Not often are we able to see grapes incorporated into baking, unlike other more popular fruit choices such as strawberries, apples and lemons. Yet, this simple recipe will prove that grapes are not to be forgotten, especially given their deliciousness.

This grape galette is extremely flaky, with a nice juicy interior to complement it. I woke up way early in the morning just to prepare this, simply because I want to have it for breakfast! It was definitely worth the hassle and I would still do it anytime, any day! No regrets!

Let me first start with the common question: What is a Galette? I shall quote from Wikipedia here:

” Galette is a term used in French cuisine to designate various types of flat round or freeform crusty cakes, … “

Yup that is what a Galette is. If you need any reference, I feel that the best reference I will be able to produce will be the rustic apple tart that I baked a few weeks ago. It is extremely similar, from the ingredients to the method. Except instead of using apples, we are using these red seedless grapes! Should you want any reference, or if you are interested in this recipe, the picture is attached with the recipe here: Rustic Apple Tart Recipe

I feel that grapes are often neglected and underused in the baking world. Oftentimes, recipes will call for the common fruits I have mentioned above. But grapes are one of the fruits that are seasonal just like them, what made them so forgotten?

As such, I gave myself the pressure and stress of proving the worth of these grapes, and I am glad I succeeded. In fact, this grape baking recipe might even set me off on a spate of grape baking recipes, such as perhaps grape muffins or even grape cake. I mean why not? Grape baking recipes are simply awesome, delicious and nutritious.

I am not any scientist, although I will most probably obtain a biology major in the future, but I am sure everyone in the street know how nutritious grapes are! I just did a simple google search and I am going to list five common nutrition facts about grapes to justify me! Well, also because I love assurance! These five facts are: grapes are a rich source of vitamin K and C, B2, a good source of copper, contains no cholesterol, and even contains antioxidants!

With all that, along with this homely recipe, I am sure you will utilize grapes in your baking every time they are in season again. I assure that you will not regret at all.

Now, enough of grapes. Let me begin and talk about the recipe in detail!

This recipe contains red, seedless, ripe grapes. You can use other varieties of grapes but the most important part is that it must be both seedless and ripe. Needless to say, unripe grapes are not suitable for eating while you wouldn’t want to be constantly removing seeds from your grapes while eating the galette. That is unglamorous!

Furthermore, cornstarch and sugar are added to the grapes as a coat. The cornstarch when mixed with the grape juice will form a nice slightly thickened base while the sugar compensates for the lack of sweetness of your grapes, and allowing you to adjust the amount of sweetness according to your preference.

For the reason that the grape will burst while baking and that nice naturally sweet grape juice will seep out, we will not want to add too many grapes or it might overflow, be it whether during baking or during cutting. Look at how nice they look while baking!

The crust is buttery and nicely flaky. This crust recipe is definitely not for those who do not like a flaky crust. If you do not like a flaky crust, do use a different recipe for your crust! Like this you can still have your grape galette!

This easy grape baking recipe is more or less suitable for the beginner. I would however, suggest you to read the instructions given very closely. Should you be unclear or in doubt, do not hesitate to comment in this blog post, or on my other social media accounts to notify me that you need help. I will try to reply as soon as possible!

As per my usual practice, here’s an honest picture of how the grape galette will look like without any filters, any better lighting etc. Pure honesty, no nothing. I always do this to ensure that you know what you are signing yourself up for:

Disclaimer: I won’t be able to tell you how much grapes to use but I can only give you a rough gauge. You should use a shallow dish as a reference, preferably one that is 8″. If you’re using anything less or more, deduct or add more accordingly. Here’s what I did ( It should only form a single layer ):

Overall Difficulty: 2/5 ( I find that the transferring of my rolled out pastry could be quite difficult at times )
Time Taken: About 2 hours. ( 45 Minutes for Baking, 30 minutes of Cooling, 30 minutes of mixing, rolling etc ).

Ingredients Required:

For the Pie Crust/ Galette Crust:

  • 1 cup + 2 tablespoons of all purpose flour
  • 3 tablespoons of cornstarch
  • 2 tablespoons of caster sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon of salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon of cream of tartar, dissolved in 3 tablespoons of water
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence, or 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1/2 cup of cold butter, diced

For the grape filling:

  • Sufficient seedless and ripe grapes, without the stalk to form an 8″ round ( using any shallow dishes for a reference ). I didn’t really weigh mine but its about 30-40 grapes? It depends on what size you are using so its pretty subjective
  • 1 tablespoon of cornstarch
  • 1 tablespoon of white granulated sugar

For coating the pastry:

  • 1 egg white
  • 2 tablespoons of milk

Method:

  1. Mix together all the dry ingredients ( flour, cornstarch, sugar, salt ) and stir well until distributed evenly. Cut in the butter using a pastry cutter or a food processor until it resembles coarse crumbs ( picture in notes ).
  2. Make a well in the center and add in the egg yolk, water and vanilla. Stir until you form clumps, then move in with your hands to form a nice ball of dough.
  3. Refrigerate the pastry for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 200 degrees C and lightly flour your working surface and rolling pin. Prepare a nice sheet of parchment paper able to accumulate the rolled out pastry.
  4. Also, while waiting, coat the grapes in the cornstarch and sugar.
  5. Roll out the dough into a 12 inches diameter round. It doesn’t matter if the sides look ugly or are uneven, but you can trim it away if you desire.
  6. Transfer the rolled out dough carefully onto the parchment paper.
  7. Place the grapes in the center, leaving a 2 inch gap from the edges. Hence, an eight inches round.
  8. Fold however you like it. What I did was just gather the pastry and pile it on top of the grapes. Ensure there are no holes or the grape juice will leak out and create a mess. If the holes are not too big, you should be able to mend it by pinching with wet fingers.
  9. Brush the egg white and milk mixture over the pastry dough.
  10. Bake at 200 degrees C for 15 minutes, and then reduce it to 180 degrees C at the 15 minute mark. Continue to bake about 30 more minutes or until the crust is nicely browned and the grape juice forms a nice purple, bubbly layer ( which will become less watery when cooling ).
  11. Cool at room temperature for about 30 minutes.
  12. Serve and enjoy!

Notes:
This grape galette can be kept in the fridge for up to two days. I would strongly recommend eating it on the day its made and best after it is cooled as it will be nicely flaky and warm!

Also, you can use any shallow dish for reference. For example, even a six inches diameter plate would be possible. Simply add some more grapes. You can always add some more grapes in the last minute, just not too many as there might not be sufficient cornstarch to ensure thickening of the grape juice.

Here’s how the coarse crumbs look like ( which I honestly copied from my rustic apple tart recipe! ):

Enjoy!
– Bakeomaniac, Javier Tan!