Name: Scrippelle ’mbusse
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Cuisine: Italian, Teramo / Abruzzo
Ingredients: 4 large eggs; 140 g plain flour; 220 ml water, plus a little more if needed; 2 g fine sea salt; 10 ml extra-virgin olive oil, for greasing the pan; 1.2 L clear chicken or mixed meat broth, strained and kept very hot; 90 g Pecorino or Parmigiano, finely grated

Scrippelle ’mbusse: wide hero view of the finished traditional dish

Prep25 minutes

Cook25 minutes

Total1 h 10 min

Yield4 servings, about 12 scrippelle

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The dish

About Scrippelle ’mbusse

Regione Abruzzo describes scrippelle as very thin frittatine made from flour, eggs and water, with the ’mbusse version served in hot broth, preferably chicken.

Unlike French-style crêpes, the traditional base is deliberately simple and does not depend on butter or milk.

Cheese is scattered over the warm scrippelle before rolling so the hot broth softens it inside the tube.

A rest lets flour hydrate, making the batter smoother and the finished sheets less prone to tearing.

Technique

Three things that matter

Keep the batter fluid. A thin batter is essential for veil-like scrippelle.
Use minimal pan fat. Too much oil fries the surface instead of producing a delicate sheet.
Broth must be very hot. The final bowl should warm and soften the rolled scrippelle immediately.

Cook the dish

Ingredients

Everything needed to prepare the dish, arranged for fast scanning before cooking.

Scrippelle

4 largeeggs
140 gplain flour
220 mlwaterplus a little more if needed
2 gfine sea salt
10 mlextra-virgin olive oilfor greasing the pan

To serve

1.2 Lclear chicken or mixed meat brothstrained and kept very hot
90 gPecorino or Parmigianofinely grated

Step by step

Method

Make a fluid batter

Whisk eggs and flour. Beat eggs with salt, then whisk in flour gradually until smooth.
The mixture should be lump-free before water is added.
Thin with water. Whisk in water a little at a time until the batter runs freely like thin cream.
A ladleful should spread instantly when the pan is tilted.
Rest the batter. Cover and rest 20 minutes at room temperature.
Small bubbles should settle and the batter should look smoother.

Cook paper-thin scrippelle

Heat and wipe the pan. Warm the skillet over medium heat, brush with a film of oil and wipe away excess.
The pan should be evenly hot but not smoking.
Spread a very thin layer. Pour a small ladleful and rotate the pan immediately to coat the base.
The sheet should be thin enough to look delicate at the edges.
Turn briefly. Cook until edges lift, flip and cook the second side only 20–30 seconds; stack on a plate.
Scrippelle should remain pale, flexible and uncrisp.

Roll and bathe in broth

Add cheese. Sprinkle each warm scrippella lightly with grated cheese.
Cheese should form an even veil rather than a thick filling.
Roll and plate. Roll tightly and place three scrippelle in each warmed soup bowl.
The rolls should hold their shape without cracking.
Add boiling-hot broth. Bring broth to a full simmer, ladle generously over the rolls and serve immediately with extra cheese.
The broth should visibly steam and the rolls should soften without disintegrating.

Practical guidance

Broth

A clear chicken broth gives the cleanest traditional profile; a mixed meat broth is also appropriate.

Batch cooking

Stack finished scrippelle covered with a clean towel while the rest cook.

Make-ahead

Scrippelle can be made earlier the same day; add cheese and broth just before serving.

Troubleshooting

Sheets tear. The batter is too thick or the pan is not fully hot; whisk in a little water.
Scrippelle are greasy. Too much oil was left in the pan; wipe it almost dry.
Rolls turn heavy. Use less cheese and keep the sheets very thin.

Nutrition per serving

Serving size: 3 scrippelle with broth
Calories: approximately 330 kcal
Carbohydrates: 30 g
Protein: 20 g
Fat: 14 g
Fibre: 1 g
Sodium: 960 mg

Approximate; broth and cheese determine most sodium.

Allergens and food safety

Keep egg batter chilled if held longer than 30 minutes.

Bring broth back to a vigorous simmer immediately before serving.

Refrigerate leftover scrippelle and broth separately within 2 hours.

FAQ

What does ’mbusse mean?

In the Teramo dialect it means “wet” or “bathed,” referring to the hot broth.

Are these the same as crêpes?

They are similar in form, but the traditional Teramo batter is based on eggs, flour and water.

Which cheese is traditional?

Pecorino is strongly traditional; Parmigiano is also widely used in home versions.

Final note

What matters most

Result: Delicate rolled scrippelle with melted cheese inside, floating in clear, deeply savoury broth.
Key: Make the sheets almost paper-thin and serve the broth piping hot.