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I could make Galettes all day, this Gluten Free Apricot and Almond Galette is no exception. So simple to make and no pressure whatsoever on how they look!
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Skip to the good bit
- What is a Galette?
- Is Galette crust the same as pie dough?
- How do you make a Gluten Free Galette?
- Can you make this Galette dairy free?
- Can you make this Apricot and Almond Galette egg free/vegan?
- Can you make Galette in advance?
- What is Galette des Rois?
- Other Galette filling ideas
- Ingredients for an Apricot and Almond Galette
- Equipment you will need
- Gluten Free Apricot and Almond Galette Recipe
What is a Galette?
The answer to this question is not a straightforward one. The word Galette derives from the Norman word Gale or ‘flat cake’ in a round-about way. So we now understand why this is a flat bake.
It gets a little more complicated when you see variations of galette, some sweet, some savoury, some frankly looking like a crepe or pancake. This is because the direct translation of galette is pancake – keeping up?
The answer to which is which is in the region the recipe originates from in France. The galette I have recreated here is based on the free from pie-like dessert that seems to be generic across all regions but fillings tend to vary. This style of galette lends itself to having both sweet and savoury fillings.
Is Galette crust the same as pie dough?
Technically the ingredients in a traditional Galette dough are the basis for an egg free water pastry crust. However, there are two differences.The first is a change that I have made by adding some ground almonds to the dough. I find this prevents the dough from drying out and gives you a delicious flavour to compliment the filling.
The second and common difference is in the way you make the dough. By adding ice cold water, you prevent the clumps of butter from melting and blending into the pastry. You want lumps of butter in this dough to break up the structure from a perfect pie crust to a shorter, crumbly, easy to eat pie dough.
Are you the type of person who eats the pizza slice and leaves the crust?
This recipe is not for you!
I will go round and pinch the crusts of peoples plates if I can, I love bread crusts, pastry crusts, the lot! So if this resonates with you then Galettes are your new found friend and the good news is you can pretty much throw them together because these bake don’t want to win any beauty contests!
How do you make a Gluten Free Galette?
I’ve added some step-by-step images below to take you through the process of making this Galette. Starting with poaching the apricots, showing you the expected consistency of dough crumble and the butter-speckled ball of dough.
I also illustrate how to reduce the apricot juices with the ground almonds to make the almond paste.
Finally I show you how to build the Apricot and Almond Galette.
Can you make this Galette dairy free?
The Galette pictured is my dairy free version. I simply use my trusty plant based butter block by Flora. I keep saying this but for any one new here, margarine will not cut it. It has to be a solid block of dairy free butter to get the best results.
Can you make this Apricot and Almond Galette egg free/vegan?
Once again, the Galette pictured is not just dairy free but egg free too. In fact most Galettes of this kind tend to have no egg in the pastry dough. So yes, this galette is vegan as well as gluten free.
Can you make Galette in advance?
Technically, you can make this Apricot and Almond Galette in advance. I hesitate because even the muggle, gluten-filled bake would rather be eaten on the day so you’re getting into rocky territory attempting to make this too much in advance.
That said, the Galette pictured was made on the Monday and I was still happily eating the last slice (albeit warmed up in the microwave) on the Tuesday evening.
What is Galette des Rois?
I’ve added this section because it wasn’t until after I’d created this flavour combination using my little brain cells, that I realised that my Apricot and Almond Galette was not dissimilar to the famous Galette des Rois.
The English for Galette is Pancake
The English for Rois is Kings
Add Galette and Rois together and you get Kings Cake. Of course you do!
The Kings Cake is traditionally eaten on the first Sunday of January, Epiphany Day (or 6th January). Not only is this traditional bake enjoyed in France, it’s also a tradition that was carried by French settlers in America and features strongly is Louisiana culture.
I had to drop a link here to this wonderful piece written on the subject of the traditions that accompany the Galettes des Rois by Marie who write the Bordeaux Cognac Tour Guide – Galette des Rois – a very French Tradition
The Cake is nothing like the common Galette which is a freeform pie (not to be mistaken with the buckwheat pancake-style savoury galette that is commonly stuffed with ham and cheese).
The Galette des Rois is, in my humble opinion, a hybrid of the classic Bakewell Tart with it’s rich almond frangipane filling and a Bretton Gateau packed full with locally made butter.
For anyone now finding themselves drooling over Bakewell Tart and Bretton Gateau, there’s good, no, GREAT news. I’ve made both gluten free and one of the Bakewell Tart’s is vegan too.
