A galette is a type of French pastry made with a rich, flaky crust, and traditionally served at Epiphany, on the 6th day of January. Many bakeries also offer galettes year round, in both savory and sweet incarnations. In general, a galette is rounded and flat, and it tends to be very crusty because of the type of pastry used to make it. A galette can be made at home with minimal effort.

The term is also used in some parts of France to refer specifically to crepes made with buckwheat. In other countries, pastries made with more dense doughs are sometimes found labeled as galettes. Technically this designation is incorrect, especially if the pastry is left open on top, as is common. However, the resemblance to the original galette can be seen. In most cases, a galette is too large for a single person to eat, and is designed to be sliced and served to individual guests.

Depending on the region and the chef, a galette may be made plain, but it is more usually filled with something. The traditional sweet filling includes almond paste mixed with eggs and slivers of orange peel. This filling is often used for an Epiphany galette, to which the cook also adds a small feve, or charm. The Epiphany galette is known in French as the galette des rois, or “King Cake,” and the consumer who gets the slice with the charm is crowned the king or queen.

Savory fillings and garnishes are also not unusual. Meats such as ham and sausage are sometimes used in galettes, as are apple slices, cheese like Gruyere, and egg. Sometimes the filling is baked into the galette, and at other times the supplemental ingredient is placed on top. When ingredients such as cheese are placed on top of a galette, the dish is usually toasted, so that the cheese will melt onto the galette.

To make a traditional galette at home, you can make puff pastry or purchase it frozen at the market. Grease a cooking pan and lay out a circle of puff pastry. Make a mixture of almond paste, eggs, and orange zest, and spread it in the middle of the pastry, stopping about two inches (5 centimeters) short of the edges. If you intend to include a feve, add it before layering another sheet of puff pastry on top and crimping the edges. Decorations can be made on top of the galette by slashing with a knife or making puff pastry shapes and pasting them on with egg before baking at 400 degrees Fahrenheit (204 degrees Celsius) until golden brown and puffy. Be careful checking the pastry and opening the oven, as the pastry can collapse.