History

Buckwheat took hold across Breton smallholdings from the late middle ages because it grew where wheat would not, on thin acid soil and in a short season, and it was ground into a flour that made a batter rather than a raised loaf. That batter cooked on a flat iron plate became the galette. Nantes spent those centuries as a capital of the Duchy of Brittany, and the eating stuck even after the border moved: the city still has crêperies on more corners than bistros. The galette complète, folded square around ham, a fried egg and emmental, is the fixed point of the format, and a good crêperie uses pure blé noir with nothing but water and salt in the batter.

Common allergens: Gluten, Eggs, Dairy

Make it at home

Yield 4Hands-on 30 minTotal 3 hrDifficulty Intermediate

Ingredients

  • 330g buckwheat flour (farine de blé noir)
  • 10g fine sea salt
  • 750ml cold water, plus more to loosen
  • 1 egg (optional, for a slightly more forgiving batter)
  • Butter for the pan
  • To fill, per galette: 1 slice of good cooked ham, 1 egg, 40g grated emmental

Method

  1. Whisk the flour and salt together, then beat in about a third of the water until you have a smooth, thick paste with no lumps. Beat hard for a minute: this is what gives the galette its stretch.
  2. Whisk in the rest of the water, and the egg if using, until the batter is the consistency of single cream. Cover and rest in the fridge for at least 2 hours, ideally overnight. It will thicken as it stands, so loosen it with a splash of water before cooking.
  3. Heat a wide flat crêpe pan or a heavy frying pan over a medium-high heat until a drop of water skitters. Wipe with a butter-soaked cloth or a small knob of butter.
  4. Pour in a small ladle of batter and spread it as thin as you can with a rake or by tilting the pan fast. Cook 60 to 90 seconds until the surface dulls and the edges lift and colour.
  5. Flip. Lay the ham in the middle, crack the egg on top, scatter the cheese around it, and fold the four sides in to make a square that leaves the yolk showing. Cook another 2 minutes until the white has set and the base is crisp, then slide onto a warm plate.

Tip from the editors. The first galette of any batch is a test and usually a failure. Judge the pan's heat by it. Skipping the rest gives batter that tears as you spread it.

Where to eat galette de sarrasin

Galette de sarrasin in Nantes

Le Loup, le Renard et la Galette ★ 4.3

Crêperie€€BouffayMon-Fri 12:00-14:00 and 19:00-22:00; Sat-Sun 11:30-14:15 and 18:45-22:00

Le Loup, le Renard et la Galette unsettles Nantes crêperie habit on Rue de la Baclerie, galettes built on guacamole, hummus and roast chestnuts.

Order: The Crazy Avocado galette at €12.50, or La Cueillette

Why locals love it: The house takes no bookings at all and keeps a second dining room round the corner on Rue de la Juiverie, so the queue on the pavement is only half the story.

Tip: Composed galettes run €3.20 to €7 and sweet crêpes about €7.50, so it stays cheap even with the elaborate toppings.

14 Rue de la Baclerie, 44000 Nantes

Crêperie Sainte-Croix ★ 4.3

Crêperie€€BouffayMon-Fri 11:45-14:15 and 19:00-22:15; Sat 11:45-22:30; Sun 11:45-21:45

Trading since 1948 beside the Sainte-Croix belfry, this crêperie spreads over three floors and fills its galettes with scallops and smoked trout.

Signature: Scallop galette, Smoked trout galette, Truffle ham galette

Tip: The chef's galette comes in a meat-free version with Espelette butter and six-month Ossau-Iraty, and the cider list runs to Fouesnant bottles.

11 Rue Sainte-Croix, 44000 Nantes

Crêperie Heb Ken ★ 4.4

Crêperie€GraslinMon-Fri 11:45-22:45; Sat 11:45-23:00; closed Sun

Running since 1976 and rebuilt for its fortieth birthday, Heb Ken grinds through galettes at lunch and turns into a tea room every afternoon.

Signature: Buckwheat galettes, Salted butter caramel crêpes, Gâteau nantais

Tip: No reservations are taken, so the queue outside at 12:30 is normal; the homemade chocolate spread crêpe is the one regulars order.

