadruple...for example, in your 13x batch the solids like flour and liquids like milk and eggs can settle together and make less volume than just multiplying suggests.
If you've already mixed the large batch, cook one or two crepes and taste test. If ok, proceed. If not ok, tell us what's off and maybe someone here can suggest how to fix the big batch.
If the existing big batch can't be fixed, I suggest looking for a recipe already geared to a crowd. You can find one by searching for "crepes recipe for food service", "-for 50", "-for 100", etc. You may find one in a language you don't know (Google translate can help).
Good luck with all this (!) and please let us know how it works out.
 
Lans November 28, 2022
Thank you, Nancy. Much appreciated. I think I resolved the issue of the batch not making the expected amount (I was expermenting on the cheap and used water- knowing I would throw it our, but not knowing... well... what I'm doing).
I made a real 13x batch, but it did not taste the same, so now I'm just trying to figure out why a single batch is delicious, but 13x is not so much.
I hope you can help me with that. I think the flour I used in the real batch may have been more dense, due to the age of the sack (close to it's Best by date), so 1 cup probably weighed more than 120 grams. After suspecting this, I measured out the remaining cups in the 10 pound bag for a total of 27 cups, not 45. So, I think I had way too much flour. Does this sound reasonable?
I am begining to learn that oxidation reduces taste and performance of flour that is several months old. Is that also something I need to be concerned with?
Would it be best to use fresh flour and measure the flour in grams instead of cups? Thanks for the idea of searching for "Service for 100" and Google translate. I may do that, but I would also like to understand.
Thank you and your awesome!
 
Nancy November 29, 2022
Lans -
Can answer some but not all your questions.
Flour settling - yes, if it sat in a bag for months and then was measured by volume not weight, may have been heavier than 120g per cup. So measure by grams if you have a scale.
Flour turning bad - don’t know about oxidation. Other problems - if it smells bad or sour, don’t use it. Whole wheat flour stored at room temp can be a breeding ground for bugs.
Flour storage times (all purpose) - ok 6-8 months room temp, year in fridge, 2 year in freezer.
Multiplying recipe - I wouldn’t worry about the batter measure. Rather, go by individual ingredients.
Which crepes recipe to use? Have you actually cooked from the single recipe you cited? If not, I urge you to do that to make sure it both works and you like the result.
If not, for a single batch I recommend Julia Child’s recipe, which I’ve made many times.
Otherwise, I still recommend looking at and considering recipes already built for a crowd. The site “recettes.com” has many- for example, for 7 people, for 15 people.
Maybe you will need to make 2 or 3 batches of medium size, not one batch for your whole party/dinner.
Good luck,
Nancy
 
Nancy November 29, 2022
PS - on flour storage “best buy” is a suggestion not a law. The durations I gave you come from reputable health or agricultural sites and usually work independent of suggested label “Best buy.”
Check for smells, any fungus or (for whole wheat) bugs. If no signs of trouble, ok to use.
 
Lans December 1, 2022
Thank you, Nancy. I appreciate you detailed answers, knowledge, and help.

You'r awesome.
Lans
 
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