Summer Fruit Galettes

Galettes are some of my favourite things to make: they’re free formed and require no special equipment, they can be filled with almost infinite combinations for both sweet and savoury profiles, and they’re intentionally rustic so they look good without much effort. I make them with a basic pie dough and fill them with seasonal produce, since everything tastes good in a buttery crust but the flavour is neutral enough that it complements pretty much anything.

It’s prime fruit season- my fridge is full of berries and peaches are getting started, so right now I’m using stone fruits (like peaches and cherries) and berries in everything I can. I’ve included two filling options that are fairly flexible, so you can pick and choose based on what you’ve got on hand. Just make sure you use the same total amount of fruit by weight, if you’re going to vary the fruits.

This galette is built on an American-style flaky pie crust. Right now, I’ve been using Stella Parks’ recipe from her book BraveTart: Iconic American Desserts (highly recommend the book, though the recipe is also available on Serious Eats). It includes a folding step to get extra flaky layers– she has a great video and photos on the Serious Eats website, and I’ve included photos below. She calls for low-protein all-purpose flour in this recipe, but I have a hard time finding that so I tend to use a blend of flours.

From what I’ve been able to tell, American all-purpose flours range from around 9-12% protein, while all-purpose flours in Canada generally sit at about 12-13%. That’s great for making bread and pasta, but does mean that more tender items like cakes, cookies, and pastries can end up with too much gluten (and therefore a bit tougher and chewier). Because of that, I use a blend of pastry flour (mine is around 9% protein) and all-purpose (quantities below) to get something between low and medium protein. This results in a dough that’s a bit on the stronger side- something I’m not mad about in a galette, since they’re free formed and don’t have a pan to keep their shape for them. If all you have is all-purpose, you can use that too, and I’ve included a couple of tips below.

I always keep extra pie dough in the freezer- it’s simple to make and even simpler to defrost, roll out, fill with whatever I’ve got in the fridge, and bake. This recipe makes enough crust for a double-crusted pie, which is twice as much as you need for one galette (or you could make both filling options). Just wrap the extra dough tightly in plastic and freeze for the next time you have some extra fruit or bits and bobs in the fridge you’d like to use up.

Some tips:

Pie crust is a type of pastry dough that relies on chunks of fat to give it a flaky texture. In order to make the crust as flaky as possible, the butter should be left in pieces that are probably larger than you think you need.
The act of rolling a crust flat develops gluten, which gives the dough strength but also can make it prone to shrinking and toughness- mixing the dough only enough to come together and then giving it a chance to relax between rolling and filling can help combat those things, which is especially useful if you’re using a higher-protein flour (like all-purpose instead of pastry flour or a blend of the two).
If your kitchen or hands are hot, the fridge is your friend- the butter should be kept cold for maximum flakiness, so refrigerate your dough at any point in the process to help firm it up if the butter starts getting soft and melty on you.
If you have a lot of really juicy fruit, you can prevent a soggy bottom in your galette by precooking the fruit to reduce out some of the liquid.

Summer Fruit Galettes

Pie crust

100g pastry flour
125g all-purpose flour
1 tbsp (10g) sugar
1 tsp (4g) kosher salt
227g (1 cup) butter, cold from the fridge, cut into about 1.5cm cubes
115g cold water
1 egg (for egg wash, optional)
Turbinado sugar (optional garnish)
Sliced almonds (optional garnish)

Stone fruit filling:

300g (about 2) peaches
250g cherries
1/4 cup (55g) granulated sugar
2 tbsp (10g) cornstarch
Pinch of kosher salt

Mixed berry filling (just mix any 450g total berries):

180g strawberries, sliced
80g blueberries
100g black currants
90g raspberries
1/4 cup (55g) sugar
2 tbsp cornstarch
Pinch of kosher salt
Optional: up to 1 tbsp lemon juice (omit if fruits are already tart)

To make the pie crust (photos at the end):

Whisk together both flours, sugar, and kosher salt in a medium bowl. Toss the butter in the dry mixture, separating the cubes so they all get coated in flour.

One at a time (or one in each hand), grab a butter cube and smash it flat with your thumb against your index and middle fingers. Drop it back in the bowl and repeat with the rest of the cubes, tossing to coat in flour and distribute them evenly.

Pour the water in the bowl and toss the contents around like a salad, scooping your hands underneath the mixture and pulling upwards. Repeat until the dough starts to come together and gently knead it, working it little as possible, until it comes together in one mass.

Turn the dough out onto a floured countertop. Press into a rectangle, flour the top, and roll it out into a rectangle about 10×15 inches. You can use as much flour as you need to keep the dough from sticking to your surface and rolling pin, just make sure to dust it off before you fold the dough to avoid incorporating it.

Brush the excess flour off the top surface of the dough. Take the short ends and fold them to meet in the centre (photos at end). If you don’t have a perfect rectangle, you can cut the bits that hang off and use them to patch up spots where the dough doesn’t meet. Fold that across the midline like a book to get a long rectangle. Fold the short sides towards each other, and cut that in half to get two equal square pieces.

This is enough dough for two galettes- you can either make two or wrap the second square tightly in plastic, refrigerating up to one day or freezing for longer-term storage.

If the dough is getting a bit melty, stick it in the fridge before rolling it out.

Roll the dough out into a large round about 4-5mm thick, transfer to a parchment-lined baking tray, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Prepare your filling and egg wash (instructions below) and preheat your oven to 425°F. Take your dough out of the fridge. Trim any rough or dangly edges if you’d like, depending on how rustic you want it to look.

Spread the filling in the centre, leaving a 2-3-inch border of empty crust. Take the edges and fold them over the filling. Brush the folded edges with egg wash or cream (if desired), using the wash to gently glue the folds together, and sprinkle with turbinado sugar or sliced almonds.

Bake for 30-35 minutes until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbling in the centre. Carefully transfer to a wire rack to cool.

To make the stone fruit filling:

Prepare right before using. Slice the peaches into pieces slightly larger than you want (they’ll shrink once they’re baked). You could do 2cm-thick slices, cubes, etc. Pit and halve the cherries. Whisk the sugar, cornstarch, and salt together in a small bowl and then sprinkle over the fruit, tossing just until everything is evenly distributed. Fill the crust and bake immmediately.

To make the berry filling:

If eaten immediately, you can make the filling without cooking. If you’re going to let it sit for a couple of hours before serving, I’d recommend cooking the filling to reduce the moisture and prevent bottom crust sogginess, especially if the berries are really juicy.

To make for serving immediately, wash and drain the fruit. Whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, and salt, and sprinkle over the fruit, tossing until evenly distributed. Fill the crust and bake immediately.

To make ahead, add the fruit and half the sugar to a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat. You’ll see the berries start to let out a little juice at first, then a lot. Once you’re at that stage, cook it until the juice reduces by about half, roughly 20 minutes total. Whisk together the remaining sugar, salt, and cornstarch, then sprinkle it over the mixture, stirring and cooking down for about 1 minute until slightly thickened. Remove from the heat and cool to room temperature before filling the crust.

To make egg wash and garnish:

Whisk together the egg, 1 tbsp water, and a small pinch of salt. Brush the edges of the filled crust lightly. You can either leave this plain for shine and a golden brown colour, or sprinkle the crust with turbinado sugar or sliced almonds.

Mixing pie dough: