Easy Summer Tomato Galette

This easy fresh tomato galette is full of summer tomatoes on a cheese filling, enrobed in a homemade flakey pastry. 

This tomato galette recipe comes together fairly quickly, and is super delicious, taking advantage of the delicious combination of cheese and tomato, adorned on a homemade buttery crust that is flavored with dried basil and black pepper. 

This beautiful free-form pie or tart can be served as a main or as a side dish for a light summer dinner. And pairs nicely with fresh herbs, and a fresh simple green salad.

Ingredients

Here is a list of ingredients and substitutions, please refer to the recipe card for full details. 

Plain flour (all-purpose flour/standard grade flour) refers to flour that has a protein content of approximately 9.5-12%. If measuring ingredients by cups, make sure to aerate the flour and then scoop it into the measuring cup using a spoon before leveling it off. Scooping directly out of the flour container will result in too much flour being added to the mixture. Take note - a cup of flour weighs around 125 grams. If you want to use wholewheat flour, I would substitute half the plain flour with wholewheat flour. Keep in mind that you may need a little bit of extra water to hydrate the flour fully. 

Cold butter is used to make this pastry. I use New Zealand butter that is similar to European/Irish Butter. 

Water - Ice-cold water is needed for a nice flakey pastry. 

Salt enhances the flavor of the butter, flour, and herbs. But you can skip the salt if using salted butter. 

Black pepper and dried sweet basil or oregano or  Italian seasoning add some additional flavor to both the pastry and the tomato galette filling

Tomatoes - this recipe can be made with regular tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, or beautiful ripe heirloom tomatoes. Choose whichever beautiful ripe tomatoes you have available.

Parmesan cheese and cheddar cheese are layered between the pastry and the tomatoes - creating a classic cheese and tomato flavor. Parmesan can always be replaced with cheddar cheese. 

Cottage Cheese - optional extra for this savory galette. I like adding cottage cheese to the filling, however, if you don't like it, or feel like you may battle a bit with the extra moisture, skip this step. 

Egg for an egg wash - this makes sure the edges of the pastry get nice and golden brown. 

Can't be bothered to make the pastry? Simply use your favorite store-bought flakey pastry. The pastry used in this particular recipe amounts to about 500 grams of pastry. If your pieces of store-bought pastry are smaller, you can make multiple galettes to use up all the filling.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1 -Whisk together the flour, salt, and herbs for the pastry. Cube the cold butter and toss it into the flour. Using your fingers or a pastry cutter, rub or cut the butter into the flour mixture until you are left with pea-size pieces of butter.

Step 2 - Add in the ice-cold water a tablespoon or two at a time and stir until you have a shaggy dough. Take note that some pieces of the flour will still be dry. The amount of water needed may vary, but only add what you need. 

Step 3 - Turn the dough onto the kitchen counter, and pat it together to form a rough rectangle. Using a knife or a bench scraper, divide the dough into three or four pieces. Stack these on top of each other and press down, gathering any portions of the dough that have fallen away. Repeat this process twice more. This laminates the dough which creates that beautiful flakiness when it bakes. The dough will become more cohesive during this process. Pat the dough into a rough disc shape wrap it in plastic wrap (cling film) and place in the fridge for 2 hours or overnight. 

NOTE - you can make this dough up to 3 days in advance. Keep the dough in the fridge until you are ready to roll it out and make the galette.

Step 4 - Remove the pastry from the fridge and allow it to come to room temperature for about 15 minutes before rolling out. Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°C or 180°C fan. 

Step 5 - Slice the tomatoes about 1cm thick. Place them in a large bowl (or in a sieve in a large bowl), sprinkle tomatoes with salt, and let them rest for 15 minutes to draw out the excess water. Then place the tomato slices onto a paper towel-lined baking sheet. Press down with additional paper towels to remove the excess moisture. 

Step 6 - Grate the cheeses and set aside. If using cottage cheese, stir the cheeses together in a mixing bowl.

Step 7 - On a well-floured work surface, roll out the galette dough until it is about 0.6 cm thick (¼ inch) and about 35 cm (14 inches) in diameter. When rolling the dough, keep turning the dough 45 degrees to stop the dough from sticking to the surface. Don't be afraid to add more flour to the surface if needed. 

Step 8 - Gently roll the pastry onto the rolling pin. Line a large baking sheet or sheet pan with parchment paper or baking paper. Unroll the pastry on the baking sheet. 

Step 9 - Scatter cheese over the bottom of the galette pastry, leaving a 3-5cm (1-2 inch) border. Then layer the sliced tomatoes over the cheese. Flavor with some freshly cracked pepper if desired. 

Step 10 - Fold the edges of the dough over the tomato and cheese mixture. The dough should overlap the outer tomatoes.

Step 11 - Beat an egg in a small bowl with a fork. Brush dough with the egg wash, making sure to get all the exposed galette crust, and between the pastry pieces that are overlapping. Bake the tomato galette for 45 minutes. Then remove from oven and let rest for 20 to 30 minutes before sprinkling with flakey salt and serving. 

Note - If portions of the pastry in the middle of the galette rise during the baking process, they will typically deflate as soon as the tomato galette is removed from the oven. I have only had this happen when I've made the galette without cottage cheese.

Pro Tips for this Recipe

• Use cold ingredients when making the pastry.
• The flaky pastry can be made up to 3 days in advance. Just make sure the pastry is wrapped in plastic wrap or cling film and keep it in the fridge.
• Remove as much moisture from the tomatoes as possible.
• This tomato galette can be served warm, at room temperature, or even straight from the fridge.

Ovens and Air-Fryers

The temperatures stated are for conventional ovens. For convection, fan-forced, fan-assisted, or air-fryers, the temperature must be reduced by 20°C/25°F.

Remember that all ovens work slightly differently and bake times may need to be adjusted for your specific oven.

Storage and Freezing

Store the leftover galette in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.

Tomato Galette FAQ