Description
This galette is an homage to summer and climate-resilient ingredients. Its star, millet flour, is becoming increasingly appealing to farmers in the Great Plains and parts of the Midwest as those regions become drier (read more on that here). At least as importantly for dessert-ophiles, millet flour combines with all-purpose flour to create a tender but well-structured crust with a slightly cake-batter-y flavor. I used ground hazelnuts in the creamy frangipane layer because they’re one of the perennial crops that can make agriculture in the Midwest healthier and more resilient. The stone fruit — I used apricots and plums, but you could just as effectively swap in nectarines, cherries, small peaches, or a blend — well, they’re for the summer of it all.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
The dough
- 7 Tbsps unsalted butter
- 2/3 cup plus 2 tbsps spooned-and-leveled millet flour
- 2/3 cup spooned-and-leveled all-purpose flour
- 2 Tbsps granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 3 1/2-4 Tbsps ice water
The hazelnut frangipane
- 3/4 cup ground hazelnuts
- 1/4 cup millet flour
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- Pinch salt
- 2 Tbsps unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
The galette
- 1 1/3 lbs stone fruits, halved (or quartered, if large)
- 1 Tbsp melted butter
- 2-3 Tbsps granulated sugar
- Apricot or other jam, heated until it thins considerably, to glaze
Instructions
- To prepare the galette dough, cube the butter and set it aside in the refrigerator. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together the millet flour, all-purpose flour, sugar, and salt until combined. Add the cold butter cubes and mix until the butter pieces are mostly the size of peas (you can also do this step with a pastry cutter or with very cold, deft fingers). Add 3 tablespoons of ice water to start and mix just until the dough comes together, kneading it once or twice to help. If it’s still quite dry, add up to another tablespoon of ice water, a bit at a time. Flatten the dough into a disc, wrap it, and refrigerate until ready to use.
- For the hazelnut frangipane, grind the hazelnuts in a food processor until you have a coarse meal. In a medium bowl, whisk together the ground hazelnuts, millet flour, sugar, and salt. Add in the butter, egg, and vanilla, and mix until combined. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Retrieve the chilled dough and roll it out to a 12- to 13-inch round between two sheets of parchment paper. Transfer it to a sheet pan, keeping the bottom layer of parchment paper under it. Retrieve the chilled frangipane and spread it evenly across the surface of the dough, leaving a 1 1/2-inch border.
- Arrange the stone fruits as snugly as possible atop the frangipane, leaving no gaps (this will make the baked galette appear fuller and more lush). Fold the edges of dough over the fruit to form a crust, pressing together any holes or gaps in the dough so that fruit juices won’t run out during baking. Brush the crust with melted butter, and brush the remainder gently over the fruit. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of sugar over the crust, and 1 tablespoon of sugar over the fruit (or 2 tablespoons if the fruits are just-ripe or slightly underripe).
- Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until the crust is browned and the fruit has visibly softened. Let cool for a half hour before slicing. Because the frangipane is moist, the galette is best served within 12 hours of making it. However, it will keep for up to two days in an airtight container.
Notes
- Use Bob’s Red Mill millet flour: Its fine grind works well in this recipe. (Thanks to Brian Levy for this tip.)
- If you happen to have hazelnut flour: It works in place of the ground hazelnuts, as long as it is whole, and not de-fatted, hazelnut flour.
- Lean into Midwestern resilience: Substitute a portion of the stone fruit for currants, mulberries, or any of the other perennial fruits that the Savanna Institute is jazzed about. If you do, just wait until the final 20 minutes of baking to add the berries.