A simple and delicious recipe for buckwheat galettes (otherwise known as Galette Bretonne). These French savoury pancakes take just 20 minutes to make (plus chilling time) and are perfect for breakfast, lunch or brunch.
A traditional dish from the Britany region of France, buckwheat Galettes are typically filled with cheese, ham and a fried egg. With so many ways to switch up the fillings, these versatile and speedy pancakes never get boring.
Looking for another savoury pancake recipe for breakfast, brunch or lunch? You should try my zucchini pancakes.
The post contains additional information and helpful tips to ensure the recipe turns out great the first time. Please use the link above to jump to the recipe card at the end if you are in a hurry!
5 reasons why you'll love this recipe:
- Quick & Easy - an utterly yummy breakfast or lunch that you can throw together in 20 minutes.
- One pan recipe - enjoy these tasty savoury crêpes without having to face a large pile of washing up after.
- Versatile - this recipe suggests filling the galettes with hard grated cheese, spinach and fried eggs but there are so many options you can try. Add a slice of ham, sautéed mushrooms, leeks or smoked salmon.
- An excellent make ahead meal - the batter can be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days so you can prepare the batter and fry up some galettes when you want them.
- Simple ingredients - all you need is buckwheat flour, egg, butter and water and any filling ingredients that you want.
🛒 Ingredients:
The batter for these tasty savoury crêpes just requires 5 simple ingredients including buckwheat flour, milk, egg, nutmeg and melted butter.
- Buckwheat flour - used in traditional savoury French crepes and has a nutty and earthy taste.
- Nutmeg - this is optional, but I find its flavour blends superbly well with the nutty buckwheat flour.
Fillings:
- Galette Complète: This classic choice includes ham, Emmental or Gruyère cheese, and a fried egg.
- Egg, cheese and spinach. This is one of my favourites and makes a great vegetarian option. When it comes to cheese Gruyère is my go-to, but you can use other hard cheeses like Emmental or cheddar.
- Sautéed mushrooms with cream or cheese.
- Smoked salmon with cream cheese and fresh dill.
🧑🍳 Recipe steps
*Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full ingredients list & instructions! *
Step 1: Place all the batter ingredients in a medium to large bowl and whisk until smooth using an electric or manual whisk. Let the batter rest in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
Step 2: Place a frying pan on medium-high heat and add a knob of butter. When the butter is melted and the pan is hot pour in just enough of the batter to cover the bottom of the pan.
Allow the batter a couple of minutes to set and crack an egg on top of it. Use a slotted turner to gently adjust the position of the egg if it is not in the middle of the pan and to gently spread the white across the pan. Add spinach and cheese so they surround the egg. Add a little pinch of salt onto the egg yolk and season with nutmeg and ground black pepper.
Step 3: When the egg white becomes opaque increase the heat of the pan to high until the galette is brown and crisp. When you see the sides start to brown slightly it's time to fold the sides in. Fold each side into the middle, leaving the egg visible with no more than 2 inches of sides folded inwards. Serve immediately and repeat the process with the remaining batter.
Expert Tips
- Rest the batter in the refrigerator before cooking - I've tried this recipe with both rested and non-rested batter and found there was a noticeable improvement in the texture and the flavour when the batter was chilled in the fridge. That said, if you're really pushed for time you can skip this step, the galettes will still turn out fine.
- Add the batter to a hot pan - the butter should be sizzling and the pan should have come to heat before you add the batter to prevent it from sticking.
- Avoid adding too much batter to the pan - French galettes should be thin and crispy so add just enough batter to cover the pan.
- Reduce the heat to medium when the fillings are added - the egg white can take a few minutes to set and you don't want to burn the bottom of the galettes.
- Ensure the galettes are crisp before you serve - if the galette isn't quite done once the egg white is set, increase the heat of the pan until the edges are crisp and slightly brown before serving.
Serving suggestions
Packed with nutritious and tasty fillings, galettes can be enjoyed as a standalone meal. Here are some suggestions if you want something extra on the side.
- A Side Salad: A simple mix of lettuce, cherry tomatoes, and a vinaigrette dressing to provide a refreshing contrast. A Rocket, Parmesan and Tomato salad with balsamic dressing is also a good accompaniment.
