Lately, I’ve been creatively working my sourdough starter into baked goods around my kitchen. It started with my desire to reduce the “waste” of feeding my starter one to two times per day. Rather than reduce the amount of flour I use to feed my starter (though, this is definitely an option), I began testing using the sourdough starter discard in other baked goods. Eventually, I fully realized the significant amount of flavor in that fermented flour mixture.
Sourdough starter discard is simply fermented flour and water, after all. And with this fermentation comes an incredible depth of flavor thanks to the acidity created as a byproduct of lactic acid fermentation. Instead of just throwing out or composting your fermented sourdough starter, use it in a starter discard recipe!
Enter this whole-grain peach, blueberry, and lavender sourdough galette. This galette is everything you want in a sweet treat: the crust is buttery, tender, flaky, and the fruit-filled galette is packed with flavor.
All the stars aligned for this sourdough galette, let me tell you. I recently went on a tour of a local lavender farm (photos here in my Apricot, Lavender, and Walnut Sourdough recipe) and brought home some of their culinary lavender to use in a few bread recipes I’ve been playing with (more to come) and not a week later was I given a sack full of fresh peaches from my family’s tree back home.
I waited for these peaches to reach optimal ripeness. Then patience suddenly turned impatience as I woke up one morning to find myself on autopilot—my grain mill was on the counter, and the sound of the burrs churning away sung in the background.
As I was milling, I reinforced myself: peaches and lavender sound good together, right? It’s like some instinctual drive to put these two in the same dish, or perhaps a recipe I stumbled on long ago buried deep in my subconscious; either way, this pairing bubbled to the surface just as these fresh, local ingredients serendipitously arrived in my kitchen.
After I toured the farm, I brought home only fresh lavender, but if you have culinary lavender oil, two or three small drops should suffice for this recipe (you might have to experiment with this—be careful not to add too much lavender, as it can come across as “soapy” in the end product). I used my mortar and pestle to pulverize the fresh lavender into a fine powder and then mixed it right into the filling with the rest of the ingredients. The smell is pretty intoxicating.
While this recipe calls for peaches and blueberries, you could use this crust and filling ingredients as a base for almost any fruit and adjust the sugar to suit. I like this sourdough galette to be a little less artificially sweet and let the fruit shine through.
With my mill going at full speed, the smells of creamy, fresh-milled flour and lavender in the air, and my mind on those ripe peaches, I could hardly wait to get baking.
Sourdough Starter Notes
For this recipe, I used my 100% liquid sourdough starter when it was ripe and ready for refreshment. If you’re maintaining a lower-hydration sourdough starter, keep 1/2 cup of icy water nearby. After you add your starter to the dough and butter mixture, add more water, 1-2 tablespoons at a time, until the dough comes together.
Any sourdough starter will taste great in this recipe, whether a liquid starter or stiff starter, regardless of what flour is used for maintenance: white wheat, whole wheat, rye, spelt—anything. Just be sure to use your sourdough starter when it’s just ripe to make your pie crust.
If you don’t yet have a starter, see my quick guide to creating a sourdough starter in 7 steps to get started.
Tips for Making a Great Sourdough Galette
Use Sourdough Starter Discard From the Fridge
While not mandatory, cold sourdough starter discard will ensure the crust doesn’t get overly warm and begin to melt. I use starter directly from my sourdough starter discard cache, which is a jar that holds all my discards for up to 2 weeks.
Use Great Pastry Dough
This recipe uses my Flaky Sourdough Starter Pie Crust recipe as the base. That recipe makes two crusts, so I use one the day I want to make this sourdough galette and keep the other well-wrapped in the freezer for later.
This pastry dough recipe is the perfect base for this sourdough galette because it has an incredible flavor complexity from the subtle sourness in the crust. Moreover, thanks to the added sourdough starter, it’s primarily a perfect flaky dough.
Use Fresh Fruit
Be sure to choose perfectly ripe peaches (or nectarines!) and blueberries for this galette. The sweetness of the berries and stone fruit enhances the overall flavor of this galette. Also, slice the fruit into uniform pieces to ensure consistent texture and even baking.
(If you have leftover nectarines, peaches, or other fruit, use them in our shortcake with sourdough discard drop biscuits!)
Leave a Border
When filling the crust for this sourdough galette, leave a 2-inch border around the edge of the crust bare. This will be the crust you fold up and over the fruit to hold everything together.
