Follow this French galette recipe and bring galette bretonne to your table. Crispy-edged buckwheat crêpes of rustic origin, garnished with a savory blue cheese filling, are perfect for a weekend breakfast or weekday lunch.
Yes, again and again, crepes. Now here is a recipe for buckwheat crepes.
They are generally known in French as crêpes de blé noir, crêpes de sarrasin, or galettes de sarrasin where galette means "flat cake," and blé noir and sarrasin meaning is buckwheat in English.
Introduced in the 14th century and reaching its peak by the 19th century, buckwheat was grown in different regions of France with similar soil types, such as Limousin and Auvergne.
Nowadays, galettes bretonnes are made and eaten everywhere across France and beyond.
French buckwheat crepes, along with French crepes and chocolate crepes, are the ultimate part of a crepe bar if you ever consider hosting it.
What is galette bretonne?
Galette bretonne, or French galette is a thin pancake made with buckwheat flour, water, and salt and served with a savory filling.
It is a specialty of the Bretagne or Brittany - a beautiful region in France's northwest.
That is why these crepes are also called Brittany crepes, and crêpes bretonnes or galettes bretonnes in French.
In Britany, crepes bretonnes are cooked on a billig, a flat, round, cast-iron griddle forty centimeters in diameter, with no rim.
Since authentic French galettes are "nearly impossible" to cook in a regular crepe pan, many recipes include all-purpose flour. So, it is called an adapted version of galettes for home cooking.
Galette vs. crepe
In France, the crepes made with whole wheat flour are referred to as "crêpes de froment," meaning "wheat crepes" in English. They can be served with sweet or savory fillings.
Crepes made with buckwheat flour are called galettes which are “galettes de sarrasin” (or “crêpes de sarrasin”) in French. And they are savory rather than sweet.
The French people are very selective over the difference between galettes and crepes, and ones should never be called the others.
Why you should try this recipe
- These buckwheat crepes are a beautiful and light alternative to traditional French crepes.
- They are made with basic ingredients and are quick and easy to make, even on busy weekdays.
- These savory crepes are the perfect breakfast option for starting your day off right. Brittany crepes are also a perfect idea to serve while hosting a crepe bar or a crepe party.
Ingredients
For ingredients and detailed instructions, refer to the recipe card below.
- Buckwheat flour: Use fresh, organic buckwheat flour. The buckwheat will give you an earthy, nutty flavor that will have you feeling full and energized all day long.
- All-purpose flour is added to facilitate cooking crepes. Since it contains gluten, it helps make the galettes more forgiving.
- Eggs: The recipe calls for large eggs at room temperature.
- Milk: Use either 2% reduced-fat milk or semi-skimmed milk, which is 1.7% fat.
- Salted butter brings the necessary amount of salt to the batter. If you use unsalted butter, add a pinch of salt.
How to make galette bretonne
To make the buckwheat crepe batter, in a large mixing bowl, place the two kinds of flour, mix them and make a well in the center. Use an egg separator and separate egg whites and yolks.
Add the yolks into the flour mixture and mix with a hand whisk, gradually pouring cold milk (photo 1).
Melt butter in a pan until lightly golden, add it to the batter, and continue whisking.
Use an electric mixer and beat egg whites until they are stiff. Gently add beaten whites into the batter, careful not to collapse (photo 2).
Cover the bowl with a tea towel, and let the batter rest for 1 hour.
Pro tip: Buckwheat crepe batter is thicker than classic wheat crepe batter. To test, pass a ladle through the batter, turn it, and pass your finger across it. The mark must hold for a few seconds.
To cook galettes, heat a carbon steel crepe pan or a nonstick crepe pan (skillet) over medium-high heat. Grease the base of the pan with a small amount of oil.
Mix the batter well, pour it into the center of the pan, and swirl it in a circular motion to get an even, thin layer.
Cook the galette on a hot pan for about 2 minutes (photo 3); flip it and cook the second side for another minute (photo 4). Continue with the remaining batter.
To make the blue cheese filling, in a saucepan, place sour cream, crumbled cheese, and butter (photo 5) and bring over low heat, regularly stirring (photo 6).
To serve, fold galettes and garnish them with blue cheese filling and pecans on top and slices of pear aside.
Expert Tips
- Preheat the pan well before cooking crepes and brush it with oil between each crepe making. Discard the first crepe; it only serves to season a crepe pan and that it is hot.
- Stir the batter while frying crepes since the flour tends to sink to the bottom of the bowl.
