These simple and delicious ham and cheese galettes are far too tasty to save for Pancake Day! They are based on the French ‘Galette’ which is a thin pancake, and use buckwheat flour in the batter. Whilst you can make them with solely buckwheat flour, I use half wheat flour and half buckwheat as I felt it would be more toddler friendly. Buckwheat flour, if you haven’t tasted it before, tastes quite strong, but mixed with other flour as done here, it adds a lovely savoury, slightly nutty note, to the pancake batter.
This galette batter also uses more water than milk, as I find this produces less rich galettes, which I prefer in savoury pancakes.
Filled with shredded spinach, ham and cheese, they are perfect for lunch, supper, or brunch; and the plates are licked clean in our house! To suit your diet, just leave out the ham (or spinach if you must, but it’s a great excuse to get the kids eating it!), I don’t think they would be the same without the cheese however.
The batter can be made ahead of time, even the night before. Some people say you have to let it rest, others say you don’t. I personally try to leave it 30 minutes at least, I don’t know if it makes that much difference though!
Ham and Cheese Galettes
Ingredients
100g (3/4c) buckwheat flour
100g (3/4c) plain flour
1 large egg, beaten
175ml (3/4c) cold water, plus 2-3 tbsp extra, if needed
125ml (1/2c) milk
Filling
3-4 slices (depending on size) cooked ham, shredded
handful baby spinach, finely shredded
125g (1c) cheddar cheese, grated
1-2 tbsp olive oil, to fry pancakes
Method
To make the pancake batter, mix the two flours together in a mixing bowl. Add the beaten egg, then the water and milk. Whisk to a smooth batter. It should be the consistency of runny/heavy cream - if it isn't, add a tbsp or 2 of water.
Cover and leave in fridge for a couple of hours, or overnight. I found it thickened slightly in the fridge, so if yours is like mine, add a tbsp water to thin slightly.
Heat a non stick frying pan over a medium heat add add a tsp oil. Spoon 2 tbsp batter into the pan, swirling it slightly. Fry for a couple of minutes, until the top is mostly set, then flip over.
As soon as you flip the galette over, sprinkle with some ham, then a little spinach and then some cheese. Leave 30 seconds or so, then fold two opposite edges over to meet in the middle. Press them slightly with the spatula to make them stay. Cook another minute or so more, until the cheese is melted and the bottom of the galette is golden, then remove to a plate and cover to keep warm whilst you make the rest of the galettes.
Repeat the steps, until all the batter and filling has been used.
Eat the ham and cheese galettes straight away.
These look great and are pretty simple. Might try them on the toddler during the week
Thanks Gavin! They are super simple – and my toddler devoured it even though he’s not so keen on ham!
My new favourite! I love this combination, and it is the ideal weekend treat.
Thankyou Alexandra! It’s a favourite of mine too!
These sound really good, and I bet the filling possibilities could be endless!
Totally! Ham, mushroom and cheese or spinach and cheese spring to mind, but will definitely be experimenting with other fillings!