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
Made this with whole wheat pastry flour, turned out great, even better for breakfast!
Fantastic, Margie! Nothing like a galette for breakfast 🙂 I made this recently with whole grain einkorn for part of the flour (50%), it was amazing as well!
Love the recipe for Galette Crust. I’ve made countless galleries and always use sourcream instead of vinegar.
So glad you like it, Michael!
The top and sides of the crust were crispy, beautiful and delicious in my pear/blueberry galette. The bottom crust section got cooked but was soggy. Could you advise me how to get the bottom to crisp up?
You could try sliding the baking sheet on a preheated baking stone, but I bet there was a bit too much juice in your filling. I might try draining just a bit of it!
Thank you for your quick reply! I use frozen local wild blueberries, and they do make a lot of juice. This time, I separated the liquid, slid the chilled galette onto a preheated baking stone, then added the liquid in small increments after the galette had been baking for 20 minutes or so. This did seem to help the bottom bake better. I’ll try one without the blueberries next time.
Instead of using a pastry blender, you can freeze the butter for 10 minutes & use the bigger holes of a box grater to grate the butter into the flour, tossing to combine. Requires much less effort, and the dough will be less worked and more consistent. (This is a method I use for pie crusts, scones, and other pastry dough.)
Hey, Laurie. Yes, absolutely, that will work. In fact, any method you typically use to make pie crust will work just fine here. Happy baking!
Hello Maurizio
Just wondering the reason you use starter in your dough. In a tart dough there is usually no leavening agent.
It’s a way for me to use up excess sourdough starter discard! It also adds a measure of tanginess, and tenderness, to the crust.
Hello. If I double the recipe does it matter if I don’t double the sourdough starter? Maybe just let it proof for longer time? Thanks
If you double, to make 4 single pie crusts, and don’t double the starter, you’ll have to add more liquid during mixing to compensate. Otherwise, the dough won’t come together and be dry. Just add cold water, a little at a time, until the dough comes together.
Rosemary goes very nicely with peaches as well! I’m getting some peaches this weekend from a local farm that has a different variety almost every week. I had a csa a few years ago and had never-ending peaches all Summer! I can’t wait to try this because peaches and blueberries go SO well together!
You’re right, I love peaches + rosemary! My peaches are ripening on the vine right now, can’t wait to walk outside, pluck some, and make this as well! Enjoy, Gina 🙂
I love the combination of rosemary with fruit. I make a blueberry overnight “French toast” with a Maurizio’s all white sourdough bread with added rosemary, and it’s always a hit. Next time I’ll try this galette with rosemary. Great idea!
Maurizio – I’ve tried so many of your recipes and they are all the bomb diggity! I love your discard pancakes but this might become my discard favourite. I have struggled with pie crusts time and time again but this one worked out so well. I will make sure to always have a couple of these in the freezer.
Made it tonight pretty much following your recipe but swapped lavender for fresh rosemary, as I have a lot in the garden. I made the filling a bit early so that the rosemary would infuse into the syrup. It turned out little saucy so I strained some of the syrup out and drizzled it back over the galette once baked. A winner!
So happy to hear that! That sounds absolutely delicious, I think rosemary is a good sub here. During the spring/summer I use this recipe so, so often, I love it as well. Thanks for the comments and happy baking!
Hi Maurizio, have you tried blind baking the shell before adding the filling, or does this recipe not necessitate this extra step ? Excited to try this !
It would be hard to do so with this because the dough needs to be pliable enough to fold up the sides over the filling. Also, I’ve not found it necessary! I do think it helps to put the filled dough into the fridge (or freezer, for shorter) for a while to firm up before baking. Let me know how it goes, this is a really wonderful crust!
Hey Maurizio — just curious what the functionality of the apple cider vinegar is in the crust? Is it simply for flavor or for something structural to how the dough bakes up?
It’s supposed to act as a tenderizer, but honestly, I would simply omit it. I keep meaning to update the recipe to go without it! Just use water in its place.
You mention white whole wheat flour in several recipes. Are you referring to hard white wheat or soft white wheat? I grind my own. I think soft white wheat might be good in this recipe? What about for breads? Normally for bread I use hard white or red whole wheat. Thanks for clarifying!!
I’ll usually specify the variety, if not, assume hard red wheat. However, either will work really well, it just depends on what flavor profile you’re after and which you prefer!
Hi Maurizio! I made bread according to your recipes and it turned out great. As well as the pizza, it was very appreciated. I would like to ask you if you think you can make a sweet dough for tart, pie, something baked in the oven, based on a sourdough leavened for a long time, about 24 hours?
Glad to hear that, Irina! Sure, you could do that as well. The longer it ferments, though, the more gluten breakdown it’ll see, so you might have issues with structure if left for too long.
