Galette des Rois
Puff pastry, frangipane — advanced (feuilletage inversé) and quick versions
Frangipane (advanced, for 4 galettes)
- 275 g butter, softened
- 275 g icing sugar
- 190 g blanched almond powder
- 150 g grey almond powder
- 40 g cornstarch (poudre à crème)
- 165 g eggs
- 40 g rum
Crème pâtissière (for frangipane)
- 160 g milk
- 40 g egg yolks
- 40 g sugar
- ½ vanilla pod
- 15 g cornstarch
Quick version (1 galette)
- 2 rounds puff pastry (shop-bought)
- 150 g almond powder
- 125 g sugar
- 60 g butter, softened
- 2 eggs (+ 1 for egg wash)
- 1 fève (charm)
- vanilla and rum (optional)
The galette des Rois is all about contrast: flaky pastry and a rich, dense almond cream. The advanced version uses a homemade feuilletage inversé (inverted puff pastry) which gives a more even, buttery lamination. The quick version with shop-bought pâte feuilletée is genuinely good and takes a fraction of the time.
Method
Frangipane (crème d'amande + pastry cream)
- Make the small pastry cream: bring milk to boil with vanilla, whisk yolks with sugar and starch, temper, cook until thickened. Cover and cool completely.
- Cream butter with icing sugar and almond powders until combined — do not whip. Add eggs gradually. Add rum. Fold in the cold pastry cream.
- The frangipane should be smooth and pipeable. Rest in the fridge if too soft.
The addition of pastry cream to crème d'amande is what makes it a frangipane — it lightens the texture and reduces richness slightly.
Assembly
- Roll puff pastry to ~2mm. Cut two 22cm circles (or squares for the rustic version).
- Place the first circle on lined parchment. Brush a 2cm border with water (no egg wash — it blocks the lamination from opening).
- Pipe or spread frangipane within the border, leaving a clean 2cm edge. Hide the fève in the cream, away from the centre.
- Place the second pastry circle on top. Press the edges firmly to seal — crimp with your fingers or a fork. Refrigerate 30 min.
- Brush with egg wash (yolk only). Score a pattern on the surface with a knife — chevrons, spirals, or a rosette. Do not cut through the pastry. Pierce a small hole in the centre to vent.
Bake
- Bake at 170°C (convection) for 40 min until deeply golden. Check the underside — it should be golden, not pale.
- Optional: brush with a light syrup immediately on exit from the oven for gloss.
- Serve warm or at room temperature. The frangipane firms as it cools.
Quick version: same assembly and bake, but 30–40 min at 180°C.
Background
The seal at the edge is critical. If it opens during baking, the filling leaks out and the galette is flat and greasy on the outside. Pressing firmly and chilling before baking (so the pastry is cold when it goes in the oven) is the best insurance. Some bakers crimp and freeze for 20 min before baking.
The feuilletage inversé (inverted puff pastry) uses a beurre manié — butter mixed with a small amount of flour — as the block that encases the détrempe, rather than the other way around. This gives a more even distribution of layers and a crisper, less bready result. It is harder to make but noticeably better for a galette where the pastry is the star.
Water on the edge, not egg wash. Egg wash on the cut edge acts as glue but also creates a seal that blocks the lamination from opening. Brushing the cut edge with egg causes the layers to fuse and prevents proper puffing at the rim.
Mistakes I've Made
- Edge not sealed properly. Frangipane leaks out and burns on the tray. Press the seal firmly and refrigerate before baking.
- Too much frangipane. The filling expands and pushes the edge seal open. Leave generous clearance from the edge.
- Egg wash on the rim. The layers fuse and don't open — flat, cakey edges. Water on the rim only.
- Not scoring deeply enough. The pattern disappears during baking. Score firmly but without cutting through.
- Forgetting the fève. Not technically a mistake — but memorable for the wrong reasons at the table.
Sources
- Galette des Rois —
- Galette des Rois 2023 —