I found some fresh apricots at my local market the other day, and couldn’t wait to get home to bake with them!

Just in the past year or so, I’ve fallen in love with these tiny tart stone fruits. If you’ve never tasted a fresh apricot before, I think they taste a lot like peaches…only tarter. They work beautifully in various pies and crumbles, but one of my favorite ways to enjoy them is in this rustic whole wheat crostata.

Think of a crostata as a very rustic pie. It’s perfect for people who aren’t that into baking because the beauty is in the imperfection. No need to crimp a perfect lattice pie crust for this! Just roll out your pastry, add your fruit and voila! Dessert is served.

This whole wheat version is crumbly and delicious. Make sure to let it cool completely on the sheet tray before serving so the pastry can firm up a bit {when it comes out of the oven, it’s soft like a cookie}.

Enjoy on it’s own or with a scoop of vanilla gelato!

Whole Wheat Apricot Crostata

Serve this whole wheat apricot crostata alone or with a scoop of vanilla gelato! Food blogger Jenna Weber describes flavors of apricots in a full post on the Fresh Tastes blog.

Ingredients

• 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into small chunks
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tbsp ice water
• ¼ tsp cinnamon
• For filling
• 6 apricots, sliced thin
• ¼ cup sugar
• 2 tbsp flour

Directions

1. In a large mixing bowl, blend the flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon and butter with your fingertips until all the butter has been incorporated and the mixture resembles cornmeal. Drizzle in the water and mix with a spoon until a dough forms.
2. Pat dough into a large ball, cover with plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour.
3. While the dough is chilling, make the filling. Toss the sliced apricots with the sugar and flour in a large bowl. Set aside.
4. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
5. Roll out the dough into a 12” circle on a flour surface. Place the sliced apricots in the center of the dough then gently fold the edges of the dough in towards center. Place crostata on your prepared sheet tray and bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden.
6. Let crostata cool for 25 minutes before serving.

Yield: 4-6 servings

Jenna Weber is half of the Fresh Tastes blog team. She graduated from Le Cordon Bleu in 2008 and, since then, has worked as a pastry chef, bread baker and freelance food editor. Currently, Jenna blogs full-time on EatLiveRun.com where her delicious daily recipes and quirky culinary musings appeal to thousands. She lives in Northern California and, when not in the kitchen, can usually be found on her yoga mat.