The Classic Yeasted Tart Dough

There is certainly a soft, buttery little place in my heart for recipes that use frozen puff pastry or filo pastry dough. But sometimes going the extra mile to make some dough from scratch makes all the difference. Plus, it's much cheaper and uses simple ingredients that you will likely already have in your cupboards...

This dough is extremely versatile. I use it to make tarts and little individual quiche cups. But what I really like to use this dough for is making a galette, which is a thin, semi-flaky pastry crust typically filled with various combinations of fruits, nuts, cheeses, and/or vegetables. Galettes are made free form by rolling out the dough, laying out ingredients in the middle and then folding over the edges to create an abstractly shaped "pizza". I find the rustic look so charming...

INGREDIENTS:

* 2 tsp. active dry yeast
* 1 tsp. sugar (if you are making a sweet dish, you can add another teaspoon of sugar, but don't over do it because the dough will not rise properly if you give the yeast too much sugar)
* 3/4 cup warm water
* 4 Tbsp. olive oil
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1.75 cups flour

DIRECTIONS:

* In a large mixing bowl, combine the warm water with the sugar and yeast. Allow that to sit in a warm place for about 10 minutes until it becomes slightly bubbly.
* Add in the olive oil, flour and salt and gently mix with a fork until almost combined.
* Gently use your fingertips to fold in any flour left and knead the dough for up to 3 minutes till it is soft.
* Place ball of dough in an oiled bowl, cover with a kitchen towel and let it rise for about 45 minutes until the dough has doubled in size.
* Roll out the dough on a floured surface, carefully transfer it to a cookie sheet and place it in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes before using it.

Note: You can also freeze the dough and it will thaw out and cook beautifully!

When you want to bake it, I like to keep the oven really hot at about 400 or 425 degrees for a galette (about 35 minutes) or at about 350 or 375 when I am cooking up a quiche (about 45-55 minutes, depending on size of quiche)....

The possibilities are truly endless, but here is a list of some savory and sweet Galette ideas you might want to try:

* Spinach, Carmelized Onions & Fontina Cheese
* Spanish Olives, Manchego Cheese & Arugula
* Tomato, Mozzarella, & Basil
* Fig, Prosciutto & Balsamic Syrup
* Plum with Apricot Preserves
* Potato and Roasted Garlic with Thyme and Rosemary
* Apple & Cinnamon with Marzipan paste
* Pear, Gorgonzola & Honey
* Ricotta and Mint with Meyer Lemon-Honey Glaze
* Pear, Pinenuts & Honey
* Pesto with Sun-dried Tomatoes & Mozzarella
* Sweet potato with Pumpkin-Butter & Pecans

Feel free to share any ideas that you come up with as well! :)