Refrigerate the Filled Sourdough Galette Before Baking
After rolling out and filling the sourdough galette crust, fold the clean-bordered crust over the edges of the filling. Then, refrigerate the galette for 15 to 30 minutes before baking. This refrigeration will ensure the crust stays firm and prevent the filling from leaking.
Print
Whole Grain Peach, Blueberry and Lavender Sourdough Galette
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 1 galette
- Category: Pie, dessert, lunch
- Cuisine: American
Description
Using my Flaky Sourdough Pie Crust as the base for this recipe, the filling with fresh peaches, blueberries, and culinary lavender makes a truly decadent galette.
Ingredients
Sourdough Galette
- One Flaky Sourdough Pie Crust (swap the all-purpose flour for whole grain white Sonora or other whole grain wheat flour)
- 1 cup (about 150g) blueberries
- 1/2 tsp ground culinary lavender (optional)
- 5 medium peaches (about 560g), peeled
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons arrowroot (or cornstarch)
- 1/4 cup (30g) light brown sugar
- Scant 1/2 cup (85g) granulated sugar
Egg Wash and Sugar Sprinkle
- 1 egg, beaten
- Coarse sugar (like Demerara)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Lightly flour your bench and roll the dough out into a round shape with a 12” diameter. Try to keep the thickness as even as possible by rolling a little and then turning the disc—any areas that are significantly thinner may fall down when baking (not a huge deal).
- Once rolled out, transfer it to the prepared baking sheet with parchment paper and place it into the refrigerator to chill.
- Combine the filling ingredients in a large mixing bowl and gently stir to combine.
- Remove the chilled dough and scoop the filling into the center but maintain a 2-inch clean border of dough all around. Depending on the size of your peaches, and how far you’ve rolled out your dough, you might have some extra filling—don’t overfill the dough, or it might spill in the oven.
- Working all the way around, fold the border up and over the fruit, pressing the dough together where it overlaps to create a seal.
- Important: Place the baking sheet with the galette into the fridge for at least 15-30 minutes to firm before baking.
- Remove from refrigerator, brush the dough with the egg wash, and sprinkle liberally all over with coarse sugar.
- Bake for about 40 minutes until juices are bubbling and the crust is golden brown. Let the sourdough galette slightly cool on a wire rack.
Notes
Adjust the amount of sugar called for to your liking, and more importantly, how sweet your fruit is! I reduced the called for sugar just a bit since my peaches were incredibly ripe and sweet.
Next time the stars want to align and throw me fresh summer ingredients, I’ll follow suit and let my instinct take the driver’s seat—this sourdough galette is fantastic. If you try this recipe with other flour types, I’d love to hear how they work out. I’m excited to continue experimenting with freshly milled flour and whole grains for my dessert crusts.
Well, that and, of course, my sourdough starter.
What’s Next?
If you’re like me and it’s peak summer where you are, read through my guide to baking bread during the summer for practical advice on how to keep baking (and maintaining your starter) during the high-heat months of the year.
This peach and blueberry combination would also be incredible with our sourdough discard cocoa galette crust!
Buon Appetito!
121 Comments
This is my go-to crust, and the directions are perfect. Grazie ancora, Maurizio!
Awesome, John! Glad to hear that and enjoy 🙂
Hello Rachael,
I am vegan, too. I’ve used vegan butter for other recipes on this site, and with success (and a little extra work). If you have Miyoko’s European Style Vegan Butter available near you, I may go with that since I notice it is firmer than Earth Balance or the Country Crock variety of vegan butters.
Savory galette? I made this dough last weekend and its been “resting” in the refrigerator. I’d like to try a savory galette on the pizza stone in the grill… will that work? Any advice?
I have dough, zucchini (tons of zucchini), homemade ricotta and bolognese just asking to become my dinner tonight!
Savory galettes work best with veggies that don’t seep a lot of liquid. I use butternut squash, sweet potato, beets, and carrots. Zucchini might work especially if you treat it with salt beforehand like one might with eggplant.
And along the lines of what @disqus_Lt1slpjfYC:disqus said, if your ingredients have a lot of liquid, you can add a bit of raw flour to the bottom of the crust before piling on the ingredients to help absorb some liquid. I also like to place the filled and crimped galette into the freezer for 5-10 mins before baking to have it firm up!
Hard to say as I’ve not experimented with this. I do know some vegan butter substitutes are used by bakers in croissants… That should work here!
