Galette has got to be the most practical and fuss free member of the pie family :):)
The possibilities are endless with galettes; they can be sweet or savoury, with stone fruits or summer berries…the list can go on and on. First you make the most gorgeous, buttery and flaky pie crust then top it off with whatever you have on hand. It takes about an hour an a half from start to being devoured.
Its simplicity shouldn’t fool you as it is very elegant in its own right and to achieve it you don’t have to be precise or an experienced baker.
First important rule of making the perfect pie crust is to make sure that the butter and the liquid you are using are ice cold. This liquid can be just water, water-vinegar or water-vodka, I personally recommend using a mixture rather than just plain water as both vinegar and vodka help to achieve a crispier crust. You will need to use your own judgement as to how much liquid the dough needs because too much of it will make a dense and non flaky crust. Things like the moisture in the flour, the quality of your butter, even the environment you are in will play a role in this. So instead of pouring all the liquid in at once, I usually start with 2/3 then check if it’s done by taking a small handful and squeezing. If it keeps its shape then it is moist enough, if it falls apart I add the rest of the liquid a little at a time. What we are looking for is not a smooth and perfect but a lumpy, almost rough dough with bits of butter all around.
The best way to make a pie dough is using a food processor or a stand mixer, if you have neither you can use a pastry blender or a knife to cut the butter while mixing it with the flour, try to use your hands as little as possible and be careful not to soften the butter.
If using a food processor or stand mixer, place your dry ingredients and the very cold butter and gently pulse until you have a crumbly texture with the butter pieces about the size of a pea. After adding 2/3 of the ice cold water, mix on a low speed only until the dough comes together. Check if it needs more liquid, if it does add the rest a little at a time.
Transfer the dough to your work surface and without kneading, bring it together, wrap in cling film and chill for an hour or two. I repeat whatever you do, do not knead or overwork the dough :):)
As I’ve mentioned before, you can use whatever fruit you like to top your pie crust. You can add more or less sugar depending on the sweetness of the chosen fruit and play with different combinations of extra flavours like fresh herbs, aromas etc. Soft and juicy fruits like cherries, strawberries and grapes will need a little help with some starch to thicken their juices while cooking. On the other hand fruits with a high content of pectin like apples, pears, plums and quince would be fine with just the addition of sugar.
- 115 gr butter (cut into cubes and kept in the freezer for 15-20 mins prior to using)
- 1¼ cups all purpose flour (175 gr)
- 1 Tbs granulated sugar
- 3 Tbs water + 1 Tbs apple cider vinegar (ice cold)
- ½ ts salt
- .
- ½ kg hulled strawberries (1 pound)
- 3-4 Tbs granulated sugar
- 1 Tbs corn starch
- grated zest of 1 lemon
- 1 vanilla bean or 2 ts extract
- .
- 1-2 Tbs milk or 1 egg beaten with 1 ts water
- 1 Tbs granulated sugar
- Place flour, sugar and salt in your food processor with the ice cold butter and whizz using short pulses until the butter pieces are the size of a pea.
- Add 3 Tbs of the water and vinegar mixture and mix for a few seconds. Squeeze a piece of dough to see if it's moist enough, the dough should just hold together, add the rest of the liquid if the dough falls apart in your hand.
- Bring dough together without kneading, form into a disk, wrap in plastic and rest in the fridge for an hour.
- Halve or quarter the strawberries if they are very large and mix with the sugar, corn starch, lemon zest and vanilla.
- Roll your chilled dough on parchment paper to a ⅛ inch thickness and place the strawberries in the middle making sure to leave a border of 2-2½ inches and fold that border over the fruit.
- Brush with milk or the egg wash and sprinkle about a table spoon of sugar all over the crust.
- Bake in a preheated oven (350 F) for 45-50 mins or until you have a deep golden crust.
- Let cool for 15 mins, best served slightly warm topped with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
Freezes well and will keep for two months if wrapped tightly with plastic.
If using very juicy fruit you can first spread some breadcrumbs or semolina on the rolled dough to avoid it getting soggy. I personally prefer to use toasted almond meal or ground pistachio mixed with a little sugar if I'm bothering at all. You can totally do without.
Once the fruit is cooked they will lose their beautiful colour and become dull, to avoid this you can place a few cubes of butter on the fruit before baking. Or if like me you don't want to add the extra calories you can brush the juice that's ended up in the baking sheet on the berries.
Double the recipe if making a double crust or lattice pie. I personally always double it as I like to have it ready in the freezer for emergencies :):)
Hati says
Och to mnie tak szczęśliwy. Dzięki za dzielenie.
Tak poza tym, naprawdę doceniam dajesz link do mojej strony :):)