Hi Maurizio! If I wanted to add buckwheat flour to this dough (partially for its nice, nutty flavor, partially to use up the curious abundance of buckwheat flour in my pantry), what ratio would you recommend of buckwheat + the flour you call for? I don’t want to deviate from the desired texture here too much.
This would be absolutely delicious with buckwheat flour. I’d probably start with 5% of the flour in this recipe switched for buckwheat. Then, see how it bakes up and adjust up or down from there. My feeling is you could probably get to 10% since you’re not looking for huge rise with this crust. Have fun and please let me know how it works out!
Hi Maurizio – this crust is amazingly tender and flaky. I had two in the freezer and took one out, defrosted it in the fridge overnight to keep it cold, and made a broccoli, feta, red onion galette. No need to wait for fresh fruit, the savory galette was a big hit.
Thanks for the feedback, Susan! So happy to hear you liked the dough. I seem to always have one of these in my freezer for impromptu sweet galettes, but a savory one is just as wonderful. Enjoy!
Yes- I just made a savory galette from this recipe too. Not only good for leftover starter, but leftovers too! Leftovers leaving you a little lackluster? Stick em in some pie crust! Also, I was so surprised how tender and flaky the crust was considering how much I handled it when it seemed like I put too much water in. Amazing recipe!
So glad to hear that, Holly! I’m getting one of these ready for tomatoes from the garden and feta cheese 🙂 Enjoy!
Hello Maurizio, I’m excited to try this with sweet potato pie for Thanksgiving. I’ve only ever made galette with it though. Would you recommend doing anything different for a pie, e.g. blind baking?
Awesome, Amanda! I’m doing the same. I wouldn’t do anything different, but blind bake the crust if that’s what your recipe for the filling calls for!
Fantastic, thank you Maurizio! Great minds 😉 I sincerely appreciate your responsiveness. Happy holiday baking!
Hi Maurizio,
Going to use this pie crust for a Thanksgiving apple pie. I have a question about the flour. I couldn’t find the Kamut flour but did get some Jovial Einkorn organic AP. Would that be a good sub for the Kamut?
I realized I am using your recipes and advice so often I needed to donate to the cause! Cheers!
Hey there! Any flour will work well for this recipe. I didn’t call for Kamut, I was using White Sonora (a wheat variety), but Einkorn will work really well also! Happy to help and happy holidays 🙂
Hello Maurizio, You always list the ingredients with weight. How many grams of 1 cup of ripe liquid sourdough starter will the recipe call for? Trying to see if I can save the trouble of measuring the starter into a cup then scrape it out to the dough. Thank you.
Not sure why I don’t have a weight listed for the sourdough starter, I’ll fix that now. I’ve found 1 cup of sourdough starter is appx. 200g. It’s ok if you’re a little under or over that amount.
Tried this pie crust with warren pear galette and came out beautifully. Crust was flaky, and even after a few days it didn’t taste stale. Making more again and freezing it for coming weeks!
Oh that sounds wonderful, Nami! I haven’t used this recipe for a pear galette/pie, but what a great idea. Now I know what to do with these pears coming soon! Happy baking 🙂
Trying this recipe now… can’t wait, especially after reading the comments!! Do you use salted butter, or unsalted? I’m guessing unsalted as you include additional salt in the dry mix, but I hope I’ve assumed correctly. I’m sure it will be delicious, regardless. Thanks, as always!
Unsalted butter. Enjoy, Jillian, it’s delicious!
I am making a chicken pot pie, would you please suggest a recipe for the crust using the discard SD starter. I hate the thought of throwing it away! Thank you, Dicy
Yes, the crust recipe will work really well with a savory dish! Just omit the sugar in the crust.
I would like to make a crust for chicken pot pie…should I use the recipe for the “starter discard pie and galette” without sugar? Dicy
Hello Maurizio! Planning to bake this over the weekend. Can I substitute the arrowroot for cornstarch? If so, would it be the same 3 tablespoons? Thank you very much!
Yes, I use arrowroot in its place all the time. I find a 1-to-1 substitution works just fine!
Thank you so much, Maurizio!
Do you think this dough would work for hand pies?
Absolutely, Rebecca!
New to this. How long can I keep the dough frozen? Then do I just thaw it and roll it out when I am ready to use?
I usually use the frozen dough within three months. To thaw, I take it out of the freezer and put it into the refrigerator overnight. The next day, I’ll leave out on the counter until it’s workable but not overly warm. Once pliable/workable, roll out as usual!
Thanks for this! Would you include this tip in your recipe?
Yes, will add this!
This is the 3rd sourdough crust recipe I’ve tried and it is the BEST!! My go-to now!
Ah, so glad to hear that Chelsea! Thanks for your comments (and the ones below, too). Happy baking 🙂