When peaches are in season, this rustic peach galette is a must-try. Pie’s unfussy cousin, galettes are a fantastic option when you crave a fruit pie but don’t have time to prepare one. This peach galette recipe is a cinch to prepare, cools much faster than regular pie, and the results are so tasty!
Since fresh peaches are the star of the show here, be sure to choose ripe peaches. They should have a strong, sweet fragrance and feel firm but not hard. Avoid peaches that are mushy or very hard, as they will not bake well. For more peach recipes, try my peach pie, peach cobbler, and peach crisp.
What You Need To Make This Recipe
Pastry dough — you’re essentially making half my no-fail pie crust recipe with flour, sugar, salt, butter, and ice water. This is the base for the galette and will hold all of the delicious peach filling.
Egg — an egg wash browns the crust for extra flavor and a pretty appearance. You need one large egg beaten with water.
Coarse sugar — while optional, I highly recommend sprinkling coarse sugar over the peach galette before baking. It adds sparkle and an addictive crunch the crust and filling.
Peaches — pit and slice the fresh peaches. No need to peel them! You can also swap in an equal amount of nectarines if you can’t find good peaches but want the same flavor profile.
Lemon juice — fresh lemon juice brightens up all the flavors in the peach galette.
Sugar — granulated sugar sweetens the filling and crust.
Cornstarch — cornstarch is a must to thicken the filling so that it isn’t runny.
Cinnamon — ground cinnamon adds a hint of warmth that plays well with the sweet peaches.
Vanilla — use real store-bought or homemade vanilla extract for the best flavor.
How To Make a Peach Galette
1. Prepare the galette dough in a food processor by combining all-purpose flour, sugar, and salt. Pulse a few times. Add the cold butter. Pulse 3 to 4 times to break the pieces down. Slowly pour in 4 tablespoons of ice water while pulsing the food processor. The dough should hold together when pinched. If not, add another tablespoon or two of water.
2. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and work it into a ball. Flatten the dough into a disc, wrap it with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 3 days.
3. Work on the filling in a large bowl. Stir together the peach slices, lemon juice, and vanilla extract.
4. Add the granulated sugar, cornstarch, and ground cinnamon, and toss until the peaches are well coated.
5. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface, roll the chilled pie dough into a 12-inch circle and place it on the parchment paper.
6. Spoon the filling into the center of the dough. Leave a 2-inch border of dough around the filling. Reserve any extra juices from the peaches in the bowl.
7. Fold the crust up and over the filling towards the center. The dough should cover an inch or two of the edge of the filling, but most of it will be exposed. Pinch any folds or overlaps in the dough to help it keep its shape. Drizzle any juices from the peach bowl over the filling.
8. Brush the crust with egg wash and sprinkle with coarse sugar. Bake at 425°F for 30 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbling away. Let the galette cool for 15 to 20 minutes before slicing and serving it à la mode with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. You can also serve peach galette with a dollop of whipped cream, or even a drizzle of caramel sauce.
What is a Galette?
Think of a galette as a rustic, freeform pie. You use a pie crust, but there is no crimping or latticework involved. The bottom crust is simply folded over to contain the sweet, juicy filling. It is a delicious, simpler dessert requiring less technical skill and less time overall than a pie but with all of the same flavors and textures you crave in a pie slice. I love serving a galette when I want to impress my guests with a gorgeous dessert that doesn’t take a lot of time to make.
How to Make a Galette Crust
A galette crust is essentially an all-butter pie crust, just shaped differently. The ingredients and method are the same as my homemade pie crust recipe. If you don’t have a food processor, you can make the dough by hand using a pastry cutter to cut the butter into the dry ingredients, then stir in the liquid with a fork until it’s shaggy.
The difference is that when making a pie, you typically have a bottom and top crust. The bottom crust is pressed into a pie dish, and the top crust is either woven into a lattice or placed on top, and the edges are crimped.
A galette has no top crust. Instead, the crust is laid on a baking sheet, and the filling is scooped onto it. The edges of the pie crust are simply folded onto the filling, but the filling is left mostly exposed. The galette is then baked on the baking sheet, creating a rustic tart.
How to Know if Your Peaches Are Ripe
For peach desserts like this peach galette, you want to choose fresh peaches that are ripe but not too ripe. Ripe peaches should have a sweet, peachy smell and should be firm but not hard. To check a peach’s ripeness, give it a good smell, then gently press into the peach near the stem end. If they smell sweet and give slightly when you press them, they are ripe enough for baking. Avoid peaches that are rock-hard, very soft and bruised, or have moldy spots.
How Do I Keep My Galette From Getting Soggy?
Adding cornstarch to the fruit filling helps thicken everything up so the filling is not watery and doesn’t soak into the crust and turn it soggy. I also add any juices drawn from the peaches at the very end so there is less time for the juices to sit on the crust, and they won’t spill out before you fold the edges of the crust over the filling.
Also, make sure the galette is baked for long enough. The crust should be a deep golden brown. This will ensure the bottom of the crust is nicely browned and crisp, some moisture has evaporated from the filling and the juices have condensed, and the filling has gotten hot enough to activate the cornstarch.