Delicious! Made this today with apricots, blueberries and rainier cherries and the family ate it up before it even cooled! (Dough was from freezer, made two days ago). Love the sourdough tang in the crust and it seems to make it extra flaky. And it looks as good as it tastes.
Substituted 1 teaspoon cornstarch for arrowroot. Used all AP flour, too.
Super glad to hear that, Sheila! Sounds delicious. I have a rainier cherry tree here in my garden but this year the birds only left me a handful… They sure were tasty, though. Enjoy!
what does the ACV do for the recipe?
I made the recipe and didn’t use the ACV solely because I didn’t have any on hand and it worked out great still, so unsure!
It’s not mandatory but it helps tenderize the dough. Will be great without as well! I commonly use ACV in my pie does (sourdough or not).
I made this with 100% white Kamut flour and it couldn’t have been more delicious. My family raved over the crust especially. Such a great recipe!
I just love Kamut and this is a great place for it! Thanks for reporting back, Maren 🙂
What do you think about freezing the discs to make pie at a later point in time?
That will work very well!
I made this a few days ago…delicious! I used some discarded starter that had been in the fridge for a day or so and it worked just fine. I used spelt flour and it came together well. Filled with an apple-pear-bourbon-coffee-cardamom filling alongside vanilla ice cream, my it was so good! Thanks for a delicious, easy recipe.
I’ve been trying to work with almost exclusively whole grains and it’s been going pretty well. Your research into whole grain sourdough recipes is very much appreciated!
That sounds delicious, Katy! Thanks for reporting back on how this worked out for you, especially with using a refrigerated starter (which will work just fine, as you reported). I’ll be posting more whole grain recipes very soon! Happy baking.
Absolutely beautiful ! Please do share a recipe for panettone sourdough 🙂
Thank you! Working on it 🙂 Happy baking, Adelina!
Amazing recipe, the last pie crust recipe I’ll ever need. 1 cup starter came out to 270 grams for me (100% hydration, whole wheat), and I used 215g AP flour and 80g kamut flour, was a great combination. I didn’t have lavender, but I added some vanilla, cinnamon and a handful of purple and genovese basil leaves. Can’t wait to bake that second half that’s sitting in the freezer. Thanks so much for this and all the other recipes, they’ve been a great inspiration!
I love those modifications, Michiel! Glad the recipe worked out so well for you — I’m actually planning to mix this up this weekend myself 🙂
Happy baking!
Thank you, Maurizio, for such a delicious recipe. This pie crust was the best I’ve ever made, and the best I’ve ever eaten. Peaches and blueberries sound very yummy, yet I only had strawberries and gala apples, which still turned out a yummy galette. Sourdough truly brings that spark and gift of deliciousness to breads and baked goods that I knew nothing about prior to this year (also, thanks to you). And to have known about its properties I would’ve made a sourdough pie crust long ago.
This is such a lazy comment but does 1 cup of 1:1 starter weigh for you? 😂
Ah that’s actually a good question, I should have weighed that! I’m not sure, I will have to check that when I make this next!
I just made the galette tonight and followed your crust recipe but used blueberries and blackberries for my filling. Best pie crust ever, flaky yet crisp and after some cooling I could actually pick up a slice without any spillage! Thanks for sharing. I am always looking for ways to use up starter discards.
Ahh so glad to hear that! I just can’t wait till Spring rolls around here so I can get some fresh fruit! Happy baking 🙂
LOVE this crust recipe! I used 1/2 all purpose flour, 1/2 whole wheat flour and substituted some vegetable shortening for about 1/3 of the butter. I find that the crust is more “bendable” with some shortening as opposed to with butter only (which often cracks when i work with it). I had never even thought to add starter to a crust but it was delicious! Everyone agreed that the flavor was amazing but no one could put their finger on it! Win! Will definitely make this again!
Wow that’s great! Thanks so much for the comments. I’ve never baked with shortening, but I have heard about how it can help rich doughs like this. I have this recipe memorized now and have used is several times in a bunch of other pastry items as well, like this tart. I basically can’t stop 🙂
Thanks again and happy baking!
Made this last night with late summer peaches and it was fantastic. Great texture to the crust, though I only used King Arthur all-purpose unbleached flour. The lavender in my garden is flowering again with the cooler weather, so I just stripped the fresh flowers off a couple of stems, rubbed them a bit to release the oils, and dropped them in with the fruit. Fresh lavender works well in panna cotta too (complements the tartness I think), so I wonder if adding a little to creme fraiche on the side of this galette would be a nice touch. Great dessert!
