Plum Galette
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Sweet-tart plums tucked into a golden, buttery crust—this free-form plum galette is simple to prepare and makes the prettiest summer dessert.
Whether you call it a rustic plum tart (American), a plum galette (French), or a plum crostata (Italian), you’re going to love this gorgeous summer dessert. With a crackly pastry crust folded over juicy purple plums, it’s essentially a free-form pie baked on a sheet pan, with a deliciously high crust-to-fruit ratio.
If you’re intimidated by making your own crust, don’t be! My all-butter tart crust is easy, forgiving, and comes together in less than a minute in the food processor. It makes a fabulous base for all kinds of fruit tarts (see my similar French apple tart and peach galette). And if you have crust-lovers in your house like I do, beware of late-night snackers who steal the pleated crust and leave you with only the center of the tart.
“My husband said this was the best dessert he has ever had! I am always in search of an amazing crust and this is it.”
What You’ll Need To Make a Plum Galette
- All-purpose flour: Forms the base of the crust and also helps soak up the plum juices.
- Salt: Brings out the flavor of the buttery crust.
- Granulated sugar: Lightly sweetens the crust and the plums.
- Unsalted butter: Keep it very cold for the flakiest crust; cut it into small pieces before starting.
- Cold water: Ice-cold is best so the butter stays firm as the dough comes together.
- Sliced almonds: Add a subtle nuttiness and help absorb some of the fruit juices. No need to toast them first.
- Plums: Red or black plums both work well. Look for fruit that’s ripe but still firm; very soft plums can make the galette overly juicy.
- Egg: Beaten and brushed over the pastry for a glossy, golden crust.
- Turbinado sugar: Adds a little sparkle and crunch; any coarse sugar will work.
- Apricot jam (optional): Gives the baked fruit a pretty, glossy finish. Peach preserves are a good substitute.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
How To Make Plum Galette
Chop the Almonds: Place the almonds in the bowl of a food processor fitted and pulse until they’re finely chopped. Set them aside—you’ll use them later to add flavor and soak up some of the fruit juices.
Make the Galette Dough: In the food processor, pulse the dry ingredients together, then add the cold butter and pulse until you have pea-sized bits. Add the water and pulse just until the dough looks crumbly but holds together when pinched. Turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead it a few times to bring it together. Shape into a disk, roll into a rough circle—no need for perfection—and transfer to the parchment-lined baking sheet. Pop it in the fridge while you prep the plums.
Assemble the Galette: Take the dough from the fridge and roll it out directly on the parchment into a large, thin circle. Ragged edges are totally fine—that’s part of the charm. Sprinkle the top with the flour, almonds, and some of the sugar, then arrange the plums on top, leaving a generous border. Sprinkle with the remaining sugar, then fold the dough up and over the fruit, pleating as you go. Brush the crust with egg, sprinkle with turbinado sugar, and pop the galette back in the fridge to firm up before baking.
Bake, Glaze, and Serve: Bake the galette until the plums are tender and the crust is beautifully golden. Don’t worry if some juices escape and caramelize on the pan—that’s totally normal. Let it cool, then, if you like, brush the plums with warm apricot jam for a pretty, glossy finish. Carefully transfer to a serving plate or board and serve warm or at room temperature. It’s best the day it’s made, when the crust is at its crispiest.
More Fruit Desserts You’ll Love
Plum Galette
Ingredients
For the Crust
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 12 tablespoons (1½ sticks) very cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-in (13-mm) pieces
- ¼ cup very cold water
For the Filling
- ½ cup sliced almonds
- 1 lb plums, (3 to 4, depending on size)
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup + ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 tablespoon turbinado or coarse sugar
- 2 tablespoons apricot jam, best quality (optional)
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade, process the almonds until finely chopped, about 1 minute. Transfer the almonds to a small bowl and set aside.
- Make the crust: To the bowl of the food processor (no need to clean it), add the flour, salt and sugar. Pulse briefly to combine. Add the cold butter and process just until the butter is the size of peas, about 5 seconds. Sprinkle the cold water over the mixture and process until just moistened and very crumbly, about 5 seconds.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead a few times, just until it comes together into a cohesive ball. Pat the dough into a disk. Flour your work surface again and dust the dough with flour, as well. Using a rolling pin, roll into a circle 8 to 10 in (20 to 25 cm) in diameter, turning and adding more flour as necessary so the dough doesn’t stick. Transfer the dough to the parchment-lined baking sheet and refrigerate while you prepare the plums (you’ll roll the dough out further on the parchment paper, so go ahead and clean your work surface).
