makes
345
prep
20 minutes
cook
50 minutes
difficulty
Mid
makes
345
serves
preparation
20
minutes
cooking
50
minutes
difficulty
Mid
level
The key to making good dough is to keep everything super, super cold. I usually measure out my water first and put it in the freezer. I will also cut my butter and just toss with the dry ingredients and put that bowl in the freezer too for about 5 minutes. You’ll also find what brand of butter works for you. A butter with a higher fat-to-liquid ratio is best, because it stays super hard even in warmer temperatures.
Ingredients
- 65–80 ml (2¼–2½ fl oz) cold water
- 100 g (3½ oz) cold butter
- 170 g (6 oz) plain (all-purpose) flour, plus extra for dusting
- 1 tsp caster (superfine) sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 egg, beaten with a splash of cream, full-cream (whole) milk or water
Chilling time: 30 mins
Instructions
1. Once everything is very cold, begin to crumble the butter into the flour using your fingertips. Work the butter into the flour until you have bean-sized lumps. Begin to rub the dough between the palms of your hands as if trying to wipe your hands off. This is what creates those thin sheets of butter that form flaky layers. Add half the cold water and mix with your hands. Try not to stretch or knead the dough; you just want it to come together. At this stage, I like to dump it onto a bench so I can press the dough together. If it comes together easily without any dry, floury spots, then it has enough water. If there are some powdery, dry clumps, add a bit more water until everything comes together. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and press it into a disc. Rub the outside of the plastic wrap to create a smooth edge (this will help get a more even circle when rolling it out). Refrigerate to cool and rest for at least 30 minutes.
2. If you have a marble benchtop, that is ideal for rolling out pastry as it stays cold. A wooden bench has the advantage of not being sticky. Whatever you have, try to find a space in your kitchen with enough flat surface to give you room to move. When the dough is still cold, but has warmed enough to be slightly pliable, dust it with flour. Roll the dough out from the centre in all directions, trying to keep the round shape as much as possible. I purposely wrote this recipe to give you enough extra dough so that you can roll it out wider than you need to then cut a neat round of dough, so don’t worry about the edges being cracked or uneven. Continue rolling and rotating the dough to ensure it doesn’t stick, until it reaches a diameter of 33 cm (13 in) and a thickness of 2 mm (⅛ in). Use a little extra flour when rolling to prevent it sticking, but don’t throw handfuls of flour at it. Trim the edges so you are left with a neat circle (but not too perfect). Gently roll the dough up on a rolling pin and place it on a piece of baking paper. Transfer the baking paper and dough to a round pizza pan. If you don’t have a pizza pan, you’ll just lift the baking paper straight onto a baking stone when ready to bake. This is when you will add your toppings.
3. As far as rolling up the edges, you can make flat folds or elaborate, decorative edges, but my preferred fold is a pretty crimp, which I always think makes the humble galette look much more professional, but if that’s not your vibe, make it rustic.
4. To make said crimp, start at any point along the edge and fold a small section over itself to create a crust about 2 cm (¾ in) wide (I like a thick crust). Continue folding the dough over on itself to create a pretty fold. If you don’t want to bake the galette straight away, you can refrigerate it for up to 24 hours at this point, and a bit of chill time is preferred to help firm up the dough. Once you’ve added the topping, bake within the next few hours to prevent the crust from getting soggy.
5. You want to bake this in a hot oven, and by hot I mean 200–220°C (400–430°F). This is what gives you that gorgeous deep golden and caramelised crust. Before going into the oven, brush the edge with the egg wash.
6. Transfer the galette to the oven, either on the pizza pan on top of the baking stone, or place the galette, still on its baking paper, directly on the stone. Drop the oven temperature to 180°C (350°F) and bake for 30 minutes. If you are using a pizza pan, carefully hold the pan with an oven mitt or tea towel (dish towel) and, holding the baking paper on the opposite side, slide the galette off the tray and place it directly on the baking stone. Increase the oven temperature to 200°C (400°F) and continue baking for 20–30 minutes until the crust and filling are golden. Once baked, flip a baking tray upside down and pull your galette, using the baking paper, off the stone and onto the tray. Transfer to a wire rack to cool and, finally, pull the baking paper out from underneath the galette. If you leave the baking paper underneath, the crust will steam and the pastry won’t be crisp.
Images and text from by Danielle Alvarez. Photography by Benito Martin. Hardie Grant RRP $50.00
Cook's Notes
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.
The key to making good dough is to keep everything super, super cold. I usually measure out my water first and put it in the freezer. I will also cut my butter and just toss with the dry ingredients and put that bowl in the freezer too for about 5 minutes. You’ll also find what brand of butter works for you. A butter with a higher fat-to-liquid ratio is best, because it stays super hard even in warmer temperatures.
