Hard Rain Peach Galette with Whole Wheat Pastry Crust

Last year I posted an apple galette from Claire Ptak, a recipe I found in Alice Waters' In The Green Kitchen.  The post can be found here.

This year I was inspired to make this peach galette (from the same recipe, using one of Ms. Claire's recommended variations for stone fruit instead of apples).  After missing the Collinsville Farmers Market for several weeks in a row, I was thrilled to find so many new things this week, peaches among them.  It was raining during most of the market, but a bit of rain does not fluster our local farmers.  In fact, it seemed to make them all the more ebullient.  Farmer Tom, of Hard Rain Farm in Burlington, CT, boasted a few cool and appropriate words on his T-shirt and showed it off to us proudly as he was setting up.  It read:  A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall.  Indeed.  At the end of the market he graciously made sure to give me some of his "seconds" peaches.  They just had a few bruises, nothing much, so I took them home, cut them up, and made this delicious peach tart.  Bring on the hard rain!

Peach Galette with Whole Wheat Pastry Crust

This is, hands down, the best crust recipe I know of.  I ate half of a galette this evening while it was barely a moment out of the oven.  This is also one of the easiest desserts to make, especially because the recipe makes enough for 2 doughs and you can freeze one and pull it out later for an impromptu finish to dinner.  

Whole Wheat Dough (makes enough for 2 12-inch tarts)

I love Claire's technique here of blending in half of the butter and leaving the rest in larger pieces--it makes for a very flaky dough.  I have replaced 1 cup of the all-purpose flour from Claire's original recipe with 1 cup of whole wheat pastry flour. 

 

1 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (I've had great success with Bob's Red Mill)
1/2 tsp salt
12 T unsalted butter, cold
1/3 to 1/2 cup ice-cold water (before you begin mixing your dough, measure 1/2 cup very cold water in a liquid measuring cup and stick it in the freezer for a few minutes)
 

Topping
sliced peaches
Sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten, or 1 T heavy cream, for brushing the dough
butter, optional

Measure the flour and salt into a bowl.  Cut the butter into 1/4- to 1/2-inch cubes and put about half of it into the bowl.  Work it into the flour with your fingertips, lightly rubbing and breaking the flour-coated pieces of butter into small bits, until the mixture is roughly the texture of oatmeal or cornmeal.  Add the rest of the butter and work it quickly into the dough until the pieces of butter are about half their original size.  Dribble the water into the dough while tossing the mixture with a fork.  Keep adding water only until the dough begins to clump and hold together when you squeeze a handful.  You may not need the full 1/2 cup.  Divide the dough into two equal pieces and gather each part into a ball.  Wrap each ball in plastic or wax paper and flatten into a disk.  Let the rest, refrigerated, for about an hour.  If you plan to make only 1 galette, freeze the second disk for later use.  

When ready to make the tart, let the dough warm up at room temperature for 15 minutes or so and preheat the oven to 4oo degrees.  Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface  in to a rough circle about 12 inches in diameter and about 1/8 inch thick.  Transfer the pastry to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (you can also bake directly on the sheet) and refrigerate while preparing the peaches.  

 

Mix the peaches with a bit of sugar if desired.  Then sprinkle 1 T flour and 2 T sugar on the dough, leaving a 1 1/2 inch diameter clean, which you will fold over the fruit.  The flour and sugar help to soak up all of the juices and keep the crust crisp.  Arrange peaches in pretty concentric circles or simply pile them on.  Fold the dough over the fruit in 3-4 inch segments.  Then brush the edges of the dough with the beaten egg yolk or cream.  If desired, dot the top of the peaches with butter.

Slip this galette in the preheated oven.  I like to put a jelly roll pan (a baking sheet with a lip around the edge) under my galette pan just in case the juices drip.  Bake 45 to 50 minutes.  Remove and eat.  Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice-cream if desired.