Can I Use Frozen Peaches?
Fresh peaches are the best option for this dessert, but frozen peaches work as well. Thaw them out and drain any liquid before proceeding with the recipe. Avoid canned peaches as they are too soft and wet to begin with.
Pro Tips For Making This Recipe
- Use cold ingredients to make the dough. This will keep the butter from melting into the dough before you start baking. Cold butter creates a flaky, airy pie crust as it bakes.
- Use different fruit: If you can’t find good fresh peaches, use nectarines instead. They taste very similar to peaches (without the fuzz!). You can also replace one cup of the peaches with other stone fruits like plums and apricots or berries like blueberries and sliced strawberries for a mixed fruit filling. Or, try my blueberry galette and apple galette.
- For a glossy finish: To give the fruit a glossy finish after baking, melt 1 tablespoon of apricot jam or jelly and brush it over the peaches while warm.
- Allow the peach galette to cool. While this dessert does not need to cool for hours like a pie, it still needs 15 to 20 minutes to allow the filling to set up a little. It will still be warm after that time, so if you prefer warm desserts, don’t fret! This galette recipe is also tasty at room temperature.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can use store-bought pie dough to save time. However, the buttery flavor and texture of a homemade pie crust are unbeatable! Store-bought pie crusts can also be thinner than homemade crusts, so keep that in mind. You can want to press two together to achieve a crust that’s about ⅛-inch thick.
While this peach galette is best eaten the day it is baked, you can store leftovers (covered with plastic wrap) at room temperature for 1 day. Or, wrap it well with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Keep in mind that the crust will lose its crispness the longer the galette sits. Reheat leftovers at 300°F for a few minutes until warmed through.
Yes, you can freeze a galette before baking. Skip the egg wash and coarse sugar and freeze the assembled galette on a sheet pan until solid. Transfer to an airtight container or wrap in plastic and place in a freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. Unwrap and bake from frozen as directed in the recipe (after brushing with the egg wash and sprinkling turbinado sugar). You will need to add 5 to 10 minutes to the bake time. If you are worried about the filling becoming too watery after thawing, add an extra tablespoon of cornstarch when preparing the peach filling.
I do not recommend assembling the peach galette ahead of time unless you plan to freeze it. Instead, if you want to prep this a day in advance, make the dough, flatten it into a disc, wrap it tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate. It will keep for up to 3 days.
If you’ve tried this peach galette recipe, then don’t forget to rate it and let me know how you got on in the comments below. I love hearing from you!
Peach Galette Recipe
Equipment
- Food Processor
- mixing bowl
- Baking Sheet
Ingredients
For the Pie Crust:
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour (180g)
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter cubed
- 4 to 5 tablespoons ice water
- Egg wash: 1 large egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water
- Coarse sugar for sprinkling (optional)
For the Filling:
- 1½ pounds fresh ripe peaches pitted and sliced (about 3 cups sliced) (675g)
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar (66g)
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
For the Crust:
- In a food processor, combine the flour, sugar and salt. Pulse a few times to combine. Add the butter. Pulse 3 to 4 times to break the pieces down a bit. Slowly pour in 4 tablespoons of water while pulsing the food processor. The dough should hold together when pinched. If not, add another tablespoon or two of water.
- Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and work it gently into a ball. Flatten the dough into a disc, wrap tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 3 days.
For the Filling:
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, stir together the peach slices, lemon juice, and vanilla extract. Add the sugar, cornstarch, and cinnamon, and toss until the peaches are well coated in sugar.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll the pie dough into a 12-inch circle and place on the parchment paper.
- Spoon the filling into the center of the crust leaving a 2-inch border of dough around the filling. Reserve and extra juices from the peaches in the bowl.
- Fold the crust up and over the filling towards the center, covering just the edge of the filing, leaving most of the filling exposed Pinch any folds or overlaps in the dough to help it keep its shape. Drizzle any juices from the peach bowl over the filling. Brush the crust with egg wash, and sprinkle with coarse sugar, if desired.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until the crust is a deep golden brown and the filling is bubbling. Let the galette cool for 15 to 20 minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes
- Use cold ingredients to make the dough. This will keep the butter from melting into the dough before you start baking. Cold butter creates a flaky, airy pie crust as it bakes.
- Use different fruit: If you can’t find good fresh peaches, use nectarines instead. They taste very similar to peaches (without the fuzz!). You can also replace one cup of the peaches with other stone fruits like plums and apricots or berries like blueberries and sliced strawberries for a mixed fruit filling. Or, try my blueberry galette and apple galette.
- For a glossy finish: To give the fruit a glossy finish after baking, melt 1 tablespoon of apricot jam or jelly and brush it over the peaches while warm.
- Allow the peach galette to cool. While this dessert does not need to cool for hours like a pie, it still needs 15 to 20 minutes to allow the filling to set up a little. It will still be warm after that time, so if you prefer warm desserts, don’t fret! This galette recipe is also tasty at room temperature.
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