Guide
Savoury pancakes, the French way
The French savoury pancake is called a galette: made from buckwheat flour, gluten-free, and filled with ham, cheese, egg or salmon.
While Slovak savoury pancakes usually mean wheat batter with meat and cheese, the French use buckwheat for anything savoury. The result is lighter, crisper — and incidentally gluten-free. Here is how to do it at home.
The batter: buckwheat, water, salt
The base of a French savoury pancake is the simplest batter in the world: buckwheat flour, water and salt, rested overnight. No extra eggs, no raising. Exact quantities are in our buckwheat galette batter recipe.
The classic fillings
La Complète — ham, cheese, egg — is the gold standard. Then cheese with mushrooms and cream, spinach with goat cheese, smoked salmon with crème fraîche. The rule is restraint: two or three ingredients, never an overstuffed pocket. The filling goes on the cooked side and the galette is folded into a square.
Why buckwheat, not wheat
Buckwheat has a fuller, nutty flavour that suits savoury fillings better than neutral wheat. The edges crisp up while the centre stays supple. And since buckwheat has no gluten, these savoury pancakes work for coeliacs too.
The batter recipe is in our Buckwheat galette batter article; the cooking technique in How to make a perfect crêpe.
Frequently asked
- Which flour for savoury pancakes?
- The French way: buckwheat — fuller flavour, crisp edges, gluten-free. Wheat batter works too, but the result is heavier.
- What is the difference between a savoury pancake and a galette?
- A galette IS a savoury pancake — the Breton version, buckwheat-based, folded into a square with an open centre. The Slovak savoury pancake tends to be wheat and rolled.
- Where can I try French savoury pancakes in Bratislava?
- At Saint Paul in Fresh Market — we cook galettes from 100% buckwheat on a cast-iron griddle, the Breton way. Lunch menus from €9.90.
Rather taste than cook?
We cook galettes and crêpes and pour cider every day at Fresh Market.