This berry galette is as delicious as berry pie, but takes half the time and effort. This easy yet impressive dessert is complete with a thick and flavorful homemade crust made with tangy buttermilk and cornmeal, and, of course, a scoop of vanilla ice cream!
Galette! Pie’s very unassuming and carefree little sis.
Galette is the dessert I suggest to nearly any beginner baker, especially those nervous about making pie crust from scratch. Because, great news! It’s simply free-form pie. Just as delicious and awesome as pie, but there’s no weaving, crimping, trimming, or any of that meticulous business. The baking and cooling times are both much shorter than a traditional blueberry pie or triple berry pie. You can make mini fruit galettes, too!
Berry galette is a perfect stepping-stone recipe for baking beginners who are feeling a bit pie-shy. 😉
An Upgraded Pie Crust
Back in 2016 when I was testing this recipe, I played around with a buttermilk cornmeal pie crust. The result doesn’t necessarily taste like cornbread, but it has many of the same ingredients including fine cornmeal, buttermilk, flour, and butter. This particular crust crisps up beautifully, has a little crunch from the cornmeal, and when paired with juicy, sweet, and warm berries? It’s absolute heaven. Think of it as a flavorful upgrade from regular pie crust; I love it with quiche and use the same crust for my lemony blueberry galette.
4-Ingredient Berry Filling
For the crust, you can make the dough at least 1 hour and up to a couple days ahead of time; it must chill in the refrigerator before you shape it. And by “shaping” I mean that in the most casual sense ever. Because galette is not picky. Whatever shape the dough rolls out to be, you can leave it.
Berry Galette Success Tip: Keep It Flat
One thing to keep in mind, though—unlike pies where you can pile the fillings sky-high, galettes don’t really like it when there’s too much filling. The crust can’t bake through properly and will stay mushy, flimsy, and blah. (Technical terms here.) To avoid that nonsense, keep this in mind: flat and compact. Flatten that filling down, compact the fruit as much as you can, and leave a 2- to 3-inch border so you can fold the dough edges over.
Before baking, brush the crust with egg wash (egg + milk) and sprinkle with coarse sugar. These are my 2 main finishes for nearly all sweet pies. The egg wash leaves a golden sheen on the dough as it bakes, and helps the crust to brown evenly. The coarse sugar is for… well… a sweet sparkly finish. Plus the most wonderful slight crunch.
When berry season is over, be sure to try my always-beloved apple galette or this deeply flavored ginger pear galette—both are fall favorites.
As low maintenance as it is, the one thing that berry galette demands is a big fat scoop of vanilla ice cream. Melty ice cream, warm berry filling, buttery crisp cornmeal crust… I think we are all very happy to oblige!
Berry Galette Recipe
Ingredients You’ll Need
Instructions
- Whisk the flour, cornmeal, sugar, and salt together in a medium bowl. Using a pastry cutter or a couple forks, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse, pea-sized crumbs. Add the buttermilk and stir until the flour is moistened and the dough clumps up. Mix in 1 more Tablespoon of buttermilk if the dough seems dry. Pour crumbly dough onto a lightly floured work surface and bring it together with your hands. Shape the dough into a ball and flatten it into a 1-inch-thick disc. Wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least 1 hour and up to 3 days (or freeze for up to 3 months).
- Mix the berries, sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice together in a large bowl. Tip: You do not want the berry filling to sit for too long, as the berries will release too much juice; mix filling together right before using.
- Preheat oven to 425°F (190°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Set aside.
- On a lightly floured work surface, roll the chilled dough into a 12- to 14-inch circle (or any shape, really!). Trim the rim of the circle to make a clean cut, if desired. Transfer dough to the prepared baking sheet.
- Spoon the filling into the center of the dough, leaving a 2- to 3-inch border all around. Gently fold the edges of the dough over the fruit, overlapping the dough as necessary. Press gently to seal the edges. Brush the edges with egg wash and sprinkle with coarse sugar.
- Bake until the filling is bubbly and the crust is golden brown, about 28 to 32 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before slicing and serving. Tastes wonderful served warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
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