Galettes Bretonnes (Savoury Pancakes)
Buckwheat pancakes with a nutty, earthy flavour and crisp lacy edges, folded into a square around vegetarian ham, melted Gruyère and an egg cracked straight onto the galette. This is what Saturday lunch smells like in Brittany.
Ingredients
For the galette batter
- 250 gr buckwheat flour
- 1 egg
- 500 ml water cold
- 20 g unsalted butter plus extra for the pan
- 1 pinch salt
For the filling
- 4 slices plant based ham
- 120 gr Gruyère cheese or Emmental
- 4 egg
- black pepper freshly ground
- 1 handful chives
- 120 gr baby spinach optional
Instructions
1. Prepare the batter
- Put the buckwheat flour and salt into a large bowl. Crack in the egg, then whisk with roughly half the water until smooth. Add the remaining water gradually, then the melted butter, and whisk well. Cover and rest for at least 1 hour, or overnight in the fridge.
2. Cook the galettes
- Heat the pan over medium-high and grease lightly with butter. Give the batter a quick whisk, then ladle a generous amount into the pan and swirl immediately until evenly coated.
3. Fill your galette
- Once the top looks set and the edges begin to lift, lay on 2 slices of vegetarian ham and a little spinach if using. Crack an egg into the middle, season with black pepper, and scatter over the grated cheese, leaving the yolk showing. Cover with a lid: the trapped steam sets the white and melts the cheese. If you have no lid, fry the eggs separately and slide them on top.
4. Fold your galette
- Fold the edges in to make a neat square with the yolk visible. Leave another minute if you like the yolk set, or plate up straight away for a runny centre.
5. Serve
- Repeat with the remaining batter and filling. Serve immediately, piping hot, with chives scattered over.
Notes
- Resting the batter makes a real difference. It gives the flour time to hydrate, which is what gives you those lacy edges.
- Whisk the batter again between galettes, as buckwheat settles quickly.
- The first galette is always a bit suspect. A well-heated pan and a confident swirl will get you there.
- This batter makes more galettes than the filling covers, so you'll have spares. They freeze well.