When fresh strawberries are in season, this rustic, simple gluten free galette with strawberry filling is the perfect way to let the berries shine. Make the entire tart ahead of time and freeze it raw, then pop it in the oven right before serving.
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Do you only eat fruit during its growing season? I try to. Absence totally makes the heart grow fonder, and by the time it's strawberry season, I'm all in!
How to make this light and flaky gluten free galette
My favorite pie crust to use in this strawberry gluten free galette is our extra flaky gluten free pie crust, made with a bit of sour cream. Simply make the pie crust recipe as far ahead of time as you'd like, and wrap it in plastic wrap and store it in the refrigerator.
Once you find yourself with a pound of fresh, juicy, bright red strawberries and a few minutes to spare, wash, dry and hull the berries. Sliced thickly so they don't disappear as they bake in the oven, strawberries know how to make their own sauce beautifully. Draw out their moisture by adding a dash of salt, a bit of sugar and some mellow white vinegar.
Roll out the pie crust, brush the bottom with honey then pile the strawberries in the center. Wrap the pie crust around about 1/4 of the filling, then brush again with honey, sprinkle with some coarse-grained sugar and bake.
Coat the gluten free galette crust with coarse sugar
The recipe instructions call for coating the pie crust with honey right before placing the strawberries on top, and then the edges after folding them over the filling. You may have to heat the honey briefly in the microwave (or on the stovetop) briefly to thin it out before brushing it with a pastry brush.
The purpose of brushing the crust with honey along the edges is to help it brown gently. The reason to brush the crust with honey before adding the strawberry filling is to help seal it so the crust becomes flaky and perfect in the oven, without ever getting soggy.
Any honey that drips over the sides and onto the parchment paper will likely burn in the oven, but it's absolutely fine. You can easily brush away any burnt bits before slicing and serving the tart.
How to make your own simple syrup for brushing
Instead of honey or Lyle's Golden Syrup for brushing, you can make your own simple syrup. It can be stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator for at least a week, if not more. And it's perfect for making cocktails.
To make the syrup, simply place 1 cup (200 g) of granulated sugar and 8 fluid ounces of lukewarm water in a medium-sized saucepan and whisk to combine well. Heat the mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly, until all of the sugar dissolves.
Continue to heat the mixture, stirring occasionally but watching closely, until it begins to boil gently. Boil for about 60 seconds, and remove from the heat. The simple syrup should be clear and slightly thickened but still pourable. You can store any leftovers in a sealed container in the refrigerator for about 10 days.
Gluten free galette: ingredients and substitution suggestions
Gluten free dairy free galette
The only dairy in this recipe is in the pie crust. If you'd like to make a pie crust without dairy, just follow the instructions in the linked gluten free pie crust recipe notes for making a dairy free pie crust.
Tapioca starch/flour
Tapioca starch (also called tapioca flour) is my favorite starch to add to the strawberry mixture, as it helps the liquid in the strawberries to gel slightly without ever becoming glue-like. You can also use cornstarch, though, or arrowroot. Even potato starch would work.
Strawberries
If you'd prefer to make this galette with a different fruit, I recommend trying it with another berry, like raspberries or even blueberries. Ripe stone fruits like peaches, nectaries or plums should also work well, but only if the flesh is soft enough that it's similar in texture to berries so it bakes about as quickly as berries do in the oven.
If you're using harder fruit with less moisture, like apples, try slicing the apples thinly so they bake at a similar rate to berries. Otherwise, the fruit may not be quite tender enough when the pastry crust is done baking.
If you think that your fruit seems very wet, try draining a little bit of the liquid before adding the starch, or try adding a bit more tapioca starch by the half-teaspoonful before filling the pastry and baking.
FAQs
Was your fruit filling especially wet? That tends to happen when your fruit is somewhat overripe, the liquid can seep out of the pastry crust during baking. That can create a soggy crust by preventing the crust from crisping in the oven because there's too much moisture. Try adding more starch to absorb the excess moisture, or draining some of the liquid from the fruit before filling the pastry and baking.
Did you use one of my recommended flour blends to make the crust? If your all purpose gluten free flour blend is too high in starch, it can struggle to brown in the oven. You can try brushing the edges of the crust with an egg wash by beating an egg with 1 tablespoon of cream, milk, or water, and brushing it on with a pastry brush, to help it brown in the oven next time.
A galette is like a rustic, open fruit pie. It's made with a pie crust you roll out into a round, then fold its edges over a fruit filling placed in the center.
You can assemble the entire galette raw and freeze it on the baking sheet before it's baked. Once it's completely firm, wrap it tightly in a freezer-safe wrap and return it to the freezer. Unwrap the galette and bake it right from frozen whenever you're ready. You may need to add a few minutes to the baking time, but don't defrost it first.
No, this gluten free galette is best when served within a couple of hours of baking it. To make it ahead of time, store it frozen as described above.
Strawberry Gluten Free Galette
Ingredients
- 2 recipes gluten free pie crust (Click through for pie crust recipe; see Recipe Notes))
For the galette
- Honey or Lyle’s Golden Syrup warmed slightly, for brushing
- 2 pound fresh strawberries washed and hulled
- 1 teaspoon white balsamic vinegar (or other mild white vinegar)
- 3 tablespoons (27 g) tapioca starch/flour
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375°F.
- Line a large half sheet pan rimmed baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper and set it aside.
- Prepare the raw pie crusts according to the recipe instructions.
- Wrap each pie crust separately in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator while you prepare the filling.
Prepare the filling.
- Slice each hulled strawberry thickly in cross-section from top to bottom. Most of the slices should be able 1/4-inch thick, but some can be smaller.
- Place the strawberry slices in a large bowl, add the vinegar and toss gently to combine.
- Add the tapioa starch/flour, granulated sugar, and the salt, and mix gently to combine.
- Set the bowl aside to allow the juices to be drawn out of the strawberries while you roll out the pie crust.
Shape and fill the galette.
- Remove the first pie crust from the refrigerator, and unwrap it.
- Roll it according to the recipe instructions into a round about 10-inches in diameter, about 1/8-inch thick.
- Transfer the pie crust to the prepared half sheet pan.
- Brush the entire surface of the rolled out pie crust evenly with a thin layer of honey or syrup.
- Leaving a clean 1 1/2-inch border all around, place half of the strawberry mixture in the center of the dough, piling the berries a bit toward the center.
- Fold the dough toward the center, and over about one-quarter of the strawberry mixture in overlapping pleats where necessary.
- Brush the sides and exposed strawberries with more honey or syrup, and press gently to help the crust adhere to itself and the filling.
- Sprinkle the galette with the optional coarse sugar.
- Repeat with the second pie crust and the remaining strawberry filling and honey or syrup. Place the second galette on the first baking sheet a couple of inches from the first one.
Bake the galettes.
- Place the baking sheet in the preheated oven.
- Bake until the strawberries are softened and the exposed pie crust is lightly golden brown all over, about 35 minutes.
- Remove the baking sheet from the oven and allow the galettes to cool on the baking sheet until the filling is mostly set.
- Slice and serve immediately.
Notes
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Thanks for stopping by!
Hi, I’m Nicole. I create gluten free recipes that really work and taste as good as you remember. No more making separate meals when someone is GF, or buying packaged foods that aren’t good enough to justify the price. At Gluten Free on a Shoestring, “good, for gluten free” just isn’t good enough! Come visit my bio!
GF Mum says
We made this tonight with blueberries and strawberries… and it was delicious! A big hit. (I will have to work on my presentation for the next time, though. ?)
Nicole Hunn says
Hahaha as long as you’re not taking pictures of your food, it doesn’t have to look perfect at all! ;)
Bonnie Stephens says
Can you use other fruits in this like blueberries and peaches? Are there any adjustments use other fruits?
Nicole Hunn says
Hi, Bonnie, I think you could use 2 pounds of blueberries or pitted and sliced peaches without any other alterations. You might want to add more sugar to the filling, though, if you taste the fruit and it’s more tart than sweet.
Patricia says
It turned out terrific! I chilled the individual tarts right before baking (I put them on parchment paper and a plate and off to the freezer they went). I like how the crust has just the right amount of sweetness (it will come in handy in so many recipes!) . Thank you again and I hope you had a fabulous Sunday!! XO
Nicole says
I’m so glad it worked out for you, Patricia. Well done!
xoxo Nicole
Patricia says
I was a good girl and I followed all the instructions to the t :-) And the result looks amazing and I’ll have one for breakfast! Good night!
Rebecca Thompson says
Great recipe! Can’t wait to try it on the beautiful strawberries that I bought today. We are already into strawberry season (seems almost year-round in Southern California), so many chances to enjoy this! Thanks!
P.S. I have found my boys at times shooting our strawberry beds with their airsoft guns!
Nicole says
Rebecca, I really laughed out loud at that one. They really did shoot the strawberries! I think eating them is a much better way to enjoy the season. ;)
xoxo Nicole
Leigh says
Hi Nicole
This is a general comment. THANK YOU!!!!! I really love your cookbook and just joined your blog. My son was recently diagnosed with celiac and I love baking. Our whole house went gluten free and nothing I made was good until I found your cookbook – you are a lifesaver. I dreaded cooking. I have not tried better batter yet (live I have rural area right now), but look forward to soon. Thanks so much for a great cookbook and making baking fun and edible again!
Thank You!!
Nicole says
Hi, Leigh,
Hooray! You rediscovered your love of baking. And thank you so much for buying the cookbook. :) So glad it’s been useful. I don’t have Better Batter sold anywhere that close to me, but even if I did I wouldn’t buy it there most likely. I order it online on their site, since that’s by far the best price. But it sounds like you’ve found something else that works for you, so for now just keep on keepin’ on!
xoxo Nicole
Anonymous says
This will be an awesome Mother’s Day treat! Thanks Nicole for all you do to make our gluten free life more enjoyable!
Gina says
Beautiful! Your crust looks amazing. Strawberries will be here in Oregon soon. I can’t wait!
Bethany says
I’m already totally in love with the pastry crust…but allergic to strawberries :-( would raspberries and/or rhubarb produce the same magical dessert? We made tarts with jam and left over bits of crust from a quiche this weekend and they lasted about 45 seconds!
Nicole says
Hi, Bethany,
Of course! definitely use another fruit. Other berries that are relatively soft and mostly sweet (raspberries, blueberries) will behave in much the same way as the strawberries. Rhubarb, a personal favorite of mine, is much less sweet so you’d need to add more sugar. And since rhubarb is fibrous, you might want to actually cook it down a bit before using it. Otherwise, you might overbake the crust while trying to soften the rhubarb. Even just blanching the chopped rhubarb in boiling water for 1 minute would help.
xoxo Nicole