Galettes Bretonnes

Small Perfect Cloud's eyes were speaking. From behind the window the sweetest cream-coloured ball of fur this side of the sun was saying 'please'. Its eyes were glistening and glinting in the afternoon light that flooded the scene. Divine Cherry felt as if she was in a dream. Or rather, in one of those surreal scenes that are described in books and shown in movies but that one actually never experiences in real life. One of those moments in time when everything seems perfect, except that it isn't. Time itself stopped a moment to have a peek at what was going on. Small Perfect Cloud was standing with infinite dignity and endless sadness on the windowsill, and was looking desolate. 'Please,' it said again.
Earlier that day, Small Perfect Cloud had discovered that it wanted a cookie. It was one of those irrational cravings that creep up on you from nowhere and just will not leave again until they are satisfied. And Small Perfect Cloud had never had one of those before. It was something new. It was scary, it was frightening, but it was exciting. Most of all, however, it was sad. It was sad because there were no cookies around. Especially no cream-coloured, soft-and-sweet-as-a-cloud cookies. And more specifically, there were no Galettes Bretonnes around. For some reason, and without really knowing what it was, Small Perfect Cloud wanted a Galette Bretonne. And it wanted one so badly that Small Perfect Cloud did the only thing worth doing: it had looked at Divine Cherry with huge, blue pleading eyes and had humbly asked her to give it a cookie. But not any cookie, a Galette Bretonne! And how could anyone refuse somebody else a Galette Bretonne?
There was however a slight problem. Divine Cherry didn't have any just then. Guess what she did. Exactly. And here is how:
After having cast a furtive but reassuring glance at Small Perfect Cloud, Divine Cherry took a large bowl in which she mixed 130g of  soft butter, 135g of sugar and a pinch of salt. She then added one egg and mixed it again. Once the egg was well incorporated in the mix, she added 230g of flour and a tsp of baking powder, and mixed it all again. Once she had done that, the paste was very soft so she covered the bowl with cling film and put it to rest in the fridge for an hour. Small Perfect Cloud was in deep distress by now, but Divine Cherry's sweet, affectionate grin told it that everything would eventually be all right; it simply needed to be patient. After an hour, then, Divine Cherry divided the paste in three equal parts and moulded it in three cylinders of circa 3-4cm in diameter. Those cylinders she then cut into 1cm thick slices, which she afterwards placed on a with baking foil covered baking tray. The tray, in turn, she put in the fridge for another hour. Small Perfect Cloud was desolate. However, Divine Cherry explained that this step (of putting the prospective Galettes back in the fridge) was crucial, for it allowed the future cookies to maintain their shape once they would be put in the oven. Which, as it so happened, after an hour Divine Cherry did. The oven had been preheated at 200°C, and the cookies needed only 10mins in it to be ready. Of course, Divine Cherry did not forget to turn them after 5mins – something you would do well to not forget either.
Once they were out of the oven, the incomparable smell of Galettes Bretonnes filled the kitchen, and Small Perfect Cloud's eyes were saying another kind of 'please': they were saying 'may I now have one, please?' Naturally, Divine Cherry gave Small Perfect Cloud its first Galette Bretonne, and the happiest cream-coloured ball of fur this side of the sun smiled once again.

Again:
GALETTES BRETONNES
-130g of butter
-135g of sugar
-a pinch of salt
-1 egg
-230g of flour
-a tsp of baking powder

Mix the soft butter, the sugar and the salt in a large bowl with a wooden spoon. Carefully add the egg and mix again. Incorporate the flour and the baking powder until you get a homogeneous paste. As it will be too soft to handle at this stage, cover it with cling film and put it to rest in the fridge for 1 hour. After that time, divide the paste in three equal parts and mould them into three cylinders of 3-4cm in diameter. Cut the cylinders in 1cm think slices, place them on a with baking foil covered baking tray, and put the latter in the fridge for one more hour. This step is necessary in order to allow the Galettes to maintain their form while cooking. After the one hour has elapsed, put the Galettes in a preheated oven at 200°C for 10mins, making sure to turn them after 5mins.


Ricetta in italiano:
GALETTES BRETONNES

-130 g burro
-135 g zucchero
-un pizzico di sale
-1 uovo
-230 g farina
-un cucchiaino di lievito

In una ciotola capiente mescolare con l'aiuto di un cucchiaio di legno il burro morbido con lo zucchero e il sale. Aggiunge l'uovo e incorporarlo. Unire poi la farina con il lievito e mescolare finché l'impasto risulta omogeneo. La pasta a questo punto è ancora molto morbida, coprire quindi la ciotola con della pellicola e lasciare riposare il tutto in frigorifero per un'ora. Dividere l'impasto in tre parti e formare tre cilindri di circa 3-4 cm di diametro. Tagliare i cilindri a fettine di 1cm di spessore, disporre i biscotti su una teglia coperta con carta da forno e metterla in frigorifero per un'altra ora. Questo passaggio permetterà ai biscotti di mantenere la forma durante la cottura. Trascorso questo tempo, infornare la teglia a forno caldo a 200° per 10 minuti. Ricordarsi di girare la teglia a metà cottura.


Enjoy,
And Spread the Mess