Galette Bretonne (Breton Buckwheat Crepe)

About This Recipe

Galette bretonne is Brittany's beloved savory crepe — made with stone-ground buckwheat flour (sarrasin) rather than wheat, giving it a nutty, almost-earthy flavor and a distinctive speckled brown-gray color. The classic galette complète is folded around a thin slice of ham, a small mound of grated Gruyère cheese, and a single egg cooked sunny-side-up directly on the crepe. The four corners are folded in to create an open square showing the egg in the center. Eaten with the hands or with knife and fork, accompanied by a bowl of dry Breton cider (cidre brut) sipped through a wooden spoon — never a glass, that's wrong in Brittany. Galettes have been a working-class Breton meal for centuries, since buckwheat grows in poor soil where wheat won't.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 200 gbuckwheat flour (sarrasin)
• 1 tspfine salt
• 1 largeegg (for batter)
• 450 mlcold water
• 1 tbspmelted butter (for batter)
• 60 gbutter for cooking
• 4 thin slicesgood ham (jambon de Paris or similar)
• 150 gGruyère cheese, grated
• 4 largeeggs (one per galette)
• freshly ground black pepper
• dry Breton cider to serve

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the batter early

   Whisk buckwheat flour and salt in a wide bowl. Make a well; add the egg and 100 ml of the water. Whisk gradually to a thick paste. Slowly add the remaining 350 ml water and the melted butter, whisking until smooth. The batter should be the consistency of single cream — quite thin.

2. 2

   Rest the batter

   Cover and rest at least 1 hour, ideally 3-4 hours, in the refrigerator. This hydrates the flour and gives a more pliable galette.

3. 3

   Heat the pan very hot

   Use a 28-30 cm crepe pan or wide nonstick skillet over medium-high heat for 3 minutes. Brush with a little butter (just a sheen).

4. 4

   Pour and swirl

   Pour 100 ml of batter into the center. Immediately tilt and swirl the pan to spread the batter into a thin even circle. Cook 90 seconds — the surface dries and small holes appear.

5. 5

   Flip carefully

   Slide a thin spatula under and flip. Cook the second side 30 seconds.

6. 6

   Top while still on the pan

   Lower the heat to medium. Lay a slice of ham across the center of the galette. Sprinkle 2 tbsp Gruyère in a ring. Crack an egg directly onto the galette in the center. Cover with a lid for 60-90 seconds — the cheese melts and the egg white sets while the yolk stays runny.

7. 7

   Fold the corners

   Fold the four sides of the galette inward toward the center, leaving the egg yolk visible in the middle (the open-square fold). Slide onto a warm plate.

8. 8

   Serve

   Crack pepper over the yolk. Serve immediately, with a bowl of dry Breton cider on the side. Eat by cutting into wedges or, if you're really Breton, by hand.

Variations

• •

  Galette saucisse: replace ham with a small grilled Breton sausage.

• •

  Galette aux fruits de mer: top with sautéed scallops or shrimp + a splash of cream.

• •

  Galette forestière: add sautéed mushrooms and a sprinkle of chopped parsley.

Storage

Buckwheat batter keeps in the fridge for 2 days. Cooked galettes lose their lace within hours — best eaten fresh.

Frequently Asked Questions