Excellent! I planted some lavender in my garden this year as well, definitely going to be harvesting some of that next year for this very recipe. I like the idea of lavender in panna cotta, I could imagine it does pair well indeed. You know I wanted to add creme fraiche to this one but I was out! Next time 🙂
Thanks for the comments, really glad it worked out so well for ya!
Just tried this recipe and I just have to say that it’s incredible. The flavor is so good and its flaky and buttery and has a nice bite to it. I didnt have white Sonora flour or a white whole wheat so I mixed some white flour and whole wheat together. Made sense to me but maybe its strange logic? idk! I used 200g of Bob’s organic all purpose and 95g of High altitude Hungarian whole wheat flour. Mine seems to have come out less textured and shinier than in the picture but the flavor was so good. I will use this recipe over and over whenever I can. Paired my slices with a little dollop of creme fraiche. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Super glad to hear that! I’ve made this so many times now and each time it comes out awesome. I use all sorts of flour combinations as well, but I try to keep a majority of the flour whole grain.
I SO wanted to drop some creme fraiche on this but I was out — next time 🙂
Thanks for the message!
I love this crust! I never thought of using sourdough in pie dough. I couldn’t bear to use all that butter, so I cut it to a stick and a half, and the flour I used is a really special white whole wheat my neighbor grew and milled. Thanks for opening up my idea of what to do with starter!
Reducing butter is not a problem! I might try a little less next time as well. When I make a pie I typically want this much butter so I get a nice and rich, flaky result but I don’t think going down to 1.5 sticks would hurt 🙂
Very cool you have a neighbor growing their own wheat — and milling to boot! Awesome.
You’re welcome glad you put it to such good use already! Happy baking 🙂
Hallo ! Yesterday I made this pie dough and instead of peach and blueberry, I have put pear and blackberry, which we have harvested fresh from our garden and neighbor forest. And lavender fit to it ! ^-^ the crust was super good and we really enjoyed. High percentage of butter was a bit guilty, but it was Sunday cake, so we are allowed, aren’t we? ^-^ I will make it surely once again and often with different contents in it, according to what we have in our garden. Your site is really really good, you are very generous to give us all the instruction, I appreciate that. thank you so so so much!
That sounds SO good! Really great modifications, and I do believe pear + blackberry and lavender would work really well together 🙂 Yes, there’s quite a bit of butter but I agree, Sunday cake is totally justified 🙂
Thanks so much for the kind words, really appreciate that! Happy baking!
This looks divine. I plan on making this over the weekend for a few friends coming over for a small, casual summer dinner. I bet this would be lovely to use for a savory pie too. A few summers ago, I made up a double crust tomato pie with caramelized onions, grainy mustard, thyme, and cheddar — it was a great way to use my husband’s bounty of homegrown tomatoes. Actually — now that I think of it, maybe I’ll make that instead! Great, creative way to use the starter, Maurizio. Many thanks, as usual.
Here’s the tomato pie recipe which could (should!) be converted for your sourdough pie pastry. I made it up, so it’s very “a little of this, a little of that..” I am sure there are tons of variations and more specific recipes on line. This makes 2 9-inch double crusted pies.
Ingredients:
Your favorite pie pastry recipe – enough for 2 double crusted pies (you could also top with… fresh bread crumbs tossed with grated cheese and herbs if you don’t want to mess with 2 crusts).
About 5 or 6 tomatoes depending on size
4 small/medium yellow or Vidalia onions
Dijon or whole grain mustard – about 4 TBL
4 TBL unsalted butter (cultured, if available)
freshly grated white cheddar or gruyere
1/4 c diced pancetta (optional)
2 TBL fresh chopped thyme or about 2 tsp dried herbs de Provence
kosher salt and pepper to taste
1 egg – beaten
Directions:
Slice onions super duper, finger threateningly thin (a mandoline or Cuisinart with the slicing blade is handy here).
Melt butter on low in a large saute pan. Add onions. Cook onions until caramelized and browned – likely 30+ minutes.
Gentle heat & patience is the trick here. You don’t want your onions to brown – you want them to caramelize and stay soft. Throw a dash of kosher salt in the pan along with the onions.
