Buckwheat Galette with Ham and Cheese {gluten-free}

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Buckwheat Galette with Ham and Cheese is a wonderful savoury pancake recipe which is naturally gluten free. These nutty buckwheat pancakes are incredibly versatile so you can enjoy them with your favourite filling. Here we make them with a drizzle of maple syrup and stuff them with deliciously melty cheese and tasty ham.

this recipe

Jump to:

• What is a buckwheat galette?
• What is the difference between a crepe and a galette?
• Are buckwheat galettes gluten free?
• Why you’ll love this savoury buckwheat galette recipe
• Watch the video to see how to make them
• Ingredients needed
• Do you need a special pancake pan to cook galettes with?
• What is the best cheese for your galette?
• Step-by-step instructions
• Shop the recipe
• Tips for making buckwheat galettes
• What to serve with your buckwheat galette
• How to make ahead
• How to re-heat
• How to make them dairy-free
• Filling variations
• More pancake recipes you’ll love:
• What else can you do with buckwheat flour?
• Buckwheat Galette with Ham and Cheese {gluten-free}

When I worked on the market stall I had quite an affinity with our crepe van as along with your usual crepes with nutella or lemon sugar they also sold the most incredible Buckwheat Galettes. They would cook them in front of you with all manner of fillings from spinach and egg to mushroom and tomato. Watching them scrape that ultra thin and lacy batter around the billig was hypnotic and I would get my lunch fix there weekly. My favourite filling, which I never wavered from, was without doubt Ham and Cheese.

Melty nutty cheese paired with wafer thin salty ham encased in a sweetly earthy buckwheat pancake is the perfect combination.

If you are looking to up your brunch game or you are craving a gluten-free pancake recipe for pancake day then these savoury galettes are totally irresistible and very easy to make.

What is a buckwheat galette?

They are a traditional French style of savoury pancake made from buckwheat flour.

READ MORE >>> Ultimate Guide to Buckwheat Flour

What is the difference between a crepe and a galette?

A crepe is usually made with wheat flour and galettes are made with buckwheat flour.

Are buckwheat galettes gluten free?

Buckwheat flour is gluten-free so if your galette is made solely from buckwheat flour then yes it is gluten-free. However, in order to make the buckwheat flour go a little further or to stabilise the recipe some chefs are known to add a little bit of wheat flour to the batter. It’s not necessary at all, the traditional recipe is completely gluten-free, as is the recipe I include below.

Why you’ll love this savoury buckwheat galette recipe

• I’m going to say straight away that you will adore these galettes as they have a really special ingredient in the batter that takes them to another level – maple syrup!
• The maple syrup gives a delicious sweetness and depth and really brings out the flavour of the cheese. The taste is incredible.
• The galettes are very easy to make – the batter takes a minute to whisk up, no more, and they cook very quickly in the skillet.
• This recipe produces foolproof beautifully light lacy pancakes which are crisp and golden.
• Melty cheese and salty ham are the perfect combination to match with the earthy savouriness of the buckwheat pancakes.
• All of the above plus they are naturally gluten-free to boot!

Watch the video to see how to make them

Ingredients needed

• Buckwheat flour
• Egg, medium (about 60g with shell)
• Whole milk
• Maple syrup
• Salt
• Plus ham and cheese for the filling!
• 

Do you need a special pancake pan to cook galettes with?

If you have ever eaten galettes made properly on a billig, which is one of those traditional crepe makers you see being manned at food markets, you know them to be wafer thin, light, lacy and crisp. However, making them homestyle in a cast iron skillet pan can give you almost the same results (although successfully cooking your batter that thin is a definite skill!) and means you can get your buckwheat galette fix whenever you need it without any fancy equipment.

What is the best cheese for your galette?

Gruyère is a great choice for the cheese in this recipe because it melts so well and gives a lovely strong nutty taste.

However, a lovely mature cheddar works equally well.

Step-by-step instructions

For full recipe instructions go to the recipe card at the end of this post.