5 Rue de Guérande, 44000 Nantes

La Crêperie du Bouffay ★ 3.9

Crêperie€BouffayMon-Fri 11:30-14:30 and 18:30-22:30; Sat 11:30-23:00; Sun 11:30-22:00

One of the older galette houses on the pedestrian lanes of Bouffay, generous plates of buckwheat with artisan ciders and a small street terrace.

Signature: Buckwheat galettes, Sweet crêpes, Artisan cider

Tip: It serves seven days a week, which in this quarter is rarer than it sounds; Sunday evening is the calmest sitting.

15 Rue des Petites Écuries, 44000 Nantes

Barapom Bouffay ★ 4.3

French regional€BouffayTue-Thu 11:00-15:00, 18:00-22:00; Fri-Sat 11:00-22:15; Sun 11:00-19:00; closed Mon

Barapom griddles Breton galettes and crêpes on Rue de la Juiverie in Nantes, with a galette du jour and a crêpe du jour chalked up beside the card.

Try: Breton galettes and crêpes

Tip: The Bouffay branch runs a split service midweek and stays open straight through on Friday and Saturday until 22:15; Monday is the closed day.

17 Rue de la Juiverie, 44000 Nantes

Ker Breizh ★ 4.4

Crêperie€GraslinTue-Thu 12:00-14:00 and 19:00-21:30; Fri-Sat 12:00-14:00 and 19:00-22:00; closed Sun-Mon

The €8 midday formule at Ker Breizh buys a savoury galette, a sweet crêpe and cider or coffee, on organic Breton flour and Vendée free-range eggs.

Signature: €8 lunch formule, Scallop galette, Salted butter caramel crêpe

Tip: Reserve even at lunch, the room is small and fills; the house cider is made for them near Quimper under the Grain de Pomme label.

11 Rue de l'Héronnière, 44000 Nantes

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Galette de sarrasin in Rennes

Crêperie La Saint-Georges ★ 4.4

Crêperie€€CentreTue-Thu 12:00-14:00, 19:00-22:00; Fri-Sat 12:00-14:00, 19:00-23:00

Crêperie La Saint-Georges on Rue du Chapitre in Rennes names its 35 galettes after famous Georges, a design-led room in the half-timbered old town.

Signature: Galettes named after famous Georges

Order: One of the 35 galettes named for a famous Georges; pick your Georges

11 Rue du Chapitre, 35000 Rennes Book →

Bretone ★ 4.4

Crêperie€€ColombierDaily 11:00-23:00; kitchen 12:00-14:00, 19:00-21:30

Bretone serves buckwheat galettes in the mosaic-tiled former home of the Odorico family in Rennes, a Fooding-listed crêperie with a pastel rooftop patio.

Signature: Galette complète, Guémené andouille galette

Order: The grilled Guémené andouille galette with caramelised onions

7 Rue Joseph Sauveur, 35000 Rennes

Crêperie Ouzh Taol ★ 4.1

Crêperie€€ThaborMon-Sat 12:00-14:00, 19:00-21:30

Ouzh Taol, Breton for at the table, folds burger-galettes and classic buckwheat rounds in a small room on Rue Saint-Melaine in Rennes, best booked ahead.

Signature: Burger-galettes

Order: The burger-galette, the house's cross of two comfort foods

27 Rue Saint-Melaine, 35000 Rennes

Crêperie Sarrasin ★ 4.3

Crêperie€€CentreTue-Sat 12:00-14:00, 19:00-22:00

Crêperie Sarrasin faces the Halles Centrales in Rennes with galettes rolled from 100 percent IGP Breton buckwheat and largely organic French ingredients.

Signature: IGP Bretagne buckwheat galettes

Order: A savoury galette in 100 percent IGP Breton buckwheat, naturally gluten free

17 Rue Jules Simon, 35000 Rennes Book →

Crêperie du Pont-Levis ★ 4.2

Crêperie€€Les LicesTue-Sun 12:00-14:00, 19:00-22:30

Crêperie du Pont-Levis faces the 15th-century Portes Mordelaises in Rennes, IGP Breton buckwheat galettes at the oldest crêperie address in the city.

Signature: IGP buckwheat galettes by the ramparts

Order: A 100 percent Breton IGP buckwheat galette facing the medieval gates

6 Rue des Portes Mordelaises, 35000 Rennes

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