Galette complète, the Breton buckwheat crepe with ham and egg

Category

One-Dish Meals

Cuisine

French

Are you looking for the real Breton galette complète, the one with lacy crisp edges and a yolk still soft in the middle?

Then this version is for you. I will walk you through a thin, nutty buckwheat crepe filled the traditional Breton way, with cooked ham, melting cheese and an egg cooked right there in the pan.

The batter is where it all happens. Only buckwheat flour, water and salt, mixed thick first and then loosened to the consistency of single cream, with a rest of at least an hour. That rest is what makes the galette flexible instead of brittle.

There are at least three good reasons to try it: the ingredients cost very little, the batter can be made the night before, and the result is a complete one-dish meal that reaches the table in minutes.

One practical detail: heat the pan properly before the first ladleful and grease it only lightly. The first galette is nearly always a write-off, it is there to teach you the right temperature. From the second one on, they all come out the same.

Serve it immediately, freshly folded, with a knob of salted butter melting on top and a grind of pepper. In Brittany it comes with a glass of cider, but a simple green salad works beautifully too.

Ready? Let’s get started with the Breton galette complète.