Galette. One of my food fascinations and mysteries at the same time. It’s funny how I had been hesitant to make one for so long and at last I made one the other day and it instantly was a success!
It was pretty fuss free and so delicious, that I really feel stupid for not making this way before! All you do is mix the flour with the cold butter, sugar, salt, vanilla and some ice water, mix it into a slightly sticky dough then form a ball, cover it with a bees wax cloth and stick into the fridge for at least one hour. Meanwhile you can cut your fruit – I used seasonal plums and grapes, but you can use any fruit that is in season or that you prefer – than add a bit of sugar, depending on the sweetness of your fruit, some spices like vanilla, cinnamon, cardamom or tonka bean, maybe a little lemon or orange zest and a splash of citrus juice and let it macerate for a little while. Then roll out the dough into a roundish shape, adding the fruit into the middle of it and folding the sides over. Tadaaa! That is basically it.
Let’s get started:
You need
for the dough
250 g spelt flour
50 g sugar of choice (e.g. light cane sugar. If you use coconut blossom sugar, the dough will darker and a bit more caramel like in flavor)
1/2 tsp vanilla bean powder
pinch of salt
150 g very cold butter in small pieces
2 tbsp ice water
450 g a mix of plums and grapes (about 80 : 20)
1-2 tbsp maple sirup or coconut palm sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla bean powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cardamom
2-3 tbsp soy milk or coconut milk (other plant milk works too)
2 tsp maple sirup
1-2 tsp coconut blossom sugar for sprinkling (opt.)
Method
Start by making the dough. For that sift the flour, add the sugar, vanilla and salt and combine. Then add the butter pieces to the flour spice mix and work it into a crumbly dough. Add one tablespoon of ice water and work it throughly and see if it is sticky already. If not add the other tablespoon and work it into a smooth and but well sticking dough. Once you have that consistency, form the dough into a ball, cover it into a bee’s wax cloth and let it rest in the fridge for at least 2 hours. The butter fat really needs to get firm again.
Preheat the oven to 180° C and place a baking sheet on a baking tray.
In the meantime cut the plums into pieces. I like to cut them lengthwise. Take the grapes off the vine and add all the fruit into a bowl. Add the maple sirup, spices and toss well.
After the 2 hours, take the dough out of the fridge, flour your working surface (kitchen counter) and start rolling out the dough into a roundish shape. You want to roll towards the outside and keep turning the dough go get the round shape more easily. Use your baking sheet as a guide for the size of the rolled out dough. It should fit exactly in your baking sheet, because you will fold in about 5-6 cm of the dough edges on top of the fruit and the size will then be perfect on the tray. Carefully roll the dough onto your rolling pin and roll it on the baking tray.
Take the macerated fruit and add it on the dough, leaving about 5-6 cm space around the edges, which you will fold in. Make sure all the fruit is layered evenly but not too perfect. Now fold in the edges and press slightly down so it will stay in shape. You can make large or small folds, depending on the shape you want. Mix the soy- or coconut milk with the maple sirup and brush it on the folded edges. Sprinkle it with the coconut sugar and bake in the preheated oven for approx. 30-40 min. The crust should be golden brown and slightly soft when pressed down with a finger. It will firm up once it’s cooled. Serve as is or with a scoop of your favorite vegan ice cream. Vanilla, cinnamon or maple walnut would be nice.