- Easy Vegan Bakewell Tart made gluten free
- Simple Gluten Free Bakewell Tart
- Gluten Free Breton Gateau with Apricot Filling
Other Galette filling ideas
What other fruits can you use to make this gluten free galette? The possibilities are endless. What’s your favourite fruit?
The rule of thumb is that the fruit needs to be soft or will become soft on baking. That’s it really. Here are some flavour combinations to get your teeth sunk into;
- apple and cinnamon
- blackberry and apple
- peach and apricot
- rhubarb and apple with ginger
- pear and chocolate
- banana and chocolate
And that’s just off the top of my head, seriously there are no limits. Tell you what, if you try one of the suggestions above or make up you own flavour combination then please do come back and let me know what you used, I’d love to hear about it.
Ingredients for an Apricot and Almond Galette
For the Galette dough
- gluten free plain flour
- ground almonds
- butter or butter alternative (I use Flora plant butter)
- caster sugar
- iced water or as cold as you can make it
For the Apricot and Almond filling
- Fresh ripe apricots (not too ripe)
- water
- caster sugar
- almond extract
Equipment you will need
- Kitchen Scales
- mixing bowl
- pastry blender
- set of measuring spoons
- baking paper
- slide off baking tray
- cooling rack
- silicone spatula
- silicone pastry brush
- rolling pin
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Gluten Free Apricot and Almond Galette Recipe
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Gluten Free Apricot and Almond Galette
Equipment
Ingredients
For the galette dough
- 200 g gluten free plain flour
- 50 g ground almonds
- 100 g butter or butter alternative (I use Flora plant butter)
- 50 g caster sugar
- 100 ml water iced water or as cold as you can make it
For the apricot and almond filling
- 5 ripe apricots not overly ripe
- 150 ml water
- 50 g ground almonds
- 25 g caster sugar
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 1 tbsp apricot jam to glaze
Instructions
To make the galette dough
- In a large mixing bowl measure the flour, ground almonds sugar and butter. Using your fingertips or a pastry blender (I use the latter as hands can be too hot), break the butter down into the dry ingredients to make breadcrumbs.
- Add the iced water one tablespoon at a time to the crumble mixture. After each addition use a rounded knife (like a butter knife) to cut through the crumble in a figure of eight. This motion brings the crumble together gradually as you keep adding the water.
- TOP TIP: you are not looking to blend this galette dough as you would pastry. Ideally you want it to be flecked with little lumps of butter.
- Once the dough has come together and is speckled with butter, gently roll into a ball and pop into the fridge to chill while you prepare your fruit.
To prepare the fruit filling
- Cut the apricots in half and de stone them carefully using a teaspoon.
- Place the apricots, cut side down in a non stick pan and add the water and sugar. Start to poach the fruit on a low to medium heat – you'll only need to do this for 5-6 minutes to allow the fruit to go soft.
- Gently remove the apricots and place onto a place to set aside for now.
To make the almond paste
- Using the juices leftover from poaching the apricots, begin to make the almond paste by adding the ground almonds and almond extract.
- Turn the heat up slightly and continuously stir the creamy sauce until it thickens, this is your almond paste.
- Pour into a glass jug and set aside to cool to room temperature.
To make the galette
- Preheat the oven to 200°C | 180°C fan | 400°F | Gas 5
- Remove the chilled dough from the fridge and place on a dusted worksurface. Roll out into a dinner plate sized circle. No need to worry about the circle being perfect.
- TOP TIP: keep the rolling pin well floured. The little speckles of butter may stick to the pin otherwise.
- Once the dough is rolled out and placed on a prepared baking tray, spoon the cooled almond paste into the centre of the dough with a decent margin, ideally you need to leave 1.5-2 inches of dough around the edges.
- Next, carefully place the apricot halves onto the almond paste.
- Now you can fold the edge of the dough in towards the middle of the galette. the ends won't meet and you will be left with a hole in the top of the galette exposing the fruit centre.
- For a finishing touch I crush the top of the galette with heated up apricot jam to ensure it turns a beautiful golden colour when baking.
- Pop into the oven for 35mins until golden brown and the fruit juices have started to run.
- Once cooked remove from the oven and serve immediately with cream, custard or ice cream or cool and eat at room temperature with cream.
Notes
- apple and cinnamon
- blackberry and apple
- peach and apricot
- rhubarb and apple with ginger
- pear and chocolate
- banana and chocolate
Nutrition
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