Buckwheat Galettes with Egg, Spinach and Mushrooms

1. Whisk the buckwheat flour, salt and water in a bowl until completely smooth, like thin single cream (light cream). Leave to rest for 30 minutes, or overnight in the fridge. The rest lets the flour hydrate, which makes the galettes easier to flip. Stir before using and add a splash more water if it has thickened.
2. Meanwhile, heat 2 tsp of the oil in a frying pan over a medium-high heat and fry the mushrooms for 5 minutes, until golden. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, then add the spinach and stir until just wilted, about 1 minute. Season with pepper and tip into a bowl. Wipe the pan.
3. Heat a large non-stick frying pan or crêpe pan, about 26cm/10in, over a medium heat and brush with a little of the remaining oil. Pour in a quarter of the batter (about 85ml/⅓ cup) and swirl immediately to cover the base thinly.
4. Cook for about 2 minutes, until the edges look dry and lift easily. Turn it over with a spatula. Crack an egg into the centre, spread the white gently with the back of a spoon, and scatter a quarter of the cheese and a quarter of the mushrooms and spinach around the yolk.
5. Turn the heat down to medium-low, cover the pan with a lid or a large plate and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until the egg white is completely set. Fold the four edges in towards the yolk to make a square, and slide onto a plate. Keep warm in a low oven while you make the other three.
6. Serve 2 galettes each, straight away. In the UK, runny yolks are considered safe for pregnant women, young children and older people only with British Lion eggs; elsewhere, use pasteurised eggs or cook until the yolk is firm. The batter keeps in the fridge for up to 2 days.

Two galettes have about 27g of protein and 7g of fibre for 471 calories, including the eggs, cheese and vegetables. Most of the protein comes from the eggs, with a useful amount from the buckwheat itself.

What buckwheat is. Despite the name, buckwheat is not related to wheat. It is the seed of a plant related to rhubarb, and it contains no gluten. Galettes from Brittany, in north-west France, have been made from just buckwheat flour, water and salt for centuries. If you need to avoid gluten strictly, choose a flour labelled gluten-free, as some is milled alongside wheat.

A breakfast that keeps you going. Eggs, a modest amount of cheese, mushrooms and spinach make this a high-protein, vegetable-rich start, much more filling than a sweet crêpe. With about 34g of carbohydrate it is not tagged for blood sugar.

Getting the batter right. Buckwheat batter should be thinner than pancake batter. The rest gives the flour time to absorb the water, so the galettes hold together and crisp at the edges. If the first one tears, the pan was probably not hot enough; the first galette is often the test one.

Traditional Emmental and Gruyère are made with animal rennet, which is why the recipe uses a vegetarian Emmental-style cheese; check the label. For another egg breakfast, try the spinach, feta and pumpkin seed omelette or the Turkish eggs with garlic yogurt.