- Replace Gorgonzola cheese made from cow's milk with another type of blue cheese, for example, French sheep's milk cheese Roquefort.
- Use raw or candied pecans to serve or replace them with freshly cracked walnuts.
Buckwheat crepes filling
The savory fillings for buckwheat galettes include anything from cheese and vegetables to eggs, meat, or even fish.
But the most traditional way to serve crepe bretonne is to make a combo - a regional treasure of Britany.
It consists of a fried egg, a slice of ham, and grated cheese (usually gruyère or comté).
Such the combo is called "la complète," meaning "the complete" in English, and such the galette is known as a galette complète (full galette).
In France, you could order a special summer combo that included fresh tomatoes; the rest of the year, you would enjoy cooked mushrooms added to the galette filling.
If you ever travel to the town of Rennes in France, you could order a galette saucisse meaning "hot sausage galette," in English. It is another authentic deliciousness.
If you like to host crepe parties, prepare different kinds of fillings to allow your guests to experiment and create their own savory crêpe (crêpe salée) or sweet crepe (crêpe sucrée).
Choose one or two of these savory toppings:
- gruyère cheese, Swiss cheese, or goat cheese
- ham,
- bacon lardons,
- cooked leeks,
- spinach leaves,
- cooked mushrooms,
- cooked potatoes,
- fresh tomatoes,
- smoked fish,
- peanut butter, or even
- ratatouille.
Indeed, buckwheat crepes are traditionally savory, but you can also make sweet versions.
Just dust these crepes with icing (powdered) sugar or garnish them with these sweet toppings:
- chestnut cream,
- salted butter caramel spread,
- chocolate hazelnut spread Nutella,
- honey,
- maple syrup,
- caramelized apples,
- sugar-free whipped cream, or
- pistachio ice cream with fresh raspberries.
Storing and freezing
Store Breton galettes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
To freeze, place parchment paper between each buckwheat crepe, wrap the batch with double plastic wrap, then aluminum foil. Then freeze crepes for up to a month.
To reheat, warm crepes in the oven at 350°F (175°C) or microwave until hot.
Recipe FAQ
Buckwheat contains a great variety of nutrients, such as fiber and niacin. It is also a good protein source that makes buckwheat a good option for weight management. In addition, due to complex carbohydrates, there is hope that buckwheat can positively affect insulin and blood glucose and help manage diabetes.
Between a regular crepe pan (a nonstick frying pan) and a carbon steel crepe pan, choose the carbon steel pan. The latter can be heated aggressively, and it retains heat very well. But this type of pan requires seasoning like cast iron.
Use a nonstick crêpe pan to make buckwheat crepes. In this case, you won't need to deal with the carbon steel pan seasoning and avoid buying an extra piece of cookware.
Traditionally, in Britany, a warm galette is placed in a bowl of buttermilk and served for a hearty breakfast. It is mainly served as a lunch meal (or a meal of the day), often with a side salad, and is accompanied by a hard apple cider or pear cider sipped from a bowl, a uniquely French habit. It is usually followed by a crêpe Suzette for the dessert.
If you travel to France, especially the North-Western French region, plan to visit a crêperie to enjoy savory buckwheat crepes.
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PrintRecipe card
French Buckwheat Galette (Galette Bretonne)
French galette is a crispy-edged buckwheat crepe of rustic origin, garnished with a savory blue cheese filling perfect for a weekend breakfast or weekday lunch.
- Total Time: 25 minutes (plus, resting time)
- Yield: 9-10 galettes 1x
- Category: Crepes and Pancakes
- Method: Cooking
- Cuisine: French
Ingredients
For batter:
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoons (75 g) buckwheat flour
- â…“ cup (40 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 ½ cups (350 ml) 2% reduced-fat milk
- 1.4 oz (40 g) salted butter
- canola oil for greasing
For the blue cheese filling:
- 6.4 oz (180 g) sour cream
- 2.5 oz (70 g) Gorgonzola cheese
- 2 teaspoons (10 g) unsalted butter
For serving (optional):
- 1 fresh pear, core removed and finely sliced
- 15 pecans
* If needed, please refer to Baking Conversion Charts.
Instructions
- To make the crepe batter, in a large bowl, place the two kinds of flour, mix them, and make a well in the center. Use an egg separator and separate egg whites and yolks. Add the yolks into the flour mixture and mix with a hand whisk, gradually pouring cold milk.
