Ingredients
Sweet batter
- 250 gplain flour
- 3eggs
- 500 mlmilk
- 50 gbutter, melted
- 2 tbspsugar
- ½ tspsalt
- 1 tbsprum or orange flower water
Savoury galette batter
- 250 gbuckwheat flour
- 500 mlwater
- 1egg
- 1 tspsalt
To cook and fill
- butter
- sugar and lemon
- chocolate spread
- salted butter caramel
- ham, cheese and eggs
Directions
- Whisk the flour, sugar and salt together, make a well, beat in the eggs, then add the milk gradually so that no lumps form.
- Whisk in the melted butter and the rum.
- Rest the batter for at least an hour and up to overnight. Resting lets the flour hydrate and the gluten relax, which is the difference between a crêpe that tears and one that does not.
- For the buckwheat galette, whisk the flour, water, egg and salt and rest it the same way, ideally overnight, which darkens and improves it.
- Buckwheat is not a wheat at all and contains no gluten. That is why the galette batter is thinner, is made with water rather than milk, and is considerably more fragile to handle.
- Heat a crêpe pan or a wide flat frying pan over a medium heat and wipe it with butter.
- Pour in a small ladleful and immediately tilt and swirl the pan so the batter runs out to the edges in a thin even film.
- Cook for 45 to 60 seconds, until the edges lift and the underside is lacy and browned, then flip and give it 20 to 30 seconds more.
- The first one always fails. This is not a fault in your batter, it is the pan coming up to temperature, and every crêperie in Brittany throws it away.
- Stack the cooked crêpes on a plate under a cloth, where they steam gently and stay pliable.
- For a galette complète, lay the galette in the pan, break an egg into the middle, add ham and grated cheese, and fold the four sides in to make a square with the yolk still showing.
- Serve immediately, with cider if you are keeping it Breton.
Technique
- Buckwheat grew on poor Armorican soil from the late Middle Ages, which is why the savoury galette is dark and the sweet crêpe is not.
- The pan wants to be hot enough that the batter sets as it swirls, and no hotter. Too hot and it seizes before it reaches the edge.
- Sweet crêpes are eaten with sugar and lemon or caramel; the buckwheat galette is savoury and the two are not interchangeable.
Substitutions
- Half milk and half water for a lighter crêpe.
- A well-seasoned cast iron pan if you have no crêpe pan.
Variations
- Crêpe Suzette, flamed with orange and Grand Marnier.
- Galette complète, with ham, cheese and egg.
- With salted butter caramel, which is the other great Breton filling.
History
A Breton speciality; buckwheat, grown on poor Armorican soil from the late Middle Ages, gives the savoury galette its dark colour.
Frequently asked questions
What is Crêpe?
Crêpe is a street food from France: thin pancake folded around sugar, Nutella, or ham and cheese. A Breton speciality; buckwheat, grown on poor Armorican soil from the late Middle Ages, gives the savoury galette its dark colour.
How long does Crêpe take to make?
Crêpe takes 15 min plus 1 hr resting of preparation and 25 min of cooking. The recipe makes 12 crêpes. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Crêpe?
Yes, within limits. Half milk and half water for a lighter crêpe. A well-seasoned cast iron pan if you have no crêpe pan.
What is the most important thing to get right in Crêpe?
Rest the batter for at least an hour and up to overnight. Resting lets the flour hydrate and the gluten relax, which is the difference between a crêpe that tears and one that does not.
