Apple Galette
Apple galette: Juicy apples & a hint of cinnamon, in a buttery, flaky crust. Easier than a pie because it’s free-form. Takes minutes!
Today I’m going to show you a trick to make pie even easier: How to make an apple galette!
Pies are so good but they aren’t always the easiest to make. I’m not sure where that phrase ever came from, because honestly when I go to make most pie recipes, they’re usually a project!
I mean, it’s always worth it, don’t get me wrong. To enjoy a freshly baked slice of blueberry pie