Strawberry Rhubarb Galette: A Taste of June
Strawberry season is here. In the northeast, it’s time to head out to your local farm and fill your baskets with these sweet ripe red juicy berries. Strawberry-rhubarb is a classic flavor combination for pies and sweets this time of year. The sweet juicy berries paired with tart crimson red rhubarb are a match made in heaven! This strawberry rhubarb galette is the perfect dessert to make for a midsummer (solstice) celebration on the longest day of the year. Read on for the recipe and all my tips for baking a perfect galette.
What is a galette?
Galette is a French word to describe a free-formed open-topped pie/tart. The Italian word, crostata, can be used interchangeably for the same dessert. Galettes are often filled with fresh seasonal fruit fillings. I prefer to make them over double-crusted pies in the summer because they are less fussy to form and bake faster. Galettes are the perfect way to use up and feature the seasonal fruit of the moment. Right now strawberries and rhubarb are in season and later in the summer cherries, peaches, nectarines, apricot, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries are all great alone or in combination with each other.
About That Pastry
The key to building flaky pie pastry that won’t break or crack during baking and is a dream to roll out is to fold the dough. Once the dough can hold together it’s pressed out into a rectangle then folded in thrids 2-3 times to create flaky layers and build strength in the dough. The dough needs to rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to relax the gluten strands and firm up the butter before rolling it out. In the video above you can see in detail the steps for making the dough and rolling it out. This is the only way I make pie dough now after many trials and cracked leaky pies.
Another thing to remember is that all-purpose flour is the best choice to avoid cracks in the dough. Whole grain flours absorb more water so if you opt for whole-grain flour you will have to add more water to the dough. Because whole grain flours will produce drier dough it can be prone to cracking when rolling it out.
A juicy filling that won’t leak
Strawberries in particular give off a lot of juice when baked. Sweeter fruits will give off more liquid than tart fillings. Rhubarb contains very little sugar so it will help balance out the juicy strawberries, but the filling is still too wet. I prefer to use tapioca starch (flour) as a thickener for fruit fillings. It thickens beautifully and creates a glossy sheen.
If you can’t find tapioca starch, cornstarch will also work as will all-purpose flour. The filling must bubble in the center of the galette by the time it is done baking to activate the thickening properties of any of these thickening agents.
Strawberry Rhubarb Galette Questions:
How do I keep my galette from leaking its juices?
The method I detail in the recipe for folding or laminating the dough helps strengthen the pastry without overworking it. The dough is easy to roll out and won’t crack. If you use whole grain flours you may have to add more water as whole grain will absorb more liquid than all-purpose flour. Whole grain pastry is often drier and will crack more easily. I found through experience that using tapioca starch to thicken juicy fruit fillings works best to avoid the filling leaking out of galettes during baking. Making sure to brush eggwash between the folds also helps to seal the dough as it bakes and keeps it from cracking at the folds. That said the filling may bubble up and over the sides of the galette. If this happens I take it out of the oven and spoon up as much juice off the parchment paper as I can. Then add it back to the center of the galette and finish baking it. This is one reason I prefer to bake galettes on parchment paper.
Why is my rhubarb greener than red?
Some varieties of rhubarb are green with just a hint of red. While they won’t give you that bright red color when baked they do taste the same. Don’t fret if you can only find green rhubarb, the strawberries should give off more than enough red color to give you that classic red filling.
Can this strawberry rhubarb galette be made vegan?
Yes, replace butter in equal parts with a vegan butter substitute. I like to use Country Crock plant butter in vegan baked goods. The filling is already vegan-friendly. Instead of an egg wash brush the dough with plant milk mixed with a drop of olive oil and a drop of apple cider vinegar.
Can I use other fruit in this galette recipe?
Yes, the pastry recipe is my go-to pastry for pies and galettes. You can add any fruit you like to the filling: summer berries and/or stone fruits always make great combinations when in season.
For more ways to use strawberries and rhubarb this season check out these recipes:
- Strawberry Elderflower Gin Smash
- Vegan Strawberry Ice Cream with Strawberry Jam Ripple
- Vegan Strawberry Rhubarb Frangipane Galettes
- Wild Honeysuckle Strawberry Lemonade
- Semolina Strawberry Shortcake
- Rhubarb Lime Cashew Cream Tart
- Strawberry Icebox Pie
- Rhubarb Curd Bars
- Rhubarb Rose Almond Cake
Love this recipe?
If you made my Strawberry Rhubarb Galette recipe I would love to hear your feedback! Please leave a star-rating review of the recipe and let me know what you think in a comment below. This small act is a great way to show your support for the food blogs you read and love. Please tag me in your photos on Instagram so I can see your creations. I might miss it if you only tag me the caption because those notifications fall off quickly, but I can always find it if I’m tagged in the photo itself.
