Brittany's savory buckwheat crepe — folded around ham, Gruyère, and a runny egg, eaten with hard cider.
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.
Serves 4
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.
Cover and rest at least 1 hour, ideally 3-4 hours, in the refrigerator. This hydrates the flour and gives a more pliable galette.
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).
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.
Slide a thin spatula under and flip. Cook the second side 30 seconds.
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.
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.
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.
Buckwheat flour, not wheat — this is what makes it Breton. Wheat flour is for the sweet crepe (crepe sucrée), not for galettes.
Rest the batter 3+ hours — buckwheat needs time to hydrate properly.
Cook on a screaming-hot pan — the lacy edges happen at high heat.
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.
Buckwheat batter keeps in the fridge for 2 days. Cooked galettes lose their lace within hours — best eaten fresh.
Buckwheat (sarrasin) arrived in Brittany in the 14th century via Crusader trade routes from Asia. It grew well in the poor Breton soil where wheat would not, becoming a peasant staple. Galettes emerged as the everyday meal; by the 19th century crêperies opened in Saint-Malo, Quimper, and Dinan, formalizing the recipe. Buckwheat is naturally gluten-free, making galettes a long-time friend to celiacs.
Pure buckwheat is gluten-free, yes — but check the batter recipe. Some restaurants add wheat for elasticity. Pure 100% buckwheat at home is safe.
Galettes are savory, made with buckwheat flour. Crepes are sweet (or sometimes savory) and made with wheat flour. Bretons consider them different dishes.
Per serving (280g) · 4 servings total
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