When you’ve reached the final bites of a slice of pie, do you find yourself wishing for a little more flakey, buttery crust? Or, do you ever think to yourself, “when did slicing into this pie become such a messy ordeal?”
Well, let us introduce you to pie’s humble cousin: the galette.
Galettes are essentially pie, but “free form”. Pie tins no need apply – simply roll out your galette dough onto a sheet tray, fill your dough with whatever you’d please then fold over the edges. That’s it! And the best part about making galettes is the lack of precision. There’s no need for perfectly rolled out circles or a PhD in origami. Galettes are best kept rustic.
However, because galettes lack the structural support pie tins provide, there is one key rule: keep your borders intact so your filling doesn’t overflow.
Here are a few tips you ought to consider on your spiritual journey to gal-enlightenment…
First off, try to avoid runny fillings as they’re messy and complicate the folding process. Runny fillings are also prone to bubbling over, which – beyond losing your precious filling – may inadvertently glue your pastry to the parchment paper. Which, in our experience, is not fun. So, make sure to cook down and/or thicken fruit purees and jams.
Another helpful tip is to leave about an inch of unfilled dough around the edge to create an easily foldable border. Look, we know it’s tempting to stuff your galette all the way to the edge of the dough, but you need ample room to create a thick border. Don’t be greedy!
And lastly, because flakey doughs poof-up, make sure to firmly press the folded edges into themselves, so they don’t come undone during the bake. Other than those few simple rules, making galettes is as easy as pie. Literally.
There are only two things you need to make a galette: a filling of your choice and an irresistibly flakey dough. And a dough that’s not only flakey but sturdy enough to pick up without crumbling all over the floor. At Forge To Table, we prefer not to feed our floors. However, we can assure you, this galette dough recipe will withstand any galette. It’s also incredibly versatile, so don’t hesitate to play around with the type and quantity of whole-grain flours.
But beware, this recipe is not your grandma’s! Although there’s little hands-on time, it requires a couple of folds and a day of resting in the refrigerator. Schedule accordingly. But we can assure you, once you bite into this galette dough, you’ll find it was well worth the wait.
To make the galette dough, you’ll need a clean work surface, a digital scale, a bowl, a large cup, a fork and your Forge to Table bench knife. In the cup, weigh out your apple cider vinegar and water, then set it aside. In the bowl, weigh out your dry ingredients, stirring it with your hands until it’s combined.
To prevent your butter from sticking to your bench knife, toss the sticks of butter into the flour mixture. Cut each stick in half, lengthwise. Then cut each half again, lengthwise, until you have 16 skinny sticks of butter. It helps to toss the butter in the flour mixture, one more time. Cut all the sticks into small cubes then scoop them back into your flour mixture.
Add all your liquid into the bowl of butter and flour, using your fork to mix everything together until one shaggy mass. While still in the bowl, give the dough a few kneads until there aren’t any more dry bits at the bottom of the bowl. If you’re using a lower ratio of whole grain flour, hold back about a quarter cup of liquid and add a tablespoon at a time until you reach the desired shaggy dough. If you’re using a higher ratio of whole grain flour, especially rye flour (a particularly absorbent flour), you might need to add an extra tablespoon or two of water.
With a heavy hand of flour on both sides of the dough, form the dough into a block, tightly wrap it in a couple layers of plastic wrap. With a rolling pin, firmly roll out the dough into all sides and corners of the wrap. This technique helps prevent excessive cracking on the sides when you start folding the dough. Refrigerate the dough for an hour so the gluten relaxes and the water is fully absorbed by the flours.
Working quickly, turn the dough onto a heavily floured surface and roll out into a roughly 24”x 12” rectangle. As you’re rolling out the dough, make sure to occasionally move it around and generously flour any parts sticking to the surface. By now you should see the beginnings of long, flattened streaks of butter marbled into the dough. Brush any excess flour off and perform your first letter fold, also known as a “trifold”. Fold one-third of the dough into the center, then fold the other side over the center third of the dough like you would a letter.
Turn the dough 90 degrees, roll it out into another 24”x 12” rectangle, and repeat. Seal together the layers by rolling it out a little, then plastic wrap the dough and refrigerate it overnight.
The next morning, roll out the dough to your desired thickness (we recommend about 1/8”) then let it rest in the refrigerator for at least an hour before shaping your galettes.
After resting, use your Forge To Table pairing knife to cut out whatever shape you desire. We like rectangles, squares, and circles. You can use a bowl to create a perfect circle, but like we mentioned earlier, feel free to keep it rustic.
