Buckwheat Crêpes (Galettes de sarrasin)

thin brown buckwheat crepe folded into a square with egg in centre, ham and cheese and side salad

Buckwheat Crêpes (Galettes de sarrasin)

Jill Colonna

Buckwheat crepe recipe, traditionally from Brittany and Normandy. Gluten-free made with 100% buckwheat flour. Serve with any of the classic French galette fillings (e.g. cheese, ham, egg, mushrooms, spinach).

4.67 from 3 votes

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Prep Time 15

Cook Time 15

Total Time 30

Course Light Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine French

Servings galettes

Calories 163 kcal

Equipment

crêpe pan

Ingredients

500 g (17.5oz/ 4 cups) buckwheat flour (farine de sarrasin) See NOTES
1 litre (34 floz/4.2 cups) water
1 egg organic/free-range (see NOTES)
10 g (2 tsp) sea salt fleur de sel (Maldon, Celtic)
30 g (1oz/ 2 tbsp) salted butter

Instructions

First measure out all the ingredients.
In a large bowl, make a well in the buckwheat flour. Whisk in the fresh egg, the salt and gradually whisk in the water until well blended and smooth.
Leave the batter to rest for at least 2 hours at room temperature or overnight in the fridge.
When the batter is ready at room temperature, mix well and heat the pan. The batter should be quite liquid. If it's still quite thick (all buckwheat flour brands can vary), add a little more water.
Melt a little of the butter in a hot crêpe pan and brush it over the pan quickly and evenly using a little kitchen paper.
Use about half a ladle of batter for each galette, quickly moving the pan to ensure a very thin layer coats all the surface (the batter will cook quickly so work fast. If too much batter in the pan, pour it back quickly into the batter bowl) Leave on medium-high heat for about a couple of minutes then turn over for a minute. The surface will look like lace with characteristic mini crater holes.
Top with a little butter until melted then brush it over evenly. Place on a plate covered with another upturned plate to keep warm and soft until ready to serve with your preferred fillings.

Notes

To Serve: top with a little knob of extra butter and serve with a simple green salad and classic French cidre (about 5% alcohol).

Buckwheat/Plain Flour: If you prefer galettes not as dark and strong in flavour, then replace 30% of the buckwheat flour (350g/12oz/3 cups) with plain wheat flour (150g/5oz/1.25 cups). This will not be gluten free.

Vegan crêpes: Omit the egg and replace with a little sparkling or soda water. When ready to cook the galettes, use a very little of your favourite vegan oil (e.g. olive oil) in place of the classic butter.

Storage: Stack the crêpes on a plate and cover with an inverted plate to prevent drying out. Store in the fridge for up to 2 days. They also freeze well for up to 2 months: stack, seal well and freeze. Defrost overnight in the fridge or defrost gently in the microwave.
Handy to store and make these gluten-free wraps.

Buckwheat Galette Fillings

Beurre – simply melted salted butter (try Bordier for taste)
Complète – ham, cheese and egg (see how to make une complète below)
Complète oignons – with sweet Roscoff French onions
Florentine – spinach, cheese and egg
Forestière – mushrooms, cheese and egg

To make a French Complète: place a galette in the hot crêpe pan, crack an egg into the middle, and spread around the white to cover most of the surface. Break up a slice of ham into bits and place with a little grated cheese around the egg yolk. Fold over 4 times into a square to meet the egg yolk in the middle without touching. Add a little extra butter on top.

Sweet Version: For gluten-free versions without sugar, serve galettes for dessert with real chocolate sauce.

Nutrition

Calories: 163kcalCarbohydrates: 29gProtein: 6gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 19mgSodium: 353mgPotassium: 246mgFiber: 4gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 82IUCalcium: 22mgIron: 2mg

Keyword buckwheat crepes, French savoury crepes, galettes de sarrasin, savoury buckwheat pancakes

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