Heirloom Tomato Galette

This Heirloom Tomato Galette is filled with juicy heirloom tomatoes, sweet caramelized onions, and nestled atop a soft buttery flakey crust. It’s so easy to make, unbelievably delicious, and it will leave your house smelling AHHH’mazing.

Heirloom Tomato Galette

I am a sucker for galettes! Not only do they each have their own unique buttery taste, whether that be sweet or savory, but they’re also so incredibly easy to make; a no-fuss, rustic pastry that has endless topping options. 

You may already be familiar with sweet galettes, but I’m here to tell you, don’t sleep on the savory varieties! Out of all the galettes I’ve made, the Heirloom Tomato Galette is hands down my favorite, that is to say whenever I’ve been lucky enough to taste it before my husband inhales it in one sitting. I’ve been making this galette 2-3 times a month, and every time it gets devoured, down to the last crumb! It’s THAT good.

What Is A Heirloom Tomato?

The seeds from Heirloom tomatoes are passed down from farmers, season to season, usually based on the plants that produced the best fruit. They are also open-pollinated, meaning they are pollinated naturally by birds, bees, winds, and the like. Each unique variety is grown for their size, juiciness, rich color and taste. 

Most tomatoes found in the grocery-store are bread for consistency (e.g. color, texture, shape) and tend to lack in flavor. Heirloom tomatoes on the other hand, come in all sorts of shapes, sizes, and pack a unique and delicious flavor.

When Are Heirloom Tomatoes In Season?

Heirloom tomatoes are in season late summer to early fall. 

What Is The Difference Between A Galette And Crostata?

Galette and Crostata are both essentially the same thing, Galette is the French term and Crostata is Italian.  They are both free-form and rustic, and can either be sweet or savory.

Can I Use Store Bought Dough?

You can certainly use store-bought pie dough or even puff-pastry, either option makes for an easy-to-follow recipe that allows for its own flexibility. If you are wanting to make this galette gluten-free, be sure to read the ingredient list.

How Thick Should The Galette Crust Be? 

Typically, you want to aim for ⅛ thickness in the crust. Usually if the crust is any thicker, it can often taste  gummy or chewy, and not all that flakey.

What Do I Serve With A Heirloom Tomato Galette?

You can serve this Heirloom Tomato Galette as an appetizer or as a light lunch, or as its own dinner with a salad.

Ingredients 

For The Sourdough Crust:

Gluten-Free Flour: You can use any gluten-free flour, however I prefer 1:1 baking flour such as Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten Free Flour.

Salt: Any sea salt will work, however something like Redmond Real Salt is a great option.

Unsalted Butter: Something like Kerrygold Butter works great. You will want to use unsalted butter to control the amount of salt in the dough. Also, to help keep the dough flakey you will want to use really cold butter. I usually dice mine up then put it in the freezer while preparing the rest of the ingredients.

Apple Cider Vinegar: The ACV is said to help keep the dough from oxidizing.  Also, if using regular flour, some swear that ACV helps make the crust flakier.

Sourdough Discard

Ice Water

For The Filling:

Butter: Unsalted, grass-fed if able. I love Kerrygold Butter, and you can stock up at costco!

Extra Virgin Olive Oil:

Onion: Yellow onion works great for caramelizing.

Garlic

Thyme: fresh if you have it, dried works great as well

Oregano: dried 

Heirloom Tomatoes: Choose a variety of colors if you can. My favorite for this galette is combining orange, striped, red or black tomatoes. You can learn more about the colors and flavors of each here.

Egg: This is for the egg-wash, which will help the crust brown.

Flakey Sea Salt: Maldon’s Sea Salt is wonderful and affordable.

Pepper

Instructions 

Step 1: Making the Dough 

1. In the food processor, add gluten-free flour and salt. Pulse to combine.
2. Add diced, cold butter and pulse again. Butter should still be in large chunks, afterwards.
3. Add sourdough discard, apple cider vinegar and 6 tablespoon cold water. Pulse to combine.
4. If the dough looks dry, add a few more tablespoons of water and pulse again.
5. Dough is considered ready when it begins to clump and resembles coarse sand.
6. Remove dough from the food-processor and place on a lightly-floured pastry board (use gluten free flour).
7. Using your hands, shape the dough into a disc, and cut in half. This will make enough dough for two 10-inch rounds.
8. Wrap each disc tightly with plastic-wrap and place in the fridge for 2 hours or overnight. You can place the second round in the freezer and it will keep for 2-3 months.

Step 2: Making the Filling

1. Slice the tomatoes into ⅛ inch slices and place on a clean dish towel. You don’t want to skip this step or your galette may turn out soggy, as the tomatoes contain a lot of moisture.
2. Heat a skillet over medium low heat.
3. Add butter, extra virgin olive oil, sliced onions and a pinch of salt.
4. Saute the onions over low heat for 30-35 minutes or until onions have caramelized.
5. Add thyme, oregano and garlic to the onions and cook for 1-2 minutes over low heat.
6. Remove the carmelized onions from the heat and set aside.

Step 3: Making the Egg Wash

1. In a small bowl, add 1 egg and a splash of water. Whisk to combine.

Step 4: Assembling the Heirloom Tomato Galette

1. Remove dough from the fridge and let it rest for about 5 minutes.
2. Place the dough between two sheets of parchment paper that have been lightly dusted with gluten-free flour.
3. Roll the dough out until it is about ⅛ inch thick and approximately 10-11 inches in diameter. 
4. Peel the top-side piece of parchment paper off the dough and place the dough on a baking sheet with the bottom piece of parchment paper, still intact. If the dough is a bit sticky, place it back in the fridge for 5-10 minutes.
5. Place the carmelized onion-filling in the center of the dough and gently spread it outward, leaving about a 1-inch border on the outside of the dough.
6. Layer sliced tomatoes over the carmelized-onion filling. Lightly dust tomatoes with flakey sea salt.
7. Gently fold outer edges of the crust over itself, working your way around the edges of the galette. The beauty of a galette is that it presents in almost a messy manner, so there is no need to be perfect (If the dough breaks, you can pinch it back together with your fingers).
8. Place the galette back in the fridge for 10 minutes. This step helps ensure the butter is cold and helps to produce a flakey crust.
9. Remove the galette from the fridge and brush the folded-over dough with egg-wash. Sprinkle the tomatoes with pepper, and once again lightly sprinkle the tomatoes and crust with flakey sea salt; tomatoes need a lot of salt, but still adjust to your liking.
10. Bake at 400 degrees for 37-40 min or until the crust is brown.

How to Serve: 

Allow the Heirloom Tomato Galette to rest for 10 minutes before serving. This galette tastes great both warm or at room temperature. Pair with a crisp glass of white wine or an Aperol Spritz. 

How to Store: 

Allow the Heirloom Tomato Galette to cool, then store in the refrigerator for 1-2 days.

You may also like:

Mixed Berry Sourdough Galette

Whipped Feta With Blistered Tomatoes

Grilled Peach And Burrata Salad

Burst Cherry Tomato Pasta With Steak

Did you make this recipe?  I’d love to see it, hashtag it on Instagram #simpleandfraiche. Questions? Leave a comment below!