The steps are simple:

1. Whisk buckwheat flour, salt, egg and half the milk in a medium sized mixing bowl until it forms a paste. Then pour in the rest of the milk and the maple syrup and whisk well to form a smooth batter.
2. Heat the butter in a cast iron skillet pan on a medium-high heat until the butter has melted.
3. Pour 80ml batter into pan, tipping it all around so that the batter thinly covers the bottom.
4. Cook for about 3-4 minutes until the bottom of the galette is getting golden and crisp, then sprinkle over the cheese and torn ham.
5. Fold the galette in half, and then half again. Remove from the pan and set aside to rest on a warm plate (or in a very low oven) whilst you prepare the rest of the galettes.

Shop the recipe

Buckwheat Flour

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Cast Iron Skillet

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Turner/Pancake Flipper

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Tips for making buckwheat galettes

• Set up a production line. Once you’ve made the batter assemble the rest of the ingredients around your stove so that once you begin making the galettes it will be a quick and easy process.
• Pre-weigh your ingredients – you will use 30g of cheese for each galette, weigh out this amount for all six galettes beforehand to make the cooking more streamlined.
• Use a cup measure – one of the few times you will see me using a cup measure. It’s very easy to scoop out your batter into the skillet using the ⅓ cup measure as it will give you the right amount for each galette.
• Swirl the batter. As soon as you have poured the batter in lift up the pan and swirl the batter around the pan into a lovely even layer. This is how you will get it ultra thin with beautifully crisp edges.
• Pat dry – use kitchen paper to pat dry your finished galettes to remove any excess grease.

What to serve with your buckwheat galette

You really don’t need anything to serve it with but add a lovely green salad and you’ve got a more balanced light lunch.

However, you can really push the boat out if you want galettes for your dinner and serve with French fries.

How to make ahead

Making your Gluten-Free Buckwheat Galettes ahead of time is a great idea as they re-heat admirably. Make up all your galettes with the ham and cheese filling then store in an airtight container with baking parchment between each galette to stop them sticking together. They keep well in the fridge for up to 3 days.

How to re-heat

To re-heat your Savoury Buckwheat Galette heat a cast iron skillet with a touch of melted butter until medium hot. Place your folded galettes into the pan and re-heat for 2-3 minutes on each side until they are crisp on the outside and the cheese has re-melted.

How to make them dairy-free

You just need to swap out the whole milk for a non-dairy milk of your choice and use coconut oil instead of butter for greasing the pan. Don’t include the cheese in your filling either – if you break an egg into your buckwheat galette instead then this is a great non-dairy filling along with your ham.

Filling variations

• Ham, spinach and egg
• Chicken and cheese
• Roasted butternut squash, spinach and cheese
• Smoked salmon and cream cheese
• Mushroom, cheese and tomato
• Feta and sweetcorn

More pancake recipes you’ll love:

• Best Gluten-Free Pancakes - these are English style pancakes - like the British version of crepes
• Pumpkin Pancakes with Almond Maple Syrup
• Gluten-Free American Pancakes
• Smoked Salmon on Potato Pancakes with whipped cream cheese
• Banana and Walnut Pancakes

What else can you do with buckwheat flour?

If you are just buying buckwheat flour especially to make these galettes and are left with half a bag then not to worry, here are a few recipes you might like to try it in:

Pastry - Absolutely delicious in pastry, you can sub out some of your regular flour. Try it in this Stilton Quiche with Chestnut and Cranberry

Cakes - Buckwheat Friands, Coffee and Walnut Tres Leches, Christmas Cake, Apple and Cinnamon Cake

I urge you to give this Buckwheat Galette recipe a try. If you do then please leave a comment below and give the recipe a rating which helps others find the recipe on Google. If you then go on to use this recipe as a launch pad for your own culinary creation then I’d also love it if you’d share it and tag me on Instagram. It is so lovely for me to see your versions and variations of my recipes.

This recipe was originally published in February 2018 and called Maple Galette with Wiltshire Ham and Gruyere. It was updated in February 2021 with more tips, clearer instructions and process images. The actual recipe remains exactly the same.