Why it works
- Roasting almond flour increases its nutritional value.
- Freezing the assembled pastry before baking keeps the butter as cold as possible, resulting in crispier puff pastry.
- Baking the pastry at a higher temperature (425ºF/205ºC) allows the butter to melt faster, creating small pockets of steam that set into flaky layers.
- Finishing the bake at 350ºF (175ºC) allows the pastry to finish cooking without browning too much.
Many years ago, I was a young pastry cook working the early morning shift when a fellow baker offered me a slice of galette des rois—the French king’s cake—to enjoy with a cup of coffee. . A layer of almond cream flavored with rum was generously sandwiched between two layers of crisp, golden puff pastry, and as is traditionally done in France, the baker added a small bean, nut, or had taken away the charm of porcelain. Filling In northern France, families gather together on January 6 for Epiphany to enjoy galette des rois, the meeting of the three wise men, or three kings, with the baby Jesus.
“According to tradition,” writes journalist Ajesh Patale. Financial Times“The youngest and most innocent in the room (not always the same thing) climbs under the table and chooses who will get each piece.” Whoever receives the little trinket is king for the day. In southern France, the tradition is slightly different: bakers prepare a gateau des rois with a brioche-like dough, then top it with pearl sugar and candied fruit. (In French, galette refers to a round, flat pastry, while gateau usually refers to a raised cake.) Gateau is a colorful, tart dish eaten in New Orleans and throughout southern Louisiana from Epiphany through the end of Carnival season. Very close to a sugar-scented confection. On Mardi Gras.
Although the origins of the galette des rois are elusive, the pastry reportedly has its roots in the ancient Roman festival of Saturnalia. “Saturnalia was an occasion when many social hierarchies were destroyed; in particular, enslaved people were granted temporary freedom and invited to share cake with their slaves,” Encyclopedia Britannica Note “A fictitious king, known as Saturnalicius princepswas named for the festival, usually by hiding a fava bean or coin inside the cake. During the Middle Ages, people began preparing cakes for Epiphany, a tradition that continues to this day.
Many French families choose to buy their galette des rois, but if you don’t live in France or near a French bakery, you’ll have to make your own. Fortunately, it’s not difficult to prepare: all you need is some almond cream, which comes together quickly with the help of an electric mixer, and some store-bought puff pastry. Here’s how
How to Make Galette des Rois: Key Techniques
Make a delicious almond cream. Because galette des rois is so easy and the flavor comes from just two ingredients—almond cream and puff pastry—it’s worth taking the time to make a really delicious almond cream. Here, I use my collaborator. Zola Gregory.Of Almond creamwhich gets its bold flavor from a mixture of toasted almond flour and almond extract, vanilla extract, and brandy or rum. (You may see this type of almond cream in other recipes called “frangipane,” but frangipane is technically a combination of almond cream and pastry cream.)
Use all-butter puff pastry. Making your own puff pastry from scratch is commendable, but there are good store-bought options that will do the trick. Just be sure that puff pastry made with butter, which will taste richer and sweeter than dough made with soybean, canola or other neutral oils. Dufour is an all-butter puff pastry brand that we love, and it’s what I used in my tests.
Use edible trinkets. In France, it is traditional to hide dried beans or porcelain charms in a galette. Some bakeries also add plastic molding to the filling. Out of an abundance of caution, I prefer to use nuts like almonds or hazelnuts, which are completely edible and soften the filling while the pastry is baking, reducing the risk of choking. .
Keep the pastry as cool as possible. This recipe has plenty of chilling and freezing time, and it’s no mistake. Keeping the galette cold does two things: it helps the gluten relax, which reduces the risk of the pastry shrinking as it bakes. Chilling also ensures that the butter stays firm. As the dough bakes, the butter melts, creating tiny pockets of steam that help the dough rise and set into crispy, flaky layers.
Start your bake on high. For the flakiest galette, I start baking the pastry at a high temperature: 400ºF/205ºC. It may seem counterintuitive—after all, the goal up until this point was to keep the butter as cold as possible—but it’s a technique many bakers use to help the butter melt quickly in pastries. which creates the necessary steam for crispy. The layers I mentioned above help set the crust.
With the above tips, you’ll be able to make a bakery-worthy galette des rois. And even if you’re not the lucky recipient of fève, enjoying a piece of this pastry will definitely make you feel like royalty.
Making the classic French galette des rois is easier than you think.
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- 113 grams blanched Almond flour (4 ounces; 1 Cup), see note
- Two 14-ounce packages are frozen. Puff pastry (396 g each), thawed
- 85Yes Unsalted butterroom temperature (3 ounces; 6 tablespoons)
- 100 grams Granulated sugar (About 3 1/2 Ounce; 1/2 cup)
- 1/2 teaspoon Orange zest From 1 medium orange, optional.
- 16 grams All purpose flour (1/2 ounce; 2 Tablespoons)
- 1 big The eggroom temperature
- 1 Tablespoon (15 ml) Brandy Or rum, optional
- 1 1/2 Tea spoons Almond extract
- 1 1/2 Tea spoons Vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon Diamond Crystal Kosher salt; Use half the volume for table salt.
- 1 big Egg yolkfor the brush
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Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat to 350ºF (175ºF). Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment. Add almond flour to 1 parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet and spread into a thin, even layer. Toast, stirring every 3 minutes, until the almond flour is fragrant and lightly golden brown, about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool at room temperature for about 20 minutes.
Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez
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Meanwhile: On a lightly floured work surface, roll 1 sheet of thawed puff pastry to 1/8-inch thickness. Place a 10-inch-wide plate or bowl over the pastry and, using a sharp knife, trim the dough into a neat circle by cutting around the edge of the plate or bowl. Discard the scrap or save for another use. Place the puff pastry round on the prepared baking sheet, cover with plastic, and refrigerate while you cut the second sheet. Repeat with remaining sheet of thawed puff pastry. When the second sheet of puff pastry is rolled out and cut into a 10-inch circle, place another piece of parchment on top of the first puff pastry circle to keep the puff pastry separate. Place a second puff pastry circle on top of the parchment, cover loosely with plastic, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 8 hours.
Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez
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In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter, sugar and orange zest, if using, on low speed. Increase to medium-high speed and beat until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes, stopping to scrape down the bowl and beat with a flexible spatula as needed. Add the almond flour, all-purpose flour, egg, brandy, almond extract, vanilla extract, and salt. Mix on medium-high speed until smooth, thick and creamy, stopping to scrape down the bowl and halfway through, about 2 minutes. Using a flexible spatula, scrape down the bowl and batter to make sure no streaks of butter remain. (Alternatively, the almond cream can be prepared in a large bowl using an electric hand mixer.)
Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez
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Remove the puff pastry from the refrigerator, and lifting the parchment with both hands, remove the top layer of puff pastry and set aside so that only 1 circle of dough remains. Using an offset spatula, spread the almond filling evenly around the pastry circle on the baking sheet, leaving a 1-inch border around the sides. To surprise your guests, place almonds or hazelnuts in the filling if desired.
Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez
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Using a pastry brush, brush the water around the exposed edges of the dough circle with the almond filling. Top with second dough circle and press pastry edges to seal with fingertips If desired, use paring knife to gently push edges in to create fluted edges (see notes). Using the tip of a paring knife or the tines of a fork, gently scrape the decorative pattern on the top surface of the galette. Freeze until cold and firm to the touch, about 30 minutes and up to 24 hours.
Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez
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Preheat oven to 425ºF (220ºC). Brush the pastry all over with the egg yolk. Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 350ºF (175ºC). Continue baking until pastry is puffed and deep golden brown, about 35 minutes more. Carefully lift the parchment and transfer the galette to a wire rack to cool completely, about 1 hour. Slice and serve.
Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez
Special equipment
Rimmed baking sheet, parchment, rolling pin, plastic wrap, stand mixer or hand mixer, offset spatula, pastry brush
Notes
Either blanched or natural almond flour will work well in this recipe. Blanching removes the skin of the almonds, resulting in a beige nut flour. Natural almond flour is made with almonds in the skin. It is speckled, with a slightly coarse texture. Either can be used here; It ultimately comes down to personal preference.
Some bakers, including myself, like to give their galette des rois a scalloped edge, but this is not necessary and you can choose to make a galette with regular edges if you prefer.
Build ahead and store
The galette is best enjoyed fresh, but once cooled, it can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.