- Assemble the galette: Cut the plums into ¼-in (6-mm)-thick slices. Take the dough from the fridge and slide the parchment paper onto the countertop. Roll the dough, directly on the parchment paper, into a 13-in (33-cm) circle about ⅛-in (3-mm) thick. It’s fine if the edges are a little ragged. Place the parchment and dough back on the baking sheet – the dough will run up the lip of the sheet slightly.
- Sprinkle the flour evenly over the pastry, leaving a 1-in (2.5-cm) border. Sprinkle the chopped almonds evenly over the flour, followed by ¼ cup (50 g) of the granulated sugar. Arrange the plum slices on top in overlapping concentric circles to within about 2½ in (6.5 cm) of the edge. Don’t worry about making it look perfect; it doesn’t make much difference in the end, and you don’t want the dough to get too warm. Sprinkle the remaining ⅓ cup (67 g) of sugar over the plums.
- Fold the edges of the dough over the plums in a free-form fashion, working your way around and creating pleats as you go. Patch up any tears by pinching a bit of dough from the edge.
- Using a pastry brush, brush the pleated dough evenly with the beaten egg. Sprinkle the turbinado sugar over the top of the crust. Chill the assembled galette in the fridge for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and set an oven rack in the center position.
- Bake for 55 to 65 minutes, or until the plums are tender and the crust is golden brown. (It’s okay if some of the juices leak from the tart onto the pan. The juices will burn on the pan but the galette should be fine -- just scrape any burnt bits away from the galette once it’s baked.) Transfer the pan to a rack and let cool.
- While the galette cools, make the optional glaze. Place the apricot jam in a small, microwave-safe bowl and microwave until bubbling, 10 to 20 seconds. Using a pastry brush, brush the plums with the jam until glistening.
- Use two large spatulas to transfer the galette to a serving plate or cutting board. Slice and serve warm or at room temperature. The galette is best served on the day it is made, but leftovers will keep nicely, loosely covered on the countertop, for a few days.
Notes
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Hi,
If I use gluten free flour, do you think the egg wash will help it to brown better? What I have found with GF flour it doesn’t always give me the light brown crust I like to see!
Hi Laurie, I don’t know if it will behave differently on gluten-free dough, but the egg wash does help with browning.
I’ve made Jacque Pepin’s similar recipe for years, and this is a delicious dessert. I’m looking forward to using your technique of using parchment paper!
Now I need to make a gluten free version for family members. Has anyone tried to make a galette with a gluten-free crust?
Hi Phyllis, I haven’t made this with gluten-free flour. (Oftentimes, readers will comment that they’ve adapted my baked goods to be gluten-free, but I don’t see any comments mentioning that here, so you’d be the “guinea pig.”) Please LMK how it turns out if you try it!
Hi Phyllis, I’ve used the gluten-free one-to-one flour from my local bulk/wholesale store end it has turned out delicious. Most of my family eats gluten-free so I’ve made it at least a dozen times, always change up the filling depending on the season, strawberries, peaches, blueberries, it’s actually hard to tell the difference.
Hi Jen,
Can I use store bought pastry?
Hi Lynda, this crust is easy to make and delicious, but using store-bought will work. Hope you enjoy!
Wow! I was so suprised by how flaky and delicious the crust is and putting the peach jam on top really makes it amazing ♥️
I would love to use this crust recipe with strawberries I picked up today at the FM. I will adjust sugar and add a bit of cornstarch. My question: is there any reason why this crust should not be used? Thanks!! Love your books and recipes.
Hi Lexi, I think some other fruits would work here, but I’d avoid berries as they release so much juice. Peaches should work nicely if you wanted to try that. Hope that helps!
Just delicious and the crust is my favorite for all fruit ingredients. I have made this many times with raves every time!
Wonderful recipe thankyou !
Chère Jenn,
Ce dessert est tout à fait délicieux !
A real pleasure to read your site and do all your recipes. So much information:)
BRAVO!!
Great recipe! Already shared with two more people ! Amazing taste, easy to follow instructions!
In one week made twice 🙂
I have a glut of fruit this year pears, apples and plums. I read that you can make the crust 3 days ahead of time but can you can the crust then be frozen for a future date. I was also wondering the same thing for the crust of the rustic apple tart.
Thanks so much
Yes, it would be fine to freeze the crust for both this and the apple tart. 🙂