Friday, September 17, 2010

Galette Dough

This is an outstanding galette dough, but it is important that you add the butter exactly as given in the recipe. It is from Alice Waters Chez Panisse Fruit and originally came from Jacques Pépin. This makes enough dough for 2 galettes and keeps well in the freezer.

Galette Dough
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
12 tblsp unsalted butter, chilled, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
7 tblsp ice water
Combine flour, sugar, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Cut 4 tblsp butter into the flour mixture with a pastry blender, mixing until the dough resembles coarse cornmeal. Cut in the remaing 8 tblsp butter with the pastry blender, just until the biggest pieces of the butter are the size of large peas--or a little larger.
Dribble 7 tblsp of ice water (that's 1/2 cup less 1 tblsp) into the flour mixture in several stages, tossing and mixing between additions, until the dough just holds together. Toss the mixture with your hands, letting it fall through your fingers. Do not pinch or squeeze the dough together or you will overwork it, making it tough. Keep tossing the mixture until it starts to pull together: it will look rather ropy, with some dry patches. If it looks like there are more dry patches than ropy parts, add another tablespoon of water and toss the mixture until it comes together. Divide the dough in half, firmly press each half into a ball, and wrap tightly in plastic wrap, pressing down to flatten each ball into a 4" disk. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before rolling out.
When you are ready to roll out the dough, take one disk from the refrigerator and let it soften slightly so that it malleable but still cold. Unwrap the dough and press the edges of the disk so that there are no cracks. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the disk into a 14" circle. Place the dough on a piece of baking parchment on a baking sheet.
To make a fruit galette, spread fruit over the dough leaving about a 1 1/2" border. Sprinkle sugar over the fruit. Fold the border over the fruit, crimping and pushing it against the fruit. The rim must act as a dam, preventing juices from escaping. Brush the border with water or melted butter and sprinkle with raw sugar. Bake in the center of a 4o0 degree oven for about 45 minutes, rotating every 15 minutes.