Now it’s time to highlight your creative side and fill your galettes with whatever you desire. Highlight your local produce or fill them with soft cheeses, nuts, and fruits. Let your creative juices flow! Just make sure those juices are thick enough to stay in the galette! Here are a few galettes we made to inspire you.
Sweet and Savory Summer Galettes
Essentially pie, but “free form”. Simply roll out your dough onto a sheet tray, fill with whatever you’d please, then fold over the edges. That’s it! There’s no need for perfectly rolled out circles or a PhD in origami. They are best kept rustic and seasonal, so get creative!
Recipe by Connor Frenck
Photography by Connor Frenck
Forge To Table Knives
Prep Time: 1 hour
Resting Time: 24 hours
Cook Time: 1 hour
Servings: 12
Ingredients:
Galette Dough
400g AP flour (preferably pastry flour), plus about a cup for dusting
200g whole wheat flour
20g kosher salt
30g sugar
454g butter, straight from the fridge
330g cold water
30g apple cider vinegar
1 whole egg mixed with 2 tablespoons water (eggwash)
Blueberry Balsamic with Peaches
1 quart of blueberries
3/4 cup light brown sugar
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
4 each peaches, sliced ¼” inch thick
Savory Goat Cheese and Tomato
8 ounces goat cheese
1 each garlic clove, smashed
4 tablespoons heavy cream, divided
3 tablespoons fresh herbs, roughly chopped (parsley, thyme, cilantro, rosemary, etc)
Freshly cracked pepper, a few cracks
½ teaspoon lemon zest
2 each large tomatoes, sliced ¼” inch thick
Directions:
(START DOUGH) In a large bowl, combine the AP Flour, whole wheat flour, kosher salt, and sugar. Using your Forge to Table bench knife, cut the butter into peanut size pieces. Scoop the butter into the dry ingredients.
(MIX DOUGH) Mix together the vinegar and water and pour into your dry ingredients. Using a fork, gently mix the dry and wet ingredients together until there aren’t any more dry bits at the bottom of the bowl. Knead the dough a couple times until it’s one cohesive mass that you can easily pick up.
(DOUGH REST) Generously flour the dough and transfer it onto a floured surface. Shape the dough into a rectangle and tightly wrap in plastic wrap. With a rolling pin, work the dough into the corners of the plastic wrap. Refrigerate for a minimum of one hour.
(TRIFOLD DOUGH) Generously flour your dough and the work surface, then roll out the galette dough to roughly 24” x 12”. Fold the top third over, followed by the bottom third, creating a trifold, making sure to brush off excess flour. Turn the dough 90 degrees and repeat. Your dough should have noticeable layers of butter streaks. Wrap and refrigerate overnight. Prepare fillings in the meantime.
(BLUEBERRY BALSAMIC WITH PEACHES) In a small pot add together blueberries, light brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, and kosher salt. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook until it's reduced enough so that the jam coats the back of a spoon, about 10-20 minutes. Reserve.
(GOAT CHEESE & TOMATO) In a food processor, combine goat cheese, smashed garlic clove, 2 tablespoons heavy cream, and rough chopped herbs. Process until fully combined. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of heavy cream and process until smooth. Fold in the lemon zest, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Reserve.
(ROLL OUT DOUGH) The next day, roll out your dough to about 1/8” thick. Cut it into Large circles, rectangles, or even triangles. Layer in some sweet or savory spread, and top with freshly sliced fruits or vegetables, making sure to leave about an inch border.
(SHAPE GALETTES) Fold the border over the edge of the filling, making sure to firmly press the folded dough into itself so it stays in place during the bake. Let the shaped galette rest in the freezer for at least 30 minutes and preheat the oven to 325F degrees.
(BAKE AND ENJOY) Egg Wash the crust and bake in a preheated 325F degree oven for 50-60 minutes, or until deeply browned. For maximum crispness, make sure your galette completely cools before enjoying.
Chef’s Note:
Alternatively, this recipe makes about four single pie crusts. But in order to maximize its flakiness, you’ll need to blind bake it for about 30 minutes at 325°. We recommend weighing down the pie dough with parchment paper or coffee liners filled with sugar, uncooked beans, or rice. If you don’t blind bake the dough, the bottom will almost certainly turn out raw, regardless of how long the pie bakes.
Try making galettes with Nutella, pumpkin, granola crumbles, nuts, and much more!
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