In January, it's time for pancakes. Traditionally eaten on January 6, Epiphany Day, these cakes decorated with beans are offered in all bakeries in Indre-et-Loire throughout the month.
This is the case of La Roue des Saveurs, in La Membrolle-sur-Choisille, where Damien Monsellier works. Winner of the best original pancake in Indre-et-Loire in 2023, this baker regularly innovates with pancakes with multiple flavors such as apple, caramel, chestnut, chocolate…
Candidate for the competition for the best cake in Indre-et-Loire, on January 2, 2025, Damien Monsellier finished in second position. For The New Republic, he agreed to share his recipe for the traditional galette des Rois.
“It is possible to ask the bakers for dough”
« I advise choosing top quality materials. That's what makes all the taste »introduces Damien Monsellier. If making your own Galette des Rois is accessible to everyone, certain phases are far from obvious to the uninitiated. « Working with the dough is the most complicated. It is prepared two days in advance, it cannot be improvised. But it is possible to ask directly from the bakers in advance »explains the former winner.
This is not the only preparation that must be carried out before making the pancake. « I recommend preparing the almond cream in advance, to work with it cold so that it does not leak. »explains Damien Monsellier. He recommends 400 g of frangipane for a pancake intended for 10 people.
Damien Monsellier, baker-pastry chef at La Roue des Saveurs, recommends working the frangipane cold to make the galette des Rois.
© (Photo NR, Hugues Le Guellec)
To make this cream, the baker starts by mixing 100 g of sugar with the same amount of butter. He then adds 100 g of almond powder, then 10 g of cornstarch. Once a homogeneous structure is obtained, add two eggs to the preparation. He then suggests adding your choice of vanilla (2 g), rum or kirsch (15 g). Finally, all you have to do is add 100 g of already beaten pastry cream. « Depending on everyone's choices, some pancakes, even traditional ones, can be very different. »confides Damien Monsellier.
Once the frangipane is made, it is now time to tackle the cake itself.
Assembly and decoration
The baker rolls out 600 g of dough, three millimeters thick, and cuts out two circles of identical size. These can be made by hand, or using a salad bowl. On the edges of the first circle, spread water which will be used to weld the pancake. “Some recipes say to make it with egg yolk, but I don't recommend. If the dough is poorly welded, there may be a leak which could burn during cooking.specifies Damien Monsellier.
On this same circle, he places the frangipane “in a spiral, starting from the middle towards the edges, but without reaching them”. At the same time, this is undoubtedly the most essential step in any cake making: the deposit of one or more beans.
Damien then covers everything with the second circle of dough. He chips the edge of the pancake to amplify the seal and adds a light layer of gilding, composed of eggs and milk (with the proportion of one egg for one tablespoon of milk). He then lets the preparation rest in the fridge for ten minutes, « so that the puff pastry drinks up the gilding »before applying a second layer of gilding.
Damien Monsellier makes between 30 and 70 galettes des Rois daily during the month of January.
© (Photo NR, Hugues Le Guellec)
The former winner then arms himself with a knife to decorate his cake. “This is what sets us apart from other colleagues. But be careful, you must not scratch too deeply”warns the baker. He finally adds a light layer of syrup (water and sugar) “for a little shine”. And there you have it! The cake just has to gradually swell for 40 minutes at 200°C. It is now ready to be enjoyed.
