It is tomato time in our neck of the woods and since the season is so short, I thought it better not to wait to post this galette recipe (with the kind permission of beloved local chef Anne Baldzikowski, aka The Easy Artisan.) I modified it a bit as Anne uses an all-purpose flour dough (for one 12-inch round galette: 1 1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour, 1/4 tsp salt, 4 oz. salted butter and 1/4 cup ice water.) I always like to use some percentage of whole-grain flour (it adds another layer of flavor.)
I had some Sonoran soft white winter wheat left over from a 2-lb sample bag that Fairhaven Organic Flour Mill distributed at the Grain Gathering and I went for that. Usually though I use soft winter white Jammu wheat flour which I get directly from Coke Farm (or rather from the farmer’s dad who sells it along with his own fruit and vegetables at the farmers’ market.) I love the flour and I love it that it is available. The only way to make sure it will continue to be is by supporting the farmer. Fortunately I am not the only one to do so. Not only some local bakeries are now showcasing Coke Farm flours but other home bakers love them too as I found out to my dismay one morning when I made it to the market too late.
If you don’t have access to grain grown locally, a regular white whole wheat pastry flour should work fine.
Don’t worry that the galette will be soggy because of the juice from the tomatoes. In my experience you’ll be fine as long as you bake it at 400°F for as long as indicated, preferably in the lower part of the oven. The cheese acts as a barrier and so do the egg wash and the cornmeal. In fruit galettes where cheese isn’t an option, I use egg wash and almond meal (or almond flour) and I have never had a problem either (but of course the fruit is tossed with a thickener such as flour or starch, and the tomatoes aren’t.)
- 150 g white whole wheat pastry flour
- 66 g all-purpose flour
- 97 g butter, cold
- 59 g ice-water
- 3 g fine sea salt
- 60 g mozzarella, shredded
- 60 g Monterey Jack or Cheddar or a combination of the two, shredded
- ½ cup basil leaves, cut into chiffonade
- 3 or 4 (or more as needed) assorted tomatoes cut into ¼-inch slices
- 15 g cornmeal
- salt and pepper
- extra virgin olive oil
- black sesame seeds for garnish
- Dijon Mustard (from France, not domestic or imported from Canada), optional
- 1 egg, cracked and whisked with 1 TB of milk
- Place dry ingredients into food processor and process 1 minute.
- Add butter and process until mixture resembles marbles, peas, and cornmeal.
- Pour water through feed tube until dough holds together but isn't sticky.
- Dump dough onto counter, shape into a ½ thick round disk and wrap in plastic.
- Refrigerate for 30 minutes to one hour.
- Take dough out of the fridge (it should be at about 60°F to be rolled out easily.)
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Line a half-sheet pan with parchment paper.
- Dust countertop generously with flour and roll out dough to a 12-inch round.
- Transfer to paper-lined half-sheet pan by draping the dough over the rolling pin.
- (Optional) For a French touch, paint the center of the dough with French Dijon mustard, leaving a 2-inch border.
- Brush the whole galette with egg wash.
- Sprinkle cornmeal in center of pastry again leaving a 2-inch border.
- In a separate bowl, combine cheeses and basil. Sprinkle mixture on the cornmeal-dusted dough (again leaving a 2-inch border).
- Lay the tomatoes in concentric circles, sprinkle with salt and pepper, drizzle with olive oil and fold in the sides of the dough until you have a loose circle with crimped edges.
- Brush some of the remaining egg wash on the outside of the galette.
- Sprinkle border with sesame seeds.
- Bake at 400°F for 35-40 minutes.
- Let rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
- When the galette has cooled a bit, drizzle some more olive oil on it and place a sprig of basil in the middle.
Perfect Timing.. Thanks