This summer passed ridiculously fast. Or should I say, every minute passed ridiculously fast after little croissant was born. Don’t get me wrong. Even with all the exhausting nights, sleepy eyes and isolated feeling, I still enjoyed being little croissant’s mother so so much.
The only downside is, I don’t have much time left to myself. I haven’t taken full advantage of the gorgeous PNW summer and definitely did not go to farmer’s market enough. I barely have time to bake, too.
Luckily, there are so many natural desserts summer has to offer. Watermelons, rainier cherries, juicy plums, white nectarines, local blueberries and so many more. I’m spoiled by these high-quality in-season fruits, until one day we’re gifted some just so so cherries and yellow peaches from my mom’s friend, who went a little overboard from her Costco haul.
So I decided it’s time to make my first galette this summer.
No offense to pie lovers, but galette is ten times better than any pie. The crust to filling ratio is perfect. You can basically throw any fruits in (or a savory filling is delicious too!). You don’t need a pie dish. It’s impossible to mess up. Make it big or small, neat or rustic. It’s all your decision. Plus, even the pronunciation of galette sounds sexy.
I like to use Yossy Arefi’s Any Fruit Galette as my base and add my own twists on it. I use half rye flour and half all-purpose flour. I found the savory note rye flour has compensates well with the sweet fruit filling and rich flaky dough. Yossy’s pie crust makes two 8-inch galettes, but I like to make four 4-inch galettes. What I usually do is make one recipe of the pie crust, divide into four portions, use one immediately and freeze the rest three.
A 4-inch galette is the perfect size to use up any leftover fruits you have and don’t feel guilty eating the whole thing by yourself.
As now you have 3 wonderfully buttery and flaky galette crust in the freezer, it wouldn’t be long till your next galette making. I have since made Cherry Rye Galette with leftover strawberry jam, Yellow Peach Rye Galette with rhubarb compote and Rhubarb Lemon Rye Galette. All so good. 
The other day I was at Target and already saw pumpkin-themed fall decoration on the shelf.😨 I mean, it’s not even September and thus technically it’s still summer, right?! So until next time, maybe we should not rush to drink our first pumpkin spice latte. Let’s enjoy as many ripe stone fruits as this late summer can offer and make another round of rye galettes. 
Late Summer Rye Galette
Yield: one 4-inch galettes, and three 4-inch galette crusts to freeze
Author: HerBakingLab
Recipe from Yossy Arefi
MATERIALS:
For Pie Crust:
1. 1 1⁄3 cups (170g) all-purpose flour
2. 1 1⁄3 cups (170g) rye flour
3. 1 teaspoon kosher salt
4. 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (255g) very cold unsalted butter
5. 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
6. 8-10 tablespoons (120ml) ice water
For Filling:
1. 170g fresh fruit
2. 1⁄8 cup jam
3. 1⁄8 cup (25g) granulated sugar, to taste
4. 1 tablespoon flour
5. lemon zest (optional)
6. vanilla bean paste (optional)
7. pinch of salt
8. 1 egg, for egg wash
9. turbinado sugar for sprinkling
PROCEDURE:
For crust:
1. Whisk the flour and salt together in a large bowl, cut the butter into 1⁄2-inch cubes, and add the apple cider vinegar to the ice water.
2. Working quickly, add the butter to the flour and toss to coat. Then use your fingers or the palms of your hands to press each cube of butter into a flat sheet. Keep tossing the butter in the flour as you go to ensure that each butter piece is coated with flour. The idea is to create flat, thin shards of butter that range from about the size of a dime to about the size of a quarter. If at any time the butter seems warm or soft, briefly refrigerate the bowl.
3. Sprinkle about 6 tablespoons of the icy cold vinegar-water mixture over the flour mixture. Use a gentle hand or wooden spoon to stir the water into the flour until just combined. If the dough seems dry, add more cold water a couple of teaspoons at a time. You have added enough water when you can pick up a handful of the dough and easily squeeze it together without it falling apart.
4. Press the dough together, then split it in fourth. Form each dough into a disk, and wrap each disk in plastic wrap. Chill the dough for at least 2 hours before using, but preferably overnight. Keeps for up to three months in the freezer wrapped in a double layer of plastic wrap and a layer of foil. Thaw in the refrigerator before using.
For galette:
1. Arrange a rack in the oven in the lower third and preheat oven to 425ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Combine the sugar vanilla bean paste, lemon zest, flour and salt in a bowl. Add the fruit to a large bowl and sprinkle the sugar mixture over the top, but don’t stir quite yet.
3. On a lightly floured surface roll the dough into a rough circle between 1/8-1/4-inch thick and transfer it to a parchment lined baking sheet. Gently stir the fruit mixture until well combined.
4. Spread the jam onto the center of the dough, then pour the fruit into the center of the galette. Press gently to compact the fruit into an even layer. Fold the edges of the dough up and over the fruit and press the folds gently to seal. Refrigerate the formed galettes until the dough is very firm.
5. Brush the galette with egg wash, sprinkle with turbinado sugar and flaky salt if desired and bake until deep golden brown and bubbling, about 45 minutes. Serve warm.
NOTES:
1. For your filling inspiration, here are some of my favorites this summer: Rhubarb with sweet strawberry jam, Peach & Berry (any kinds of peach with any kinds of berry), and Plum with apricot jam.
2. If you decide to make a rhubarb galette, be sure to at least double the amount of sugar in the filling (and serve with vanilla ice cream)!
3. If you want to make this late summer fruit galette to next level, make some streusel and sprinkle on top (goes especially well with Peach & Berry galette). You can use the streusel recipe from my Copycat TJ’s Pancake Bread.
