Broyé du Poitou

When a large, golden, disc-shaped pastry is placed in the center of the table and struck once with a fist, it breaks into pieces large and small. Broyé du Poitou, from Poitou in France, is a flat butter pastry handed down together with this way of sharing it. Its name is also linked to broyer, “to crush.” Rather than being cut into equal portions, it lets each person choose and take the piece they want, so a single round pastry suits a table where people gather.

A round broyé with a crosshatch pattern and a golden-brown color. Photo: 08pb802, 2010, location unknown. CC BY-SA 3.0, unaltered.

One large round for savoring the dough itself

The core ingredients are wheat flour, butter, sugar, eggs and salt. Because the dough itself is baked rather than wrapped around a filling, the aroma of the butter and the taste of the flour come through directly. The ingredients are brought together with softened butter, spread flat in a round tin or on a baking sheet, and baked.

That said, proportions vary from household to household. In one example handed down in Romagne in the Vienne area, crème fraîche and egg whites are added to the dough, and the reserved egg yolks are brushed over the surface. Alongside versions made with the five basic ingredients, recipes (ingredient proportions and methods) that change how dairy and eggs are used have also been passed down.

A fork-drawn pattern and a dough that breaks under a fist

When lines are drawn with a fork on the spread-out dough and it is brushed with egg yolk and baked, the top takes on a sheen and a golden-brown color. Even as one large round, a dough in which the butter has been worked into the flour and baked flat does not rise high with air the way a sponge cake does. In versions made without leavening, the surface gains a sheen from the egg yolk, while the cooled interior sets firm but crumbles readily when broken. That a single blow of the fist breaks it into irregular pieces rather than even wedges comes from this thinness and its fat-rich texture. Some households add a floral aroma, and some old family recipes include spirits, so while the shape is shared, the flavor varies.

An example of a broyé baked with sliced almonds scattered on top. Lines are drawn on the round dough, and the edge is uneven. Photo: Thomon, 2020-02-22, location unknown. Original image / CC BY-SA 4.0. Full size, no additional processing.

How it differs from the neighboring galette

The galette charentaise of the Charente region is also a round pastry made with butter. Although the two are similar in shape, they are distinguished by texture: the broyé is a dry, fairly hard dough, whereas the galette charentaise is softer. Both are associated with celebrations, but the texture of the dough differs from region to region.

A pastry shared at weddings and recipes passed down in families

The tourism office of the Vienne department reports that it was baked on farms for family and religious celebrations, and that the custom of breaking it in the center with a fist continues today. The manufacturer Goulibeur also states that it was a pastry for weddings, First Communions and village fairs. When and by whom it was first given this name and began to be divided with a fist is uncertain; it has been handed down as part of regional memory.

The family of Monique, who comes from Romagne, has also handed down a recipe written on yellowed paper. The household custom of writing down the family proportions on paper and baking a large pastry for each celebration has also carried on into today’s workshops.

Carrying a grandmother’s recipe into the workshop

One example of a household recipe passed on to a specialist workshop is Goulibeur, which began in 1976. Founder Brigitte Arnault-Bouet started production based on the recipe of her grandmother, Paulette. However, when making it in the workshop, she adjusted the proportions, for example by omitting the spirits that were in her grandmother’s recipe.

Served with coffee or soft desserts

Besides breaking off pieces of a large round and eating them as they are, it can also be served alongside coffee, fruit salad or ice cream. Even a small piece retains the aroma and bite of the dough, so it pairs well with drinks and soft desserts. Changing form from large rounds to small rounds and cut pieces, it remains popular as a pastry to share with others.

Broyé du Poitou served with coffee. A piece of the broken pastry sits beside the cup. Photo: Dacia 1410 Sport, 2024-08-18, Poitiers, France (according to the title of the original image). Original image / CC BY-SA 4.0. Full size, no additional processing.

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