- Melt butter in a pan until lightly golden, add it to the batter, and continue whisking. Use an electric mixer and beat egg whites until they are stiff. Gently add beaten whites into the batter, being careful that they do not collapse. Cover the bowl with a tea towel, and leave the batter to rest for 1 hour.
- To cook galettes, heat an iron cast or a carbon steel skillet over medium-high. Grease it with a small amount of oil. Mix the batter well, then pour it and swirl the pan to get a thin, even layer. Cook the galette for about 2 minutes; flip it and cook for another minute. Continue with the remaining batter.
- To make the blue cheese filling, in a saucepan, place sour cream and crumbled cheese and bring over low heat to melt the cheese.
- To serve, fold galettes and garnish them with blue cheese filling and pecans on top and slices of pear aside.
Notes
- Preheat the pan well before cooking crepes and brush it with oil between each crepe making. Discard the first crepe; it only serves to season a crepe pan and that it is hot.
- Stir the batter while frying crepes since the flour tend to sink to the bottom of the bowl.
- Replace Gorgonzola cheese made from cow's milk with another type of blue cheese, for example, French sheep's milk cheese Roquefort.
- Use raw or candied pecans to serve or replace them with freshly cracked walnuts.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 galette
- Calories: 214
- Sugar: 3.6 g
- Sodium: 153 mg
- Fat: 15.5 g
- Saturated Fat: 7.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 14.3 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 6.5 g
- Cholesterol: 65 mg
The nutritional information has been calculated using an online recipe nutrition calculator such as Verywellfit.com and is intended for informational purposes only. These figures should be used as a general guideline and not be construed as a guarantee.
The recipe was adapted from https://www.academiedugout.fr. It was originally published on February 20, 2018. The recipe has been revised to include improved content and photos.
Alison says
These came out perfect! I wasn't sure how the buckwheat was going to work out. It's not a regular flour I'm as familiar with, but these were light and paired well with both a savory filling!
Irina says
Yes, these crepes made with buckwheat are quite different from the well-known ones, but they are delicious too. Thanks for your feedback, Alison.
Nart says
I hadn't worked with buckwheat much before but always wanted to try, so I gave this recipe a go, and I was hooked! These crepes are amazing!
Irina says
I am happy to hear that, Nart. Thanks!
Adrianne says
These look so original, and I love the sound of the savory fillings. Perfect weekend breakfast recipe that I can't wait to try, yum!!
Irina says
Thanks for visiting the recipe, Adrianne. Happy crepe making!
Veena Azmanov says
Delicious and festive breakfast for sure. So easy to make and delicious to eat too. The Blue Cheese Filling is to die for. Yum.
Irina says
Thank you very much, Veena. Please, enjoy it!
Neha says
I love crepes, and these look so yum! I like the use of buckwheat in this recipe, pinning it.
Irina says
Thanks, Neha. Please, enjoy the recipe!
Sadia Malik says
These were delicious, and I love serving it with mushrooms.
Irina says
It is a great idea, Sadia. I am glad you loved crepes!
Anita says
The galettes are delicious and would be awesome with sweet filling too. And that blue cheese filling is just as delicious.
Irina says
Thank you for your comment, Anita! Please, enjoy the recipe!
Gail Montero Raines says
What a delicious way to begin the day! I love these crepes and need to make these soon!
Irina says
I agree with you, Gail. Please, enjoy the recipe.
Emily Liao says
This was actually so easy to make! I paired it with some chia jam, and it was delicious.
Irina says
What a healthy pairing you made, Emily! Thanks for making the recipe.
Beth says
Wow! This looks so amazing and delicious! My family is going to love this recipe! I can’t wait to try this!
Irina says
Sure thing, Beth! Please, let me know how it went. 🙂
Traci says
So beautiful and perfect for elegant breakfast or brunch! I really love that you used buckwheat... a great recipe!
Irina says
Thank you very much, Traci!!
Rika says
My husband and I traveled to Paris a few years ago and had crepes. This recipe is not only delicious but easy to make too. I love it.
Irina says
WOW! These crepes are a nice reminder about your trip to Paris! Please, enjoy the recipe, Rika!
Waya says
Super great recipe! I made it today. My French husband loved it! Thank you.
Irina says
You made my morning, Waya! Thanks a lot for your comment. Please, stay tuned for more recipes. 🙂
Fast Private Proxies says
I like your WordPress design, exactly where did you download it?
Irina says
This WordPress theme is from Feast Design Co.