Galette! Pie’s very unassuming and carefree little sis. I love her.
Have you ever made a galette before? You must. Galette is the dessert I suggest to nearly any beginner baker, especially those nervous about making pie crust from scratch. Because… great news! It’s literally free-form pie. Just as delicious + awesome as pie, but there’s no weaving, crimping, trimming, or any of that meticulous business. The baking and cooling times are both much shorter than a traditional blueberry pie. You can make mini fruit galettes, too!
I think we all need more low maintenance desserts in our life, just saying.
To make things super interesting, I played around with a new crust: buttermilk cornmeal! It doesn’t necessarily taste like cornbread, but it has similar flavors. This crust crisps up beautifully, has a little crunch from the cornmeal, and when paired with juicy, sweet, and warm berries? It’s absolute heaven.
Make sure you chill the buttermilk cornmeal crust before shaping and filling. And by “shaping” I mean that in the most casual sense ever. Because galette is not picky. Whatever shape the dough rolls out to be, leave it. One thing to keep in mind, though—unlike pies where you can pile the fillings sky-high, galette’s don’t really like it when there’s too much stuff. The crust will become mushy, shapeless, and blah. (Technical terms here.) To avoid that nonsense, keep this in mind: flat and compact. Flatten that filling down, compact the fruit as much as you can, and leave a 2-3 inch border so you can fold the edges over.
Before baking, brush the buttery cornmeal crust with a little egg wash and sprinkle with coarse sugar. The egg wash makes the edges super glossy and shiny—and helps it brown more evenly. The coarse sugar is for… well… who doesn’t love a little sparkle with their dessert?
The berries are up to you! I used more blueberries than raspberries and blackberries, but any ratio works. Strawberry fan? Chop them up and throw them in too. Just make sure you have no more or less than 4 cups of berries total. I definitely suggest a mix of berries for different flavors and textures.
In addition to berries, be sure to try my apple galette and ginger pear galette. Both are fall favorites!
The one thing galettes demand, however, is a big fat scoop of melty vanilla ice cream. Duh.
Print
Mixed Berry Galette with Buttermilk Cornmeal Crust
- Prep Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 28 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: 1 galette; about 6-8 servings
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
As delicious and impressive as pie, but half the work! This mixed berry galette with buttermilk cornmeal crust is the easiest summer dessert.
Ingredients
Cornmeal Crust
- 1 and 1/4 cups (156g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1/4 cup (30g) cornmeal
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (115g; 1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cubed*
- 1/4 cup (60ml) cold buttermilk*
Filling
- 4 cups (about 600g) fresh or frozen mixed berries* (do not thaw & see note)
- 3 Tablespoons (37g) granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon (7g) cornstarch
- 1 Tablespoon (15ml) fresh lemon juice
- egg wash:Â 1 large egg beaten with 1 Tablespoon milk
- coarse sugar for sprinkling
Instructions
- Make the crust: Whisk the flour, cornmeal, sugar, and salt together in a medium bowl. Using a pastry cutter or a couple forks, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse, pea-sized crumbs. Add the buttermilk and stir until the flour is moistened. Add 1 more Tablespoon of buttermilk if the dough seems dry. Gently knead the dough a few times on a lightly floured work surface until it all comes together. Shape the dough into a ball and flatten it into a thick disk. Wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least 1 hour and up to 3 days (or freeze up to 3 months).
- As the dough chills, prepare the filling: Mix the berries, sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice together in a large bowl. Cover tightly and let sit until the dough is ready. I usually cover it and keep in the refrigerator during this time.
- Preheat oven to 425°F (190°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Set aside.
- On a lightly floured work surface, roll the dough into a 12-inch circle (or any shape, really!). Trim the rim of the circle to make a clean cut if desired. Transfer dough to the prepared baking sheet.
- Spoon the berries (not the juices) into the center of the dough, leaving a 2-3 inch border all around. Gently fold the edges of the dough over the fruit, overlapping the dough as necessary. Press gently to seal the edges. Brush the edges with egg wash and sprinkle with coarse sugar.
- Bake until the filling is bubbly and the crust is golden brown, about 25-28 minutes. Allow to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Both the dough and filling can be made ahead of time and chilled in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. The dough can be frozen for up to 3 months after prepared in step 1. Allow to thaw overnight in the refrigerator before rolling out and filling.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Pastry Cutter | Baking Sheet | Silicone Baking Mat or Parchment Paper | Rolling Pin | Pastry Brush | Coarse Sugar
- Cold Ingredients in Dough:Â Make sure the butter and buttermilk are SUPER cold. Cold ingredients, as well as chilling, help the crust keep its shape.
