Fresh Strawberry Galettes are this weekend’s pantry staple baking recipe for Feast Magazine. A galette is a rustic freeform pastry that’s filled with fresh fruit and baked on a flat baking sheet. It’s similar to a tart or pie, but without all the fuss. Simple to throw together, it’s perfect for making during the spring and summer months when seasonal fruits are abundant (save this recipe for when stone fruits, like peaches and plums arrive mid-summer). These are meant to be served as individual portions with everyone getting their own personal flaky-crust galette piled high with vibrant roasted strawberries. This dough is closer to a laminated pastry dough in texture than a pie dough and it’s simplicity at its best. It’s perfectly tender and flaky, yet sturdy enough to hold the juiciest fresh baked strawberries. We make these every year after going strawberry-picking, so if you have any left over strawberries from your own local farm pair them with this galette dough.

Fresh Strawberry Galettes

Makes 5 individual galettes

Galette Dough

1 cup (132g)  all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons (26g)  sugar
1/4 teaspoon  baking powder
1/4 teaspoon  kosher salt
1/2 cup (112g)  cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes

In a bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the butter and cut it into pea-sized pieces with a pastry blender. Or, use your fingertips to smash the butter into pea-sized pieces. Add 2 Tbsp of cold water and lightly combine the mixture until the water is evenly distributed. The dough will still appear dry. Transfer the dough onto a clean work surface and then bring the dough together firmly with your hands. Using the heel of your palm, press into the dough to bring it together even more. Next, use your hands to turn the dough over on itself and then press into the dough again with your palm. Repeat these motions until the dough comes together, with no dry spots, and pea-sized butter pieces still remain visible throughout the dough. Take care not to overwork the dough as this will produce tough galettes. Press the dough into a ½-inch thick disc and wrap airtight with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until completely firm for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let it sit on the counter for 10-15 minutes. This will help warm up the dough making it easier to roll out. Place the unwrapped dough between two large pieces of parchment paper and then roll it out to about 1/8-inch thick (you can also roll the dough out on a lightly floured work surface). Place the entire sheet of dough onto a large baking sheet and set it back into the refrigerator to chill until firm for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the strawberry filling.

Remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator and peel off both pieces of parchment. Let the dough rest back onto one piece of parchment to keep it from sticking to the counter. Cut the dough into 4-inch squares (no need to trim the rough edges). Re-roll the scraps and cut out one more dough square.

Combine the strawberries with the sugar mixture. Evenly distribute a pile of strawberries onto the center of each dough square, leaving a ½-inch to 1-inch border around the edges. Fold the border of each square over onto itself creating a tight round border of dough all around the pile of strawberries. Carefully transfer strawberry galettes onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and set in the freezer to firm for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 375F (190C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Prepare the egg wash. Remove the galettes from the freezer and set them on the prepared baking sheet, spaced 2-inches apart. Brush the crust with egg wash and sprinkle the crust border with more sugar. Bake for 30-33 minutes or until deeply golden brown. Remove from oven and set on a cooling rack. Serve galettes while still warm and enjoy with whipped cream or a scoop of ice cream.

Strawberry Filling

2 cups (265g) fresh strawberries, halved or quartered for big strawberries
2 tablespoons (28g)  unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon  light brown sugar
1 tablespoon  sugar, plus more for sprinkling
1/8 teaspoon  kosher salt

In a bowl, combine the strawberries and butter. In a separate bowl, combine the brown sugar and salt. Set both bowls aside until ready to use.

Egg Wash

1 large egg
1 tablespoon of heavy cream or milk
Pinch of kosher salt

In a bowl, whisk together all ingredients.