Peach Galette

Warm peaches are tossed with cinnamon sugar and then baked inside the lightest of pastry shells. I have fallen in love with this method of baking fruit. This was the first time I've made a galette. It was so much lighter than a pie, not at all heavy with fruit or overly sweet with sugar. I followed Deborah Madison's recipe for an all-butter crust and it was perfect. The outer crust was beautifully flaky and the bottom held up against all of the fruit juices during cooking.

I don't have a photo of the full galette. I decided to make it late one night and I happily shared it with friends straight from the oven. I photographed the above piece the next day right before calling it my lunch.

Peach Galette

Crust:

2 cups AP flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon sugar

12 tablespoons butter, cold and cut into small 1/2" cubes

1/3 - 1/2 cup ice water, I used 1/3 cup

Filling:

5-6 peaches, medium size

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 tablespoon butter, melted, for brushing the dough

Combine the dry ingredients in the bowl of a kitchenaid mixer, or in any large bowl if you are using a handheld mixer. Add the cold cubed butter and mix with the paddle attachment until the butter is well combined and the dough forms crumbs in the bottom of the bowl. Add the ice water slowly, one tablespoon at a time, stirring with a fork or the mixer paddle attachment until the dough comes together when pressed in hand.

Wrap the dough in saran wrap and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes. While the dough is chilling, wash and slice the peaches. I sliced mine thickly and left the peels on, because I prefer the look and the taste that way. My peaches were medium size and I had about 10-12 slices from each one.

Place the peach slices in a bowl and sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar mixture. Toss gently and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Once the dough has chilled, roll it out into a 14" round.  The beauty of a galette is the rustic appearance. It does not need to be perfect. I found it easiest to roll out the dough on a silpat mat, and then bake it on the same mat. This eliminated the need to transfer the dough from one surface to another.

Brush the dough with the melted butter and then pile on the peaches. Fold the galette edges over onto the peaches. Brush the rest of the dough with butter and then lightly dust the crust with sugar.

Bake at 425 for 15 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 375 for 40-45 more minutes. When the crust is nicely browned, remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes before serving.

 Click here for printable recipe