- Buttermilk:Â Buttermilk adds unbelievable flavor and texture to this dough. I highly recommend it. If you don’t have buttermilk, use a DIY sour milk instead. Add 1/2 teaspoon of fresh lemon juice or white vinegar to a liquid measuring cup. Then add enough cold whole milk until it reaches 1/4 cup. Stir together and let it sit for 5 minutes before using in the recipe.
- Mixed Berries: I use 2 cups blueberries, 1 cup raspberries, 1 cup blackberries.
I loved the recipe! Could I make an open peach cake in a springform pan with this crust?
Hi Renee, I can’t see why not. Let me know if you try it.
I was looking for a different recipe for rhubarb. And decided to try a galette. I am partial to your recipes. The berry galette was transformed into a rhubarb one. I did add another tablespoon of corn starch and a little more sugar. I also increase the cooking time until the rhubarb was tender.
If I use this recipe for mini galette’s (without doubling) do I still roll out the dough to 12″ and will it make 5 or more galette’s (using 5 inch cutouts)?
Hi Lorainie, Without doubling this crust you should get 5 mini galettes. You will still roll it out into a 12 inch circle. Follow the assembly instructions for these Mini Fruit Galettes. Happy baking!
Thinking of making this for dessert for the Fourth of July, but the oven will be occupied around dinner time. Could this be baked earlier in the day and served after dinner? Or does it need to be served soon after baking?
Hi Laurel, this would be a delicious 4th of July dessert! Yes, you can bake this earlier in the day and serve it after dinner. Once it’s cool, keep it tightly covered. You can always pop it back in the oven for a few minutes before serving to warm it up. Or, you can assemble the galette through step 5, then chill in the refrigerator for up to 4 hours. I don’t recommend longer than this because the crust could become soggy. Happy baking!
Hi Sally! I would love to make this for this coming memorial weekend! But we don’t normally keep cornmeal in our house. Could you use a normal pie crust? Also what pie crust recipe would you advise? Thanks!
Absolutely! You can use my homemade pie crust instead.
Hi Sally,
I would like to make 4 one-person size galettes vs. a large one. Do you think that would work? And would I have to adjust the baking time? Thanks!
Hi Christine! Yes, you can divide this crust and filling to make 4 individual galettes. I’m unsure of the EXACT bake time, but it will be shorter.
Made one last week and it “leaked” a lot so I am trying again and I am going to actually drain the berries. Also going to try this in my cast iron skillet.Â
Can I make the crust in the food processor?
Sure can!
I was looking to make mini galette’s for a Memorial day party. Could I roll the crust out and just cut them into smaller circles? Do you know how long I’d bake for?
Yep! That’s what I would do– I’d simply bake until the edges are golden brown. Have fun!
This looks yummy. Â Needing to save some time, can I make this with a store bought pie crust?
Hi Laurie, it should work, it just wouldn’t be the cornmeal flavor 🙂
Delicious! Been waiting to gather enough wild raspberries from my property so I could make this and today was the day! I mixed with half blueberries and the raspberries and the crust came out perfectly! I can never go wrong with a “sally recipe”  😉 thanks so much!
I just made this tonight and it’s so good!!
Can’t wait to try making this tomorrow!! Do u think I could use puff pastry for the dough too? I’ll make sure to tag u on IG and see if I did your recipe justice! Thanks for all the yummy recipes
Puff pastry should work just fine!
Hi Sally,Â
I love trying your desserts and usually have a good outcome, but this one didn’t hit the mark unfortunately.  The flavor was there- loved the crust- but I used frozen berries and they gave off way too much liquid.  I’m thinking they would need to be thawed before baking and remove the juices (like you suggest with the fresh berries), or more cornstarch?  I’m not sure, but next time I will try fresh berries 🙂Â
Thanks again for your inspiration and delicious recipes!Â
Oh no! Thawing is a great idea and would certainly fix things. I tried this with frozen, without thawing, but didn’t experience any issues. Was the crust on the inside too soggy? Happy you liked the flavor.
Thanks, Sally!  We loved the flavor and can’t wait to make again.  🙂Â
I made this twice last week Bc it was so good. ( one for a party, one for ourselves) The crust is no joke…so good!! I even had a slice or two as breakfast with coffee. Will definitely keep this as a favorite go-to desert.
hi sally! this looks like such a gorgeous and yummy dessert. i’d like to try it but berries are hard to come by (and are pretty expensive) here in the philippines. can i use this recipe with apples instead?
Sliced apples would work just fine. 🙂 I’d use 5-6 cups sliced.
When using frozen berries, do they need to be thawed first?Â
No need to thaw.