A galette is not a crêpe. Crêpes are filled with sweet ingredients and made with white wheat flour; while galettes are made with buckwheat flour and have savory fillings. Originally from Brittany & Normandy, Galette Bretonne is traditionally cooked on one side only, and its most popular filling is egg, jambon (ham) and Emmental or Gruyere -- that’s what the French call galette complète (a complete galette). Fillings are only limited to your imagination. Have you heard of galette saucisse from Rennes? It’s a hot sausage rolled up in a galette. (Like a fancy hot dog.)
About Galettes:
- The widely used term “Galette” encompasses any round, thin cake or pastry.
- A crepe/galette griddle is called a pillig; and the batter-spreading tool is called a rozell.
- Buckwheat isn’t wheat, it’s related to rhubarb and looks like brown couscous.
- Buckwheat has no gluten, therefore perfect for galettes and other flatbreads.
- Galettes made with milk cook up golden brown; galettes made with water are crisper and have a grayish tinge.
- Eggs added to the batter make thick, moist galettes; batters with less or no egg, create lighter, thinner ones.
- For the best results, let the batter rest in the fridge overnight, then let it come to room temperature before using.
- Tip: flour in the batter sometimes settles on the bottom, so occasionally give it a stir while cooking.
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Galettes
The Country Cooking of France by Anne Willan
makes 12 1-3/4 cups buckwheat flour 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour 2 tsp salt 2 cups milk, or more if needed 2 cups water 1/2 cup clarified butter Sift both flours into bowl with salt. Make a well in the center and pour 1 cup of the milk into the well. Whisk milk into flour, forming a smooth paste. Whisk well for a minute, then add remaining cup of milk in 2 batches, stirring after each addition. Cover and let rest at room temperature for 30 or 40 minutes. Stir in the water and beat again for 1 minute. If necessary, beat in more milk until the batter is the consistency of light cream. Stir in half the clarified butter. Heat griddle pan or crepe pan over medium heat until very hot, at least 5 minutes. Dip a wad of paper towel into the remaining butter and rub it over the griddle. Heat the griddle 2 minutes longer, then test the heat with a few drops of batter; the should set up at once. Wipe griddle clean with the paper towel wad, and rub it again with butter. Ladle batter onto the center of the hot griddle. Using a palette knife or pastry scraper, spread it with a turn of your wrist so the griddle is thinly and completely covered, tipping the griddle to discard excess batter into a bowl. Cook galette quickly until lightly browned on the bottom, 30-60 seconds. Peel galette off the griddle and flip it to color the other side. Note: a galette should not be browned too much, as it will be reheated with the filling. Transfer it to a plate. If the first galette seems heavy, thin batter with a little milk. Continue to cook galettes, wiping griddle clean with paper towels and rubbing it with butter as necessary to prevent sticking. Pile the finished galettes on top of one another to keep them warm. They may be tightly wrapped and stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months. ........ To make a galette a Galette Bretonne, reheat a galette on a hot griddle, browner side down, and break an egg in the center. The egg yolk can be left whole and the whites spread thinly around with a spatula, or the whole egg can be spread around -- just leave a border at the edge. Place thinly sliced ham around the egg, and top with grated Gruyere. When the egg begins to set, fold the top section of the galette toward the center, but not all the way to the center. Repeat with bottom section and both sides, making a square galette with a hole in the middle -- if you’ve chosen to leave the egg yolk whole, it should delightfully peek out the hole. Slide galette onto a plate and serve immediately.
