Buckwheat Galettes

A woman at the market in Cancale sold galettes off a hotplate the size of a dustbin lid, folding each one into a neat envelope with a flick of a little wooden rake. I watched her for an embarrassingly long time, bought two, then went back to the van determined to get close to it. This is close. Hers were better.

Why buckwheat

Buckwheat isn’t wheat at all (it’s a seed), so these are naturally gluten-free, and the flour gives them that earthy, almost nutty flavour that a plain crêpe never has. The batter could not be simpler, and once the pan’s hot you can turn them out one after another. It’s the kind of cooking the galley was made for.

Method

1. Whisk the flour, water, egg and salt into a smooth batter. Let it rest for an hour if you can, longer is better. In Brittany they rest it overnight.
2. Get the pan properly hot, wipe it with a little oil, and ladle in just enough batter to coat the base thinly. Swirl it out to the edges.
3. When the edges lift and go lacy and the underside is freckled brown, add your filling to the middle.
4. Fold the four sides in to make a square that frames the filling, slide onto a plate, and eat it hot before the next one’s ready.