Plum Galette

Plum was a really, really, really good choice. The plums I had bought from Costco were insanely juicy and sweet.

This plum galette recipe starts by making a simple pastry dough. If you’re at all intimated, don’t be! Yes, pastry dough can be temperamental (getting the right texture, not allowing the dough to get warm, not over-working it), but I have some great tips for you that will ensure success. This crust has a beautiful flake.

How to make great pie crust

Above all things, cold is key

Freeze the butter and stick your mixing bowl in the there too, if it will fit. I like to freeze the butter solid, but if you’re short on time it will harden enough in about 30min.

Next, rather than spending a hundred years cutting butter into the flour, grate it! Hands down this is my favorite shortcut of all shortcuts. I remember learning how to make pie crust for the first time and hating the ‘cutting’ process. My arms and hands were so tired- I didn’t have enough energy to finish the pie I was making!

Grating butter to form your dough may not be textbook, but I think the dough comes out better since the butter is fine enough to work entirely through, AND it lessens the risk of over working the dough.

After you mix the butter into the flour mixture, slowly add the ice water. This recipe mentioned you can use up to 6 Tbsp of water but you may need less. After adding 1 Tbsp at a time, allow the dough a few seconds to come together and then determine if you need another. I ended up using 5 1/2 Tbsp. As soon as you start to see a dough ball form, stop mixing and do the rest by hand.

Don’t overwork the dough

Shape it enough to form a nice ball that can be rolled out then STOP.

Remember, we don’t want to overwork it and more importantly, we don’t want our hands to warm it up.

Roll into a large circle shape.

Arrange the plums and fold up the sides, slightly covering the fruit. Use egg wash and sprinkle with extra coarse sugar on the edges. You’ve formed your Plum Galette!

Bake until beautiful golden brown.

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Plum Galette

The rustic look of this dessert is the perfect thing to add to a summer menu, and I love that all the attention is on the fruit!

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 15 minutes
• Total Time: 85 minutes

Ingredients

Crust:

• 1/2 c butter very cold/frozen
• 1 1/4 c flour
• 1 1/2 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 to 6 tbsp ice water

Filling:

• 3/4 lb plums pitted (sliced into 1/4-inch to 1/2-inch slices)
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp flour
• 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 1 tbsp butter (to top the fruit with before baking)
• 1 egg
• A sprinkling of coarse sugar optional

Instructions

For the Crust:

1. Butter Prep: Grate the butter using a grater if NOT using a food processor. If you’re using a food processor, cut into large cubes first. Or, if you’re a traditionalist, you can wait to cut the butter into the flour using a pastry cutter or two butter knives.
2. In a stand up mixer, add the flour, sugar and salt. Add grated butter and mix until roughly incorporated in the flour. If using a food processor, pulse the flour, sugar, and salt, until well mixed. Pulse until pieces are pea size.
3. Slowly add the ice water, a tablespoon or two at a time, mixing/pulsing after each addition, until the dough just begins to form.
4. Turn out onto a clean surface. Use your hands to form into a disc. Work the dough only enough to bring it barely together into a disk.
5. Sprinkle with a little flour on all sides, wrap with plastic, and place into the refrigerator to chill for an hour.
6. Preheat the oven to 425°F.
7. After the hour has passed, place the plum slices in a bowl and sprinkle with the flour and sugar, then add the extract. Toss gently to get everything coated.
8. In a small bowl, whisk the egg and set aside.
9. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to about a 12-inch diameter. Gently lift up the rolled out dough and place it on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment.
10. Arrange the fruit slices in an overlapping pattern in a single layer in the center of the dough, forming about a 7 or 8-inch circle.
11. Taking the 1 tbsp of butter, break apart and scatter across the plums.
12. Fold the outer edges of the dough round over the filling.
13. Use a pastry brush to coat the exposed dough with an egg wash and sprinkle with coarse sugar if using.
14. Bake for about 15-20 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet, over a rack, about 15 minutes.

Notes

Recipe by Owlbbaking.com