Apple Galette

Apple Galette – A buttery pie-style crust is layered with plenty of sweetened fresh apples and then baked until the fruit is tender and the crust is beautifully golden brown and supremely flakey. It’s one of the absolute best fall desserts!

Easy Homemade Apple Galette

Some of you may be asking what is a galette anyway? A galette, which translates to “flat cake,” can be various types of free form, flat or round French pastries. In English it is pronounced “gah-let.”

This variation is what I would call an easier alternative to a classic pie. It is basically the humbler, more rustic version of apple pie yet it transcends expectations and is a treat for the eyes with it’s thin slices, browned edges and pleasing circular pattern.

You’ll appreciate that there’s nothing too fancy and complicated, just an old fashioned, made-by-hand method to achieve the dreamiest fall dessert!

Serve it warm with vanilla ice cream for the most enjoyable pairing and sublime flavor!

Just imagine it, a crisp and flaky, truly unbeatable crust finished with a crunchy coarse sugar. Then blanketed over are tender, lightly tart, warmly cinnamon spiced apples. And it’s all crowned with rich, creamy, sweet vanilla ice cream.

Talk about tempting! If only it could pass for a decent breakfast I’d be eating it everyday.

Apple Galette Recipe Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups (214g) unbleached all-purpose flour (scoop and level to measure)
• 1 Tbsp granulated sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 10 Tbsp unsalted butter (cut into 1/2-inch cubes), plus 2 Tbsp unsalted butter (diced into 1/4-inch cubes)
• 4 to 5 Tbsp ice water
• 1 1/2 lbs (3 large) baking apples
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 large egg + 1/2 Tbsp water
• 1 Tbsp turbinado sugar or sparkling sugar
• 1 Tbsp honey (warmed), corn syrup, or 1 1/2 Tbsp apricot preserves strained and mixed with 1/2 Tbsp water (optional)

See below for recipe with print option.

Best Baking Apples to use for a Galette

I recommend using a blend of apples. You want a blend of sweet and tart. They should be firm and flavorful. Here are some good options:

• Honeycrisp
• Pink lady
• Granny smith
• Empire
• Braeburn
• Jonagold
• Gala
• Cortland
• Golden delicious (don’t slice golden delicious apples very thin, they soften more)

How to Make an Apple Galette

Make the Crust

1. Whisk dry ingredients: In a large mixing bowl whisk together flour, sugar and salt.
2. Cut in butter: Add 10 Tbsp butter cubes and cut into mixture using a pastry blender until there are just small pea size clumps of butter throughout (some larger are fine).
3. Toss with water: Drizzle in 1 Tbsp ice water at a time and toss right away, adding just enough water until mixture comes together in larger clumps. Dump dough out onto a clean surface and knead several times until dough just comes together.
4. Compress, wrap and chill: Press into an even disk (about 5 to 6 inches across). Wrap in plastic wrap and chill 30 to 60 minutes.
5. Prepare oven and pan: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a rimmed 18 by 13-inch baking sheet with parchment paper.
6. Roll dough to a round: Remove dough from fridge, dust top with flour and roll out onto a well floured surface to about a 13.5-inch round.
7. Transfer dough to prepared baking sheet: Fold dough in half then in half again and transfer to a parchment paper lined baking sheet with the corner in the center and unfold the dough (it will run up the sides of the pan and that’s ok). Transfer to fridge.

Make the Apple Filling

1. Peel and cut the apples: Peel, core, halve and thinly slice each of the apples (about 1/6th-inch thickness).
2. Toss with sugar and cinnamon: Place apples in a large mixing bowl, add sugar and cinnamon and toss to evenly coat.

Assembling and Baking the Galette

1. Create circular pattern with apples: Align apples in a circular pattern over crust, leaving about a 2-inch edge uncovered with apples.
2. Fold crust edges over: Fold dough edges up over apples. Start at one point in the round then move around the crust folding up about every 3-inches.
3. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar: In a mixing bowl whisk egg with water then use a pastry brush to brush edges of the pie crust. Sprinkle edges with the turbinado sugar, then dot remaining 2 Tbsp butter over apples.
4. Bake and glaze: Bake in preheated oven until apples are tender, about 40 to 50 minutes.
5. Cool, then slice: Let cool for about 10 minutes. Brush with honey or apricot preserves if desired before slicing.

Helpful Tips for the Best Galette Recipe

• Use well chilled butter in the crust for optimal flakiness and work quickly so butter doesn’t soften.
• Be careful not to overwork the dough so it’s nice and tender.
• Avoid adding too much water so crust becomes nicely crisp when baked. Add just enough water that when you compress the dough with your hand it will just barely hold together.
• Thinly slice the apples so they bake up nice and tender.
• Use a variety of apples for good flavor and texture.
• Every oven is different so adjust oven rack accordingly. I tested this several times in various ovens, some bake it up browned and beautiful while others needed the oven rack moved up a level for better browning. If you don’t know how your oven usually browns go with the center rack, then at the halfway point you can move it up a level or two if you find it hasn’t begun browning.
• For a pretty shiny finish opt to use one of the glaze options.

Possible Variations

Of course it’s absolutely delicious as is but here are some fun ways to change it up:

• Nuts: Sprinkle with chopped walnuts or pecans near the end of baking.
• Caramel sauce: Replace honey or preserves with caramel sauce.
• Vanilla glaze: Replace topping with a vanilla glaze drizzle. Mix 1/3 cup powdered sugar, 2 tsp milk, and 1/4 tsp vanilla.
• Spices: Add other spices such as nutmeg, allspice, cardamom, or ginger. You can also double the cinnamon if preferred.
• Pear: Replace one of the apples with a fairly firm but ripe pear. Also add 2 tsp cornstarch when tossing the filling since there will be more juice.
• Cranberries: Sprinkle 1 cup fresh cranberries over before baking. Increase sugar in recipe by 2 tablespoons.

More Tempting Apples Desserts You’ll Love

• Apple Cobbler
• Apple Crisp
• Apple Slab Pie
• Baked Apples
• Dutch Apple Pie