- Cider: In Brittany, it's common to enjoy galettes with traditional Breton cider.
- Crusty bread
📦 Storage
The batter will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days. Cover it with plastic wrap and mix thoroughly before you use it to remove any lumps that have formed. The batter might also thicken over time. Add some water to thin it out a little if it seems too thick when you come to use it.
You can freeze the cooked crepes for up to 3 months. It's also possible to freeze the batter, but it's not something I've ever bothered doing as it's so quick to make a fresh batch.
🙋 FAQs
If you make crêpes and pancakes a lot a crêpe pan is a great investment. Otherwise, any large frying pan / non-stick skillet with a flat bottom will do the job.
Galettes are savoury buckwheat crêpes made with buckwheat flour with savoury fillings and toppings like ham, cheese and egg. A crêpe is a thin pancake that is served with a sweet filling like sugar, chocolate or ice cream.
La Galette Bretonne originale is the proper name the French use for savoury buckwheat flour pancakes. These savoury buckwheat galettes originate from Brittany in the north of France. They are thin like crêpes but the batter has a savoury flavour and they are served with
savory fillings and toppings.
The recipe will work with regular all-purpose/plain flour, but it will lack the distinct nutty earthy flavour that Galette Bretonne is known for.
The galettes will still turn out well if you don't do this, but I've tried this recipe with both rested and non-rested batter and found there was a noticeable improvement in the texture and the flavour when the batter was rested.
😋 Check out my other speedy lunch and brunch recipes
If you enjoyed these savoury buckwheat pancakes, you should check out my other speedy lunch/brunch recipes including this shakshuka and halloumi and smashed avocado sandwich.
Did you try this recipe? It would be really great if you could leave a comment and a star rating ⭐️. I would love to receive your feedback and know that other readers find it helpful too.
Don't forget to tag #knifeandsoulrecipes on Instagram or @knifeandsoul on Pinterest!
Recipe Card
Galette Bretonne
Equipment
- frying pan
Ingredients
Galette mixture:
- 1 ⅔ cups (200 g) buckwheat flour
- 1 ⅓ cups (300 ml) milk
- 1 ⅓ cups (300 ml) water
- ⅓ teaspoon sea or kosher salt
- 2 tbsp (30 g) melted butter with more for greasing the pan
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg optional
Fillings
- 6 eggs
- 3 cups (90 g) spinach
- 1 cup (130 g) grated Gruyere or other hard cheese
- Pinch sea or kosher salt per galette
- Pinch ground nutmeg per galette
- ground black pepper
Instructions
- Combine all the galette ingredients in a bowl and whisk until the batter is smooth
- Place the galette batter in the fridge for at least one hour. (Note 1)
- Place a frying pan or galette pan on a medium to high heat and add no more than 1 teaspoon of butter to grease the pan.
- When the pan is hot add a ladleful of the galette mixture and spread evenly over the pan. (Note 2)
- When the galette starts to set crack the egg onto the batter and adjust the position of the egg so it sits in the centre if necessary.
- Add the spinach and cheese so they surround the egg.
- Leave the galette to cook on a medium to high heat until the egg starts to set.
- Add a tiny pinch of salt to the egg yolk and season the galette filling with ground nutmeg and ground black pepper.
- Increase the heat to crisp up the galette and cook on a high heat for a few minutes until you see the sides start to brown. Lift up the sides to check they are done.
- When the galette is crisp fold the sides into the middle and serve. The folds should be no more than 2 inches so the egg is visible
- Repeat steps 4-10 with the rest of the galette batter
Notes
- Resting the batter: If you are able to rest the batter for longer than one hour do. It will only improve the taste and consistency of the galettes. If you don't have time to rest the batter, you can go ahead and make the galettes. They will still turn out well.
- Adding batter to the pan: Be careful not to add too much batter to the pan at this point. There should be just enough batter to cover the surface of the pan. The thinner the galette, the tastier.
Delicious and easy! I just used the recipe for the crepe part of the galette, not the filling, as we eat mostly vegan. Absolutely delicious and so easy!
Thanks for letting me know, Molly! Really glad you like it.