Strawberry Rhubarb Galette
Ingredients
Dough:
- 210 g all-purpose flour 1-1/2 cups
- 2 g kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon
- 100 g cold unsalted butter 7 tablespoons
- 15 g extra-virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon
- ice water
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
Filling:
- 370 g rhubarb 4 large stalks
- 455 g strawberries 1lb
- 200 g granulated sugar 1 cup
- 15 g tapioca starch 2 tablespoons
- 1 g kosher salt 1/4 teaspoon
- 4 g vanilla extract 1 teaspoon
Instructions
- Start with preparing the dough. Stir together the flour and salt with a fork in a mixing bowl.
- Cut the cold butter into 1/2-inch sized chunks and coat each chunk in the flour mixture. Press each chunk of butter into a flat disc between the palms of your hands. Then drizzle the olive oil into the mixture and toss everything together with your hands breaking up some of the butter discs into smaller pieces.
- Add 3 tablespoons of ice water to start and mix it into the flour by fluffing your hands through the mixture to evenly disperse the moisture. Add more water 1 tablespoon at a time until the mixture is wetter but still shaggy. Add just enough more water by dipping your hand into the water and dripping it into the dough and mixing it in with your hands so that the dough holds together when squeezed. Gather the dough together.
- On a clean work surface, press the dough out into a rectangle with your hands then fold it into thirds using a bench knife to help fold the dough onto itself. Give the dough a quarter turn and press it back out into a larger rectangle. Fold it into thirds again then repeat the process one more time. This folding helps create flaky layers in the dough and makes it easier to work with.
- Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit a half sheet pan. Wrap the dough in the parchment paper and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to firm up the butter and rest the gluten in the dough so it will be easier to roll out.
- While the dough rests in the fridge, prepare the filling. Trim the ends of the rhubarb stalks and cut them into 1/2"-1" thick pieces. Trim the stems and leaves off of the strawberries and cut them in half or into quarters so they are roughly the same size as the rhubarb pieces.
- Add the rhubarb and strawberries to a mixing bowl along with the rest of the filling ingredients. use a large spoon to gently fold everything together so the fruit is evenly coated.
- Preheat the oven to 425˚F (218˚C).
- Unwrap the dough and roll it out, right on the parchment paper it was wrapped in. Sprinkle a little flour onto the parchment paper and the dough first and roll the dough out to a large round, about 1/4" thick. Flip the dough over halfway through rolling it out and re-flour the parchment and dough as needed to prevent it from sticking.
- Transfer the dough on the parchment paper onto a half sheet pan. Spoon the filling to the center of the dough then fold the edge up and over the filling.
- Whisk the egg with a fork to create an egg wash for the dough. Brush the beaten egg onto the dough and make sure to lift up and folds of dough and brush under them. Then sprinkle the sugar over the egg wash.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 400˚F (205˚C) and bake the galette for about 30 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbling in the center.
- Cool the galette on the sheet pan to room temperature to allow the filling to set up before slicing into it.
Video
Notes
- The amount of ice water needed for the dough will vary depending on the climate, season, humidity, and environment at the time so I did not include its measurement in the ingredients list. Start out with just a few tablespoons of water then add more until you achieve the right consistency.
- I found that this method of folding or laminating the dough plus using tapioca starch to thicken juicy fruit fillings works best to avoid the filling leaking out of galettes during baking. Making sure to brush eggwash between the folds also helps to seal the dough as it bakes and keeps it from cracking at the folds. That said the filling may bubble up and over the sides of the galette. If this happens I take it out of the oven and spoon up as much juice off the parchment paper as I can. Then add it back to the center of the galette and finish baking it. Another reason to use parchment paper.
Nutrition
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Sarah
This looks divine! That color!
Kaity Farrell
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A Home Is Announced
I’d never made a pie or galette, or anything strawberry rhubarb flavored before in my life but this recipe just looked too good not to try! Came out AMAZING. My brother-in-law (who loves strawberry rhubarb pie with a passion) said it was one the best he’s ever had. 🖤
Kaity Farrell
Thank you for your feedback, Kadie! So happy the recipe was a hit! xx
Michele
When I saw this it brought me to tears.
My husband passed away 22mos ago.
Every June( his birthday month) he loved strawberry rhubarb pie/ galette. Oh how I wish I could make it again for him.
Thank you posting.
Kaity Farrell
Thank you for sharing your story with me Michele! Sending you love. xx
Sabreen
I’ve not baked anything too crazy before and I followed this recipe tonight after much procrastinating this past week…. let me tell you, it was worth the wait! This recipe is incredible. I followed it entirely and the smell and taste are unlike anything I’ve ever had before! My fiancé was beside himself and told me this is his new favorite dessert. I’m so happy with the turn out. Especially baking it at 7200 ft elevation. Thank you Kaity!!
Kaity Farrell
Thank you so much, Sabreen! So happy it was a hit! xx
Sabreen
This is one of my favorite dessert recipes! I’m in a bind to get fresh rhubarb right now though, will this still turn out as good with frozen rhubarb?
Kaity Farrell
Frozen rhubarb works wonderfully in this recipe! There is no need to thaw it first, just add it in straight from the freezer. It may take 5-10 minutes longer to bake.