Galette Complète

Breton Buckwheat Pancake with Ham, Cheese and Egg

In Brittany a crêpe is sweet and made with wheat, and a galette is savoury and made with buckwheat, which gives it a grey-brown colour, a lacy crispness and a faintly bitter, nutty taste. The complète is the one every crêperie sells most of: ham, cheese and an egg, with the edges folded in to make a square.

The Breton tourism board's recipe is 250 g of buckwheat flour, 10 g of salt and half a litre of water, rested for at least an hour and ideally overnight. It notes that purists never add egg to the batter. The complète is filled with cheese, ham and an egg.

The chef's version adds two eggs and 40 g of melted butter to the same flour and water, rests it for two hours and folds the four edges of the galette over the filling.

Ingredients

For the batter

  • 250 g buckwheat flour
  • 10 g fine sea salt
  • 500 ml cold water
  • 1 egg (optional; makes the galettes less fragile)

For each galette

  • A knob of salted butter
  • 1 egg
  • 1 slice of cooked ham
  • 30 g Emmental or Gruyère, grated

Method

  1. Make the batter Put the flour and salt in a bowl. Add the water gradually, beating hard with a wooden spoon for 3 to 4 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Beat in the egg if using. Cover and rest in the fridge for at least 1 hour, or overnight. Loosen with a little water before cooking; it should pour like single cream.
  2. Cook the galette Heat the pan over a medium-high heat and grease it lightly with butter. Pour in a ladle of batter and tilt to spread it thinly. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes until the underside is crisp and the edges lift.
  3. Fill Lower the heat. Break an egg into the middle and spread the white a little with the back of a spoon, leaving the yolk whole. Scatter the cheese round it and lay the ham on top of the cheese.
  4. Fold When the white has set, after 2 to 3 minutes, fold the four edges in towards the centre to make a square with the yolk showing. Slide onto a plate, top with a small piece of salted butter and serve at once.

Food safety

The yolk is left soft. Use British Lion-marked eggs, which UK food safety advice considers safe to eat raw or lightly cooked.

Cook the galettes to order. They do not keep their crispness.

A cold batter and a very hot pan give the lacy holes.

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