Peach Galette

Sweet, juicy and tart, this simple peach galette is rustic and easy to prepare, and makes scrumptious use of the plentiful, fresh peaches of the season!

Peach Galette, the Beautiful Free-Form Version of Pie

Even though summers are absolutely sweltering here in Los Angeles, this has never prevented me from periodically turning on my oven and baking up fresh pies or simple crostatas or galettes filled with my favorite juicy fruits of the season.

I simply cannot resist!

And it typically depends upon my mood which kind of fresh-baked fruit treat I'll prepare.

If I'm more in the mood to spend a bit more time rolling out two discs of dough for a double-crust pie, decoratively pinching the the seam closed, and making the little knife slits in the top crust to create cute little vents (and generally making sure everything is nice and pretty), I'll go the pie route.

But other times I'm all about simple, rustic beauty, and the thought of getting my hands all nice and sweetly “dirty” putting together a more whimsical style of dessert just sounds fulfilling and fun to me, which is when I'll opt to go the galette route.

For me, a galette is basically the free-form version of pie, one where there's only one larger piece of dough to roll out, its center filled with a mound of sweet fruit, and with the extra dough simply folded over top keeping the center exposed. Stunning!

And one of my favorite kinds of galette is a fresh peach galette, filled with the sweet, ripe, floral peaches of the season, and deliciously exuding lots of buttery aroma that cozily suggests a sense of “home made” and “baked with love”.

Could anything be better?

Little beats the indulgence of a peach galette still ever-so slightly warm from the oven; and I'm more than happy and willing to bake one up whether it is hot outside or not.

Oh, the sacrifices!

How to Make a Peach Galette, the Simple Steps

One of the best parts about a peach galette recipe is that there are really only a few basic ingredients for the crust and the fresh peach filling.

For the crust, I use flour, unsalted cold butter, some sugar, a tiny splash of vanilla and almond extract, and a pinch of salt. And, of course, some ice-cold water is a must!

I also allow the prepared dough to chill in the fridge for about 45 minutes to 1 hour, wrapped in plastic wrap (or even up to a couple of days if I'm preparing the dough ahead) to rest.

As for the fresh peach filling, I simply slice the peaches with their skin on (you can also peel them), toss with a small squeeze of lemon, some brown sugar, a little pinch of cinnamon, and a touch of flour to thicken their juices—that's it!

Here's how I prepare my galette:

1. I pulse the flour, salt and sugar in a food processor, then add in the cold butter and process until the crumble is the size of peas, roughly. With the processor running, I slowly drizzle in some ice-cold water (to which I add my extracts) until the dough comes together.
2. Then, I shape my dough into a disc, wrap the dough in plastic wrap, and keep it chilled for at least 45 minutes to an hour.
3. A few minutes before I'm ready to roll out my dough, I'll preheat my oven, and prepare a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
4. At this point I prepare my peach filling in a bowl, and set it aside.
5. Next, I roll out my galette dough to a round shape about 12-13”, and carefully place it on the parchment-lined baking sheet.
6. I then mound the peach filling in the center, leaving a 1” inch border of dough, then fold that dough border over the fruit leaving the center exposed.
7. Right before baking, I brush a tiny bit of egg wash over the edges, then sprinkle with turbinado sugar and sliced almonds.
8. I then bake the galette for about 55-60 minutes, until juicy and golden.

It's so aromatic, sweet and delicious, and the perfect seasonal dessert!

Tips and Tidbits for Peach Galette:

• Cold, unsalted butter: Be sure to use very cold butter when preparing your dough, as this will keep things nice and flaky and tender. Also, be sure that your butter is unsalted, as you don't want the dough to be too salty.
• Peeled or unpeeled peaches: Because I like the bit of extra color that the skin of the peaches provides, I leave the skin on. This saves time as well! But it you prefer to remove the skin, feel free to peel the peaches with a vegetable peeler.
• Leave a bit of a border with the dough: Once you roll out your galette round and begin mounding your peaches in the center, make sure to leave about a 1 inch border of dough so you can partially fold it over the fruit.
• Turbinado sugar for texture and sparkle: While you can certainly sprinkle regular granulated sugar for the finishing touch over the dough before baking, turbinado is a bit more crystal-like and textured, and creates a bit of crunch and sparkle.

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Recipe

Peach Galette

by Ingrid Beer

Print Recipe

Buttery, sweet, juicy and mildly tangy, this rustic peach galette is a scrumptious and easy seasonal homemade dessert.

Yield: Serves 8

Nutrition Info: 321 calories

Prep Time: 1 hour (includes dough's resting time)
Cook time: 55 minutes

Dough Ingredients (makes 1 galette):

• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon cold, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon almond extract
• ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon ice-cold water
• 1 egg, whisked, for egg-wash
• 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar, for dusting
• 2 tablespoons sliced almonds, for decoration

Filling Ingredients:

• 6 medium peaches (unpeeled), sliced thinly
• Squeeze of lemon (about 1-2 teaspoons of juice)
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• 3-4 tablespoons flour, depending upon juiciness of peaches
• Pinch cinnamon

Preparation:

-Begin by preparing your galette dough: add the flour, sugar, and salt to a food processor, and process to combine; add in the butter and pulse/process until the butter becomes pea-like in size; add the vanilla and almond extracts to the ice-cold water, and with the processor running, drizzle the water mixture in until the dough becomes moistened and comes together.

-Turn the dough out, gather it up, and shape it into a disc; wrap tightly in plastic wrap and allow to rest in the fridge for at least 45 minutes to 1 hour before rolling out and baking, or even longer, if doing ahead a couple of days. (Dough can also be frozen and then defrosted in fridge for a couple days if you'd like to prepare even farther in advance.)

-After you're dough has chilled, preheat your oven to 350°, and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

-Prepare your filling by adding your sliced peaches to a large bowl, along with the small squeeze of lemon, the brown sugar, flour, and pinch of cinnamon, and toss to coat.

-Roll out you dough to a round shape about 12 - 13”, and transfer it to the prepared baking sheet; mound the peach filling in the center, leaving about a 1” border of dough around the edges.

-Fold the dough edges towards the center over the peaches in a rustic fashion so that you create little pleat-like folds; then, brush some of the whisked egg over the dough, sprinkle over the turbinado sugar and the sliced almonds, and bake for 55-60 minutes (turning half-way through the baking), until golden-brown and the fruit is soft and juicy.

-Allow the galette to completely cool on the baking sheet for several hours, until the filling has set and you can easily slice it; serve on it's own to enjoy the flavor of the delicious fruit of the season, or add vanilla ice cream or homemade whipped cream, if desired.