Summer strawberry galette with kids

A galette is what you make when you have ripe strawberries, an hour, and a kid who wants to help. There's no pie pan, no crimping, no lattice — you just roll out a circle of dough, pile fruit in the middle, and fold the edges up. The imperfection is the point.

Why this works

All-butter pie dough is what gives a galette its flake. We use a high-butter ratio (a stick of butter per 1.5 cups of flour) and grate the butter from frozen — this keeps the chunks intact so the layers steam apart in the oven. Strawberries get tossed with sugar, cornstarch, and lemon to thicken the juice without turning to soup.

At a glance

Ingredients

Equipment

• Box grater (for the butter)
• Rolling pin
• Half-sheet pan + parchment
• Pastry brush
• Bench scraper

Directions

Common questions

Baker notes

• Let the galette cool 30 minutes before slicing — warm fruit slides out, cooled fruit holds.
• Serve with vanilla ice cream and call it dessert. Or with crème fraîche and call it breakfast.
• Swap strawberries for any summer fruit: stone fruit, berries, rhubarb. Keep the 500 g total.
• Make the dough up to 3 days ahead — it gets better as it rests.

FAQ

Can I make this with frozen strawberries?

Yes — thaw and drain well, then increase cornstarch to 20 g. Expect a juicier galette.

Why is my crust soggy on the bottom?

Either too much fruit juice (drain more next time) or the oven wasn't hot enough at the start. 400°F minimum, on the lower oven rack.

Where to go next

Galettes are the bake you make all summer because they take whatever fruit is on the counter and turn it into a centerpiece. Once kids learn the fold-and-pleat motion, they'll be making galettes solo by the end of July.