I’m not sure why it took me so long to get the hang of galettes. Overthinking probably had a lot to do with it! Sometime back in June, I finally made a galette that I was happy with. Since then, I’ve been making it with different combinations of summer fruit. This vegan spelt plum galette is my favorite so far.

“Lazy person’s pie”?

For years I’ve read about how galettes are “the lazy person’s pie.” They’re supposed to be lovable for their low-maintenance shaping, so much simpler than, say, a lattice crust.

In spite of everything I read, I just couldn’t the knack of galettes. The first time I tried making one I filled the crust up before transferring it to a baking sheet. When it came time to transfer it, I wrecked it completely. The next few times my proportion of filling to crust was off. Usually, there wasn’t enough crust to go around.

I actually seemed to do a lot better with pies, even the more complicated ones with lattice crusts. The easiest explanation for this may be that I do well with instructions and precision. Cooking processes that call upon intuition are usually the ones that take me the longest to figure out. This is why I’m still getting the hang of sourdough, and why simple pasta dishes are so often tricky for me.

You only grow as a cook if you allow yourself to mess up. That’s the spirit that guided me as I made one more attempt at galettes this summer. I told myself that each bake was practice, and so it didn’t matter if I messed up. Needless to say, that’s when things came together.

Galette Tips & Tricks

Tip #1: When in doubt, make extra crust

Trial after trial suggested to me that I needed to make a little more crust than most recipes called for. So I did. This ensures that there’s plenty of crust to fold over every side of the galette. Crust is delicious, after all, so it’s better to have a little extra than a skimpy amount.

Tip #2: Prepare your galette on a parchment lined baking sheet

I’ve found that galettes are very hard to move/transfer once they’ve been filled and folded. So, I recommend preparing the galette on a parchment lined baking sheet. That way, you can simply transfer it directly to the oven once it’s read to bake.

Tip #3: Push your baking time

I think that pie crust is at its best when it’s allowed to get deeply golden and crispy. Sure, you want to avoid burning it. But a thoroughly baked crust has the nuttiest and most distinctive flavor. I bake this vegan spelt plum galette until it’s deep golden brown, the way I like it, even though it means a for more minutes in the oven than are typically recommended.

Vegan Spelt Plum Galette Ingredients

An all purpose + spelt flour combo

The first time I made the galette I used my go-to vegan pie crust recipe. It’s a modification of Martha Stewart’s pâte brisée recipe, and I halved it. I used all-purpose flour, but once I had a few good results, I started trading a third of the flour for whole wheat pastry flour.

Now I’m making the galette with spelt flour instead. I’m loving the slightly nutty flavor it adds to the crust, which increases with the longer baking time. You can use all spelt, too. If you do that, I’d recommend using light spelt flour, or else your crust may be a bit dense and difficult to work with.

Plums

I used sugar plums in for this vegan spelt plum galette. They have an oblong shape, and they’re wonderfully sweet. You can use black (Friar) plums, red plums, Mirabelle plums, cherry plums, or pluots in the recipe.

If you don’t like plums or they aren’t in season near you, you can actually use just about any fruit you like in the recipe. Keep in mind that really juicy fruits (like berries) may demand a touch more flour in the filling. I found this to be especially true of strawberries!

Spices & seasonings

You can add spices of choice to the filling if you like. When I make this with apples in the fall, I’m sure I’ll add cinnamon, nutmeg, and perhaps a touch of allspice.

Prepping & Storring Vegan Plum Spelt Galette

Galette crust, like pie crust, can be made a few days ahead of time and stored in the fridge until you’re ready to use it. You can also make the crust long in advance (up to six weeks) and store it in the freezer. Having frozen pie crust makes it easier to whip up a delicious fruit dessert at the last moment for friends.

Once the galette is made, I recommend storing leftover slices in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days, or freezing for up to four weeks.

If you’re new to galettes or have had a hard time with them, the way I did, maybe follow this recipe closely for your first attempt. After that, though, you’ll probably have more delicious finished products if you take the time to make this whole process your own.

Vegan Spelt Plum Galette

Author - Gena Hamshaw

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Prep Time: 1 hour

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes

Yields: 8 slices

Ingredients

For the crust:

• 1 cup unbleached, all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup spelt flour or light spelt flour (substitute an additional 1/2 cup all purpose flour)
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 cup 1 stick/8 tablespoons cold vegan butter, cut into small cubes**
• 1/4 cup ice water (have more on hand as needed)
• 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

For the filling:

• 6 large or 8 small Italian plums, pitted and cut into thin slices (about 1 1/4 lbs)
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• Pinch salt
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1 heaping tablespoon all-purpose flour

Glaze (optional):

• 2 tablespoons non-dairy milk
• 2 teaspoons maple syrup or agave
• Demerara sugar

Instructions

• To make the crust, mix the flours, sugar, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add the butter and use a pastry cutter or two knives to cut the butter into the flour, until the pieces of butter you have in the mix are about the size of peas (alternately, you can put the flours, salt, and sugar into a food processor, add the butter, and pulse until the ingredients are combined and the butter is the size of peas).
• Mix the ice water and vinegar. Add the water into the flour mixture in a thin stream, using a spatula to mix as you go. As soon as the dough holds together without being wet or sticky, and it sticks together when you squeeze a small amount in your hand, it's ready. If your dough is too crumbly and isn't holding together, add additional ice water by the teaspoon until it does. Transfer the dough to a floured work surface and shape it into a disk. Wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. At this point, you can keep the dough in the fridge for up to 2 days or freeze it for later use, if you like.
• When the dough has finished chilling, preheat your oven to 400F. Toss together the plums, sugar, salt, lemon, and flour. Flour a work surface and roll the dough into a circle that's about 12-14 inches across and 1/4 inch thick. Carefully transfer this circle to a parchment-lined baking sheet.
• Pile the plum mixture into the center of the galette, leaving about 1 1/2 inches of dough free all around the sides of the circle (you'll fold these over the filling). Don't worry about making any pretty patterns with the fruit, unless you'd like to. A rustic look is the goal!
• Fold the edges of the galette over the filling. You can be as casual or as neat as you want to be here, so long as the fruit gets tucked into the dough. If you like, whisk together the non-dairy milk and syrup, then brush the folded sides of the galette with the mixture and sprinkle them liberally with demerara sugar.
• Bake the galette for 40-50 minutes, or until the crust is a deep, golden brown and it's sturdy all the way around when you tap it (I recommend checking in on it at 35 minutes, just to see where you are). Allow the galette to set in a cool, dry place for at least a couple hours (3-4 is ideal) before slicing and serving. Top with vegan ice cream, whipped cream, or enjoy it the way it is!

Notes

*You can also use 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, omitting the spelt, or you can substitute whole wheat or rye flour for the spelt.

**You can also use 8 tablespoons coconut oil and increase the salt to 1/2 teaspoon, but I think vegan butter gives better results.

The galette is lovely the way it is; a friend of mine pointed out that part of its charm is that you can pick a slice up as if it were pizza. (Pie feels like a bigger and messier commitment.) If you’d like to, you can serve the galette with vanilla ice cream, even piling a scoop or two into the center of the galette before you cut and share it.

The galette will call upon your intuition at many points along the way. Once you try it a few times, though, I think you’ll find that it’s really easy and fun to make. That’s especially easy if you make and chill the crust in advance.

There’s plenty of summer fruit ahead of us, and while it’s all ripe and juicy I hope you’ll get a chance—if you’re so inclined—to make and share this tasty vegan dessert. Let me know if you have any questions!

xo