While onions are doing their thing, slice tomatoes in approx. 1/4 inch slices on the equator. Use your fingers to knock out the seeds. (Alternatively, cut tomatoes in half along the equator and shake the seeds out before slicing further. I find this is not a great method for very ripe tomatoes b/c they get misshapen and mash a bit.) Set aside.
Grate cheese as you wish – I used the large holes on my box grater. About 1/4-1/3 c per pie. Set aside.
Once onions are done cooking, set them aside to cool a bit while you play with pie pastry. If you are using pancetta — remove onions from the pan to a bowl to cool off and reuse the onion pan for the pancetta (don’t wipe out all that buttery goodness). Brown pancetta on medium/med-low heat until crispy. Drain on paper towel until ready to use.
Roll out pastry and place the bottom pastries in two 9″ pie plates. (Remember – you are making two pies here.) Do not blind bake. Brush about a TBL or two of Dijon mustard in the bottoms of the pastry shells. Whatever looks good to you.
Spread tomatoes in the pie shells. You want about two layers. I added whole slices and then cut up other slices to fit. Try not to leave any blank spaces. Sprinkle chopped thyme or herbs de Provence on the tomatoes, a dash of salt, a grind or two of pepper.
Spread cooked onions all over tomatoes. A bit more herbs and pepper (if you already salted your onions, shouldn’t need it now.) Sprinkle pancetta if using. Slap on a little more mustard using your fingers or a pastry brush to smear across the onions. Sprinkle cheese over the whole mess to cover lightly.
Top with the second pastry shell. Crimp sides as you wish. Cut a few steam vents in the pastry. Brush egg wash on pastry (shines her up and gives her a tropical tan in the oven.)
I baked mine at about 370-375 for about 35-45 minutes — rotating the pies half way through. Watch your oven – remove when golden brown and bubbly. Let chill for a while before eating to keep the roof of your mouth in tact. Good room temp or warm.
Oh that recipe sounds so, so good! Thank you so much for sharing it. Surprisingly I haven’t baked a savory pie in a really, really long time — this will have to be the revisiting of that. I think my sourdough crust here would work out awesome with a savory pie like this — how could it not, really? I’ll gather up these ingredients next market visit and get on it.
Dang now I’m really hungry and it isn’t even lunchtime yet… Thanks again 🙂
This does look great and so up my alley for an easy dessert! Thanks Maurizio, I can’t wait to try it. I also don’t like to throw out the discard so this recipe should be very useful.
Very easy and very good! You’re welcome, hope you enjoy it 🙂
Another great idea for sourdough! Can’t wait to try this, also.
I also vote for ThePerfectLoaf, every day! Question: do you have a weight for the starter? Mine will lose volume pretty quickly when stirred, which could make a big difference.
Thanks for the votes, Margie! I really appreciate that 🙂
Surprisingly I actually did not measure the weight of my starter — dang! Next time I do this I’ll measure and update this post. Start with 1 cup, lightly stirred so it settles some, and then if you need more moisture in the dough add water from there.
Sorry for the omission!
Just put mine in the oven! I did fresh ginger and peach with whole wheat flour. I’m not sure my starter was “ripe” enough, but the dough came together very well! I’m so excited to see the results! Thanks for a great recipe!
That sounds like a winner to me! As long as the dough comes together you’re doing just fine. I might have to try that combination!
That looks fantastic Maurizio. I’ve never seen starter used in pie pastry before, but I don’t know why not. What a great idea! thank you for the inspiration. -Debra Wink
P.S. I voted for The Perfect Loaf. Twice 🙂
Thanks Debra! Really great to hear from you. I’ve been trying to come up with all sorts of dishes to work my sourdough starter into… I’m starting to get even more creative 🙂
Thanks for the votes, I REALLY appreciate that!
This looks wonderful, Maurizio! I think this will be a dessert at our house very soon! By the way, is there an easy rule of thumb for adding sourdough starter to a recipe – ie – What do you leave out if you’re adding a cup of 100% hydration starter? Thanks again for another wonderful article!
Thanks Mark! It is really a great recipe, very versatile too, I’m hoping to make a pie from 1/2 a shell here later this week (probably with a streusel top).
I don’t think there’s any rule of thumb I pretty much just go with my gut and test to see if things turn out the way I expect 🙂 I think for a crust like this it’s probably pretty forgiving, you just need enough liquid to make the dough come together whether that’s with a liquid starter, water, or something else.
Upside to testing like this is there are always great things to eat afterwards 🙂 Happy baking!