Easy galette pastry for any occasion
Think pies are too fussy? A rustic galette is just as impressive, and far easier to make, writes Polina Chesnakova. Endlessly adaptable galette dough
For someone who used to bake pies for a living every day, I rarely, if ever, make them any more. I used to pride myself on my ability to coax impossible flake and tenderness out of flour and butter – handling finicky dough into photo-worthy lattices that crackled before giving way to a toothsome filling with each bite.
It’s not that I lack the resources or inspiration. Farmers’ market aside, a step outside my front door presents plum trees burdened with fruit on every corner, and gnarly vines of blackberries lining the footpaths and ledges.
I’ve turned my back on my once-beloved pastry because I’ve found, well, why fuss with pie when I can make a galette?
For half the effort, I’m rewarded with a rustic and charming tart that’s every bit as impressive and delicious.
I don’t have to deal with cajoling the dough into a dish, or precariously setting it just right over a filled pan. No need for par-baking, and no holding my breath while the pie cooks, lest my painstaking crimps break or shrink.
Simply roll (one disk, not two), fill, fold the edges (no need to get nitpicky – it’s free-form, remember?), slide it into the oven – and voila.
Of course, some basic tenets of pastry still apply: the dough needs to be chilled at all times, given plenty of rest, and not overworked.
Other no-nos include using too much filling, or using a filling with too much liquid in it; both would be a direct path to the dreaded soggy bottom.
But with these rules in mind, anyone can master the art of the open-faced tart.
To aid you on your own journey of discovering this pastry’s virtues, I offer you a blueprint: an endlessly adaptable recipe. Cornmeal adds texture, heartiness and a touch of sweetness, while sour cream keeps the crust tender and flaky.
Use the butter-flecked dough to encase the season’s stone fruit and berries. As autumn descends, pair it with figs, apples or pears. Or layer it with a bed of herbed ricotta or caramelised onions before reaching for gem-toned heirloom tomatoes, wilting greens in need of saving or that mound of wild mushrooms foraged and generously gifted by a friend.
Serves 12
■ 2 cups flour, plus more as needed
■ cup medium or finely ground cornmeal
■ 2 teaspoons sugar
■ 1 teaspoon kosher salt
■ 16 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
■ cup ice water
■ cup sour cream (may substitute buttermilk or plain yoghurt)
Whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugar and salt in a mixing bowl. Add the cubed butter and toss to coat. Use a pastry cutter or forks to cut the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
Mix the water and sour cream in a cup, then drizzle a few tablespoons at a time over the flour-butter mixture. Use a flexible spatula to stir in the water, adding a few tablespoons at a time, until the dough is hydrated but not sticky. When you pinch the dough into clumps, it should hold together.
Gather the dough into one mass, then divide it in half, forming two disks. Wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour, or overnight.
Lightly flour a work surface. Line a baking sheet with baking paper. Roll out one disk of dough into a 33cm circle, about half a centimetre thick. Transfer to the baking sheet. Refrigerate while you prepare the filling.