A previously seen on Wit & Delight

Editor’s Note: There are few things that feel more like quintessential summer than a juicy, ripe peach on a warm afternoon. Now imagine, if you will, adding some butter to that scenario. Some sugar too. Maybe a little bit of cinnamon. Flour as well. (You get where I’m going with this.) Sarah Kieffer, baker extraordinaire, first shared this peach galette recipe with the Wit & Delight audience six years ago. Today we’re resurfacing it, for all your end of summer baking adventures. We hope you enjoy.

I’ve had peach galettes on my mind ever since I tried the Salty Tart’s version of them at the Midtown Farmers’ Market last July. They were perfect. Galettes are one of my most favorite things to make in these warm months; yes, you have to turn the oven on, but making your house crazy hot is worth it after biting into a flaky crust and sweet summer peaches. They are rustic in appearance and easy to put together, and can be made with any seasonal fruit hanging out on your counter or tucked nicely in your fridge. So now you know how to spend the rest of your August afternoons.  – Sarah

Peach Galettes

Adapted from America’s Test Kitchen

This is one of my most favorite summer desserts! The tart dough is made with a technique called frisage, and it guarantees a wonderful, flaky crust. If you’ve never used it before, I’ve included a link to a video tutorial to help you. This makes one large galette, or 4-6 small galettes. If you’d like to add some berries, use 1 pound of peaches and 1 cup of fresh berries (you may have to use more sugar if they are tart).

Dough

1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 tsp salt
10 tbsp butter, cut into small pieces
3-6 tbsp ice water

Filling

3 large peaches (about 18 ounces),  pitted and sliced into 1/2-inch thick wedges
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of salt
2-4 tablespoons sugar, plus more for sprinkling

Crust

Process the flours, salt, and butter in a food processor until the mixture resembles coarse bread crumbs, and the butter is the size of small peas. Add the water through the feed tube 1 tablespoon at a time, until dough holds together when pinched (about 10 pulses).

To Fraisage the Dough

(Also, a YouTube video here) Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and gather into a rectangular shaped pile. Use the heel of your hand to smear the dough against the work surface. Continue to smear until all the dough has been worked. Gather into a pile again, and repeat. Flatten dough into a 6-inch disk (or divide into two equal pieces if making smaller galettes), wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for about an hour.

Roll the dough into a 12-inch circle (or 2 smaller circles, about 8-inches wide each) on a  piece of parchment paper, and refrigerate for 20 minutes. Adjust your oven rack to the middle position and heat to 375.

Fruit Filling

Toss the peaches with the cinnamon and salt. Add the sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, until desired sweetness is reached (I used 2 tablespoons). Mound the fruit in the center of your rolled dough, leaving a 2-inch border (or 1-inch border for smaller galettes). Fold the outermost dough over the fruit, pleating it as you go (about every 2-3 inches). Brush the dough with water and sprinkle with an additional 1 tablespoon sugar.

Bake until tart is deep golden brown and the fruit is bubbling, about 1 hour (less for smaller galettes – about 40-45 minutes). Rotate baking sheet halfway through baking.

Cool the tart on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then use the parchment to transfer tart to a wire rack. Cool for about 25 minutes. Serve plain, or with ice cream.