COOK YOUR BUCKWHEAT CREPES LIKE A PRO

This is it! You bought some good buckwheat flour, made your buckwheat batter following my great recipe and let it rest for a few hours because you know that it is an essential part of the process.
So ready to get behind the stove?

WHAT IS A TRADITIONAL BRETON GALETTE?

Definition

In my opinion, it is a very crispy, honey-coloured galette cooked in semi-salted butter, with lace-like holes.

The filling is a secondary issue: for connoisseurs the verdict can be made immediately on tasting the galette, torn with the fingers, the moment it leaves the griddle.

As with the wheat crepe, semi-salted butter is not an option but an integral part of the cooking process. And whatever the filling.

How to spot at a glance a non-traditional galette?

  • 1/ Cooking without semi-salted butter
    You need butter, lots of it! Adding a little brush stroke of butter just before serving is a complete NO NO!
  • 2/ A cook who turns the spreader more than once to spread the batter
    At 230/250° C (450/500°F) the buckwheat dough cooks immediately. If it takes longer, it means that the batter has been cut with wheat flour, or that the griddle is not hot enough to crisp the crepe.
  • 3/ A cooking process that does not give off much smoke
    25g (1.7 tbsp) of butter at 230/250° C (450/500°F) is anything but discreet. This is the only way to get it to crisp properly…
  • 4/ A crepe without cells and/or grey in colour
    Redhibitory: either the batter has not rested or the griddle was too cold. To be avoided. It's lace or nothing!

Well, the objectives are set...
Now let's see if you can do it as well!

PREPARING THE COOKING PROCESS

The following is only valid for cooking with a professional crepe maker (electric or gas) with a cast iron plate. The steps are as follows:

  • 1/ Wash your hands and put on the apron,
  • 2/ Cover a table with aluminium foil so as to make the after-cooking cleaning easier,
  • 3/ Install the crepe maker and steady it with a cardboard wedge if necessary so the griddle stands in a perfectly horizontal position,
  • 4/ Arrange in the shape of a cross the following elements (for right-handed person):
    - top left-hand corner: the large batter bowl with a ladle inside,
    - top right-hand corner: the container in which the spreader is dipped in cold water,
    - bottom right-hand corner: the greasing pad in a small plate with a yoke and some sunflower oil. This mixture avoids any sticking of the batter to the crepe machine.
    - bottom left-hand corner: slightly salted butter on a small plate, a silicon brush and a knife.
  • 5/ Plug in the crepe machine and set it on 230/250° C (450/500°F),
  • 6/ Control the dilution of the batter, as it has thickened during resting time,
    I generally add 20cl (0.8 cup) of water based on my galette batter recipe.

THE COOKING

The steps are as follows:

  • 1/ Wipe the griddle with the grease pad. Apply a medium layer of grease (lardiguel), an egg yolk is welcome addition,
  • 2/ Grasp the spreader between your thumb, index and middle fingers,
  • 3/ At 10 o'clock, pour a ladle full of buckwheat batter and immediately put the ladle back into the bowl. The batter starts to boil,
  • 4/ Spread the batter out as quickly as possible, making 3 rounds until 4 o’clock. When you reach this position your elbow will be blocked by your chest. Swivel 90 degrees to the left and resume the movement without delay to finish the disc of batter in one go.
    Be sure to read my other tips on this step at the bottom of the page.
    Tirez la pâte le plus rapidement possible en faisant 3 arrondis jusqu'à 16h. Arrivé dans
  • 5/ Melt three good knobs of butter (about 25g / 1.7 tbsp) all over the surface of the crepe and stroke them with the silicon brush. Pay particular attention to the edges of the crepe, where the batter is thinnest (and therefore crisp at the end of the baking process). The butter will go through the crepe and slip between the griddle and the batter: exactly what we want!
  • 6/ Garnish. For example, for one of the most popular galettes: break an egg, then add some Emmental cheese and ham. Season with pepper.
  • 7/ After about 90 seconds, check that the filling is cooked and that the crepe is coloured,
  • 8/ If the crepe is cooked, fold it in half, then in half again, ie.in four 😉
  • 9/ Serve the galette on a plate, taking it by its tip with the spatula,
  • 10/ That's it, kisses, welcome to the heroes!

Some advice for step 4 of the cooking process

Don't hesitate to lower the temperature to 200° C (400°F) for a while to practice turning the batter. This is the most difficult step!

In contrast to wheat flour batter and depending on the degree of dilution, you may have to press the spreader down a little to spread out the batter.

With a ladle you may not be able to cover the entire griddle with batter. We know, this is normal! Above all, resist the temptation to add more batter because it will block the cells that have formed as a result of the sudden evaporation of water. The fillings will cover these areas.

Do not try to make a perfectly round crepe. It doesn't exist!
I will explain my folding tricks that (almost) make any crepe look pretty!