My Favorite Crepe from France (feat. @Alex)

I’m not a big sweets guy, so I was never a fan of crepes with syrups, nutella or fruit. Because of that I never wanted to make them at home. That all changed when I came to France and discovered what the French people call a galette, a crispy buckwheat crepe served with savory toppings.

📚 Videos & Sources mentioned:

USEFUL KITCHEN GEAR

⏱ TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 Intro
0:30 What are Galettes?
1:26 Why is buckwheat flour used?
3:51 Galette History
5:25 Variable 1: Batter Type
9:30 Variable 2: Form Factor
11:30 The Thickness Problem
13:03 Galette Recipe

MISC. DETAILS
Music: Provided by Epidemic Sound
Filmed on: Sony a6600 & Sony A7C
Voice recorded on Shure MV7
Edited in: Premiere Pro

Affiliate Disclosure:

[Mechanixeu]

My mother is a professional Breton crêpe maker, and according to her, the issue you had with the "low hydration" dough is that it's not actually a dough; it's what's called a "pâton, " or a "pre-dough." In essence, it's the way the dough is made for *storage* in the shop; it's taken out and diluted with water to reach the desired hydration shortly before cooking. I believe the reason is space-efficiency.

Thank you for making this video, I think it'll be very helpful for American friends to give them a broader look at French crepes, and especially the all-important savory galette! I eat far more of those than sweet crepes these days, lmao.

[Jaywifh]

So honestly, I want more of these. This format, (The history, the differences between what we understand a galette to be, the guest, trial and error etc..). It amazing. Not to mention that I loved the editing, of course your narration, as well as the music chosen.

Honestly, I want more and more of these. Well done Sir!

[StyleRockLife]

Hey Ethan. I am french subscriber. When speaking about "crepe" it means made of wheat flour, when "galette" is made out of buckwheat. It is mainly like this in Brittany. But in the rest of the country, people usually speak about "crêpe salée" or "salted crepe" to refer to galette sarrasin (it's a common confusion, and Brittany people hate that point and they go completely crazy when they hear this out). Hope you enjoy your seat here! Keep going mate 🔥

[gagamba]

Though nearly an 18-minute video, the pace of it breezed by in what felt to be half the time. Informative, interesting, and fun. Surprise guest. Much enjoyment. Thanks.

[vchalmel]

Trigger warning for Normands... Opening sequence about Brittany with an aerial shot of Mont Saint Michel... just perfect XD

[BariTone-vr]

The Crêperie is probably the most fun casual way to enjoy food in France, along with a Brasserie or Café. The cider, the communal tables, the reasonable prices and excellent food make it very cozy. So glad you and Alex connected.

[Aservy]

Swirling tip: get the pan hotter than cooking temperature, take it in one hand and pour a ladle of batter in; then swirl the pan around in the air to spread the batter evenly in the pan, and only then set it back on (medium) fire. The first couple of crepes/galettes will help you size up how much batter you want to use for your pan size. Also, fire is definitely superior to induction/electric for crepes/galettes.
Batter is normally only salt + black flour + water; adding an egg will give some more colours, replacing a little of the black flour for normal flour will make it a little more elastic and less likely to break (will be easier to cook). Replacing a little of the water for some milk will make it more hearty, but the strong flavour of the black flour will be lessened.

edit: the wooden tool is mostly unnecessary when cooking in a pan tbh, it's very useful for a billig. Pan swirling technique is all your need.

[sergelemay]

Regarding authenticity: as a French Canadian with Bretagne roots, I grew up eating galette de sarasin as a child in North America as something a bit special while growing up. It was passed on through family rather than through the supermarket. So this video resonated quite nicely. Thank you for making and sharing it.

[NataliaElle]

I love your passion for galettes. I recently came across a French style cafe in Tokyo where I live and it was probably my second time to have a galette and now I’m so obsessed. I can eat that every day for the rest of my life.

[cyriod]

I am so grateful that you share to the world the Art of Galette making ! Im from Britanny myself, I make these to myself so often that im genuinelly surprised when people know a little about crêpes but nothing about galettes !
You did an amazing job showing them off Ethan ! Thank you

[matthinkampcooks]

I appreciate how science-y this channel has been for quite some time now, but it seems it’s somehow gone deeper and deeper recently without sacrificing the simplicity of your explanations and making it easy to understand for someone who may not know a single fact about what you’re talking about. It’s a balance that you’ve nailed and I’ve definitely taken many notes for my own content creation style. We appreciate you Ethan ✊

[Blegueni]

I don't know your channel since a long time, but when I learn that you live now in Paris, I thought "man, he must do a collab with Alex" and there it is!
As a Breton, I'm very proud to see our dish featured in your video!
I'm usually making galettes almost every other week.
My personal recipe :
330g of buckwheat flour (a third of a 1kg bag)
750g of water
1 egg
Salt
Pepper
And my favorite ingredients is ham, grated emmental and homemade red onion jam.
You can also make sweet galettes, the mix is amazing, like salted butter caramel with apples.
And if you have some galettes leftovers (I agree it's rare), you can transform them into galette crisps by cutting them in small squares, rubbing them in oil and salt, cook them on a sheet in the oven at 240°C.
The crunchiness is amazing and the taste too.
(If you're lazy, you can find some at the supermarket 😄)
And yes, I agree with you, the Mont Saint Michel is Breton, Normandy has stolen it from us!

[thebutcher]

Man, I commend you for this in-depth work on the "galette Bretonne". You really do justice to this simple, humble and delicious staple of the culinary tradition of Brittany.
I used to live in Rennes (now in Australia...) and I can tell you that your close-ups made me nostalgic of the legendary "galette-saucisse" that you get while buying your groceries at the local market.
Love your videos. Great work!

[flutechannel]

All is well in the world now. Ethan + Alex need a travel food show stat!

[marcegger]

Just a fun fact. There is indeed a connection between Brittany and Britain, with Brittany being a region settled by Brythonic Celtic peoples (like the welsh) in France and thus inheriting the name the land of the Britons! You can still today hear Breton being spoken in this region. Great video Ethan!

[Raykkie]

Some tips for a low-hydration galette!
-Let it rest at least 1h
-Whip it hard before use, it's better when aerated
-Use at Billig at 220-240°C (425-465°F)
-Make sure that Billig is well oiled and clean

[mdbizzarri]

Fascinating! I love your new format of going someplace and finding "normal" dishes that the world should know. This looks like a great work from home lunch option.

[pierre-louislamaze]

Clearly one of your best videos thus far ! I really like the structure, it feels like an essay which i really enjoy ! It reminds me of some of the videos My name is Andong, Adam Ragusea or Alex make, with all the science/history in the beginning and the experimentation after, of course with your style. I love the added length, i feel like 2 parts would be a bit less appealing tho.
Overall, I really liked the production ! Oh and and of course I have to recomend you go try some real "Aligot" here in France ! It maybe one of the least reproducable dish outside of france since Fresh Tome is really (really) hard to come by, especially in the US. It goes super well with an Andouillette tho i undestand this sausages aren't to everyone's taste haha !

[thebitterfig]

So I've got to bring up another buckwheat pancake - French Acadian Ployes. Found in eastern Canada and northern Maine, originating among folks of French heritage, it's made typically of about a 50/50 blend of buckwheat and wheat flours, and cooked only on one side, often in an ungreased skillet or on the top of a wood stove. The "top" gets all bubbly, almost like a small Injera. They'll be served buttered, perhaps with maple syrup or brown sugar, or perhaps with cretons, a long-simmered and cooked down spread made of pork and onions and spices.

[ReaO]

I wasn’t expecting a history component in this video but much enjoyed! Edit: I liked this video style. A lot going on, but it’s all cones together nicely. The switches kept my attention. I prefer one longer video than pt1&2