Easy Strawberry Galette
Updated: 4 days ago
TIME About 3 hours | SERVES 8 | LEVEL Medium |
Why You'll Love It
FLAKY, BUTTERY LAYERS Smearing the dough with the heel of your hand builds flaky, buttery layers. | RUSTIC, NOT FUSSY A free-form tart that looks beautiful precisely because it is a little imperfect. |
JAMMY, JUICY BERRIES Macerated strawberries and a spoonful of jam bake into a bubbling, ruby filling. | MAKE THE DOUGH AHEAD The dough keeps for two days in the fridge or a month frozen. |
Tested in my kitchen · As seen on TODAY and The Tonight Show · Parade magazine's chef for 10 years · About Chef Jon → |
Strawberry Galette
Serves 8 | Chill: at least 1 hour | Bake: 60 to 70 minutes
Ingredients
Crust
150g (1¼ cups) all-purpose flour
1g (¼ teaspoon) fine sea salt
113g (8 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes
60g (¼ cup) ice water, plus more if needed
Filling
680g (1½ pounds) strawberries, hulled and halved if small, quartered if large (about 5 cups)
50g (¼ cup + 1 tablespoon) sugar, divided
80ml (⅓ cup) strawberry jam
1½ tablespoons cornstarch
¼ teaspoon table salt
Method
STEP 1 OF 11
Cut in the butter
In a food processor, combine the flour and salt with a brief pulse, just enough to marry the two. Scatter the cold cubes of butter over the top, then pulse again until the mixture resembles coarse sand. You’re looking for butter the size of small peas, nothing too fussy, but distinct.
You'll know it's right when you can still see pea-sized pieces of butter. Those become the flaky layers. |
STEP 2 OF 11
Add the water
Add the ice water and pulse a few more times until the dough begins to form small, damp curds. It should hold together when pinched, but resist the urge to overwork it.
You'll know it's right when a pinch of the dough holds together when you squeeze it. |
If something's off: if it crumbles apart, add more ice water a teaspoon at a time and pulse once or twice after each addition. |
STEP 3 OF 11
Smear the dough
Tip the mixture onto a lightly floured surface and gather it into a rough rectangle, about 30cm long and 10cm wide. Now, using the heel of your hand, gently smear the dough forward in small sections. This is called fraisage, and it encourages those heavenly flaky layers. Repeat the process once more, gathering and smearing again until the dough holds together in a shaggy but cohesive mass.
STEP 4 OF 11
Chill the dough
Shape it into a 15cm disc, wrap tightly in cling film, and refrigerate for at least an hour. It will keep for up to two days in the fridge or a month in the freezer. If frozen, let it thaw gently on the counter before using.
STEP 5 OF 11
Macerate the strawberries
One hour before you intend to roll out the dough, toss the strawberries with ¼ cup of sugar and leave them to macerate in a bowl. Their juices will begin to pool, and the scent will fill the room with summer. After an hour, drain them in a colander set in the sink. Set aside 1 tablespoon of the juice. This will later gild the crust with a touch of shine and scent.
STEP 6 OF 11
Heat the oven
Preheat your oven to 190°C (375°F) and set a rack in the lower-middle position. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
STEP 7 OF 11
Roll the dough
Roll the chilled dough into a rough 30cm circle on a lightly floured surface, then transfer to the prepared sheet. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and chill again for about 10 minutes, just to let it firm up.
STEP 8 OF 11
Toss the filling
Meanwhile, whisk together the strawberry jam, cornstarch, and salt in a large bowl. Add the drained berries and gently toss to coat. Be kind to them; they bruise easily.
STEP 9 OF 11
Fold the galette
Pile the fruit into the centre of the dough, leaving a generous 5cm border. Fold the edges inward, pleating as you go, so that the galette forms its beautiful, rustic crown. Pinch the folds gently to hold them together, but don’t press them too tightly against the fruit.
STEP 10 OF 11
Glaze and sugar
Brush the folded crust with the reserved strawberry juice and sprinkle the entire galette, crust and filling, with the remaining tablespoon of sugar.
STEP 11 OF 11
Bake and cool
Bake for 60 to 70 minutes, or until the crust is a deep golden bronze and the fruit is bubbling like a cauldron of ruby syrup. Let the galette cool on the sheet for 10 minutes, then, using the parchment, carefully slide it onto a wire rack. Remove the parchment and allow it to cool until just warm, about 30 minutes.
You'll know it's right when the crust is a deep golden bronze and the juices bubble thickly in the centre, not just at the edges. |
If something's off: if the crust is browning before the fruit bubbles, lay a loose sheet of foil over the top for the rest of the bake. |
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Key Ingredients
Cold Unsalted Butter: Kept cold and left in pea-sized pieces, the butter creates the flaky, buttery layers in the crust.
All-Purpose Flour: Flour forms the base of the pastry, and smearing it with the butter builds those lovely flaky sheets.
Ice Water: Ice water brings the dough together into damp curds without warming the butter.
Strawberries: Hulled and halved or quartered, then macerated in sugar, they bake into a jammy, juicy, ruby filling.
Sugar: Some draws the juices out of the berries, and the rest is sprinkled over the galette for a sparkling, golden crust.
Strawberry Jam: A spoonful of jam deepens the berry flavour and helps the filling turn glossy and jammy.
Cornstarch: Cornstarch thickens the strawberry juices as they bake, so the filling bubbles thickly rather than running everywhere.
Reserved Strawberry Juice: Brushed over the folded crust, a tablespoon of the drained juice gives it shine and a lovely berry scent.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Warm butter: the pastry loses its flakiness, so keep the butter cold and stop pulsing while you can still see pea-sized pieces.
Overworking the dough: it turns tough, so pulse only until it forms damp curds that hold together when pinched.
Skipping the draining: undrained berries flood the galette, so macerate them, drain them well and save just a tablespoon of juice for the crust.
Overfilling: it is a tart, not a fruit avalanche, so leave a generous border and fold it gently over the fruit.
Pulling it out too soon: bake until the crust is deep golden bronze and the juices bubble thickly in the centre, not just at the edges.
Cutting it straight from the oven: let it cool on the sheet and then on a rack until just warm, so the filling has time to set.
How to Store
Make ahead: The dough keeps, tightly wrapped, for up to two days in the fridge or a month in the freezer; thaw it gently on the counter before rolling.
Fridge: Galette is at its best the day it is baked, but leftovers keep, covered, in the fridge for up to three days.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a galette?
A galette is a rustic, free-form French tart. The pastry is folded loosely around the fruit, so there is no tart tin needed and it looks beautiful precisely because it is a little imperfect.
Why do I macerate the strawberries?
Tossing the berries in sugar draws out their juices and deepens their flavour. Draining them before baking helps you avoid a soggy-bottomed galette.
What is fraisage?
It is the French technique of smearing the dough forward with the heel of your hand. It flattens the butter into thin sheets that bake into flaky layers.
Can I make the galette dough ahead?
Yes. It keeps for up to two days in the fridge or a month in the freezer. If frozen, let it thaw gently on the counter before using.
How do I know when my strawberry galette is done?
The crust should be a deep golden bronze and the juices should bubble thickly in the centre, not just at the edges.
What if the crust browns before the fruit bubbles?
Lay a loose sheet of foil over the top for the rest of the bake, so the filling can catch up without the crust getting too dark.
Can I use slightly bruised strawberries?
Yes, a galette is a lovely home for imperfect fruit. Just trim away any parts that are past their best.
What should I serve with strawberry galette?
Serve it just warm with cream, a spoonful of yogurt, or simply on its own with a fork.
Strawberry Galette, Dusty Footpaths, and a Whisper of Summer
Years after pulling up the old strawberry bed, the occasional, stubborn plant still finds its way through a crack in the path, poking up like an old friend returning uninvited but not unwelcome, teasing me gently about my decision. I admire their persistence. There's something defiant in their little crowns of green, something quietly heroic. I let them be, of course, plucking the ruby fruit when it ripens, still warm from the sun, and popping it into my mouth before the blackbirds can stake their claim. The skin gives way with a sigh, and for a moment, I'm back in a childhood garden where everything good came with dirt under the fingernails. Strawberries, for all their sun-warmed promise, can be masters of deception. Their perfume (heady, floral, almost overripe in the afternoon heat) lures you in, but too often the taste doesn't quite live up to the scent. A whisper of disappointment on the tongue. And so, I coax them gently. A squeeze of orange juice brings them into the light; a flicker of balsamic draws out their darker tones. Just the tiniest grind of black pepper can surprise you, like the faintest note of spice on a lover's skin.
I hadn't gathered quite enough to make a galette. The bowl, though fragrant, was half-empty. So I made my way to Morning Glory Farm, the screen door creaking behind me, dust rising in little puffs beneath my sandals. The air was thick with the scent of earth and herbs and strawberries so ripe their sweetness seems to hang visibly in the air.
I left with a punnet cradled in my hands like something precious. The fruit was still cool from the farm stand fridge, the surface slightly dimpled, a little sticky where one berry had burst. Honest, sun-kissed, imperfect, just the way summer intended.
If you ever find yourself on Martha's Vineyard at this time of year, do stop by Morning Glory Farm. You'll find strawberries worth the journey. The kind you can smell before you see, and taste before you swallow.
Tips for the Perfect Strawberry Galette (Without Losing Your Mind)
Use cold butter. It gives you that flaky, sigh-worthy pastry.
Don't overfill. It's a tart, not a fruit avalanche.
Leave a good border. About 2 inches is ideal. Fold it gently and pinch to seal. Think origami, but hungrier.
Brush the crust. A little reserved strawberry juice or egg wash makes the whole thing glisten. Like lip gloss for pastry.
Bake until bubbling. The fruit should look like it's singing.
Recommended Equipment
Make this recipe easier with the right tools: Rimmed Baking Sheet, Precut Parchment, Paring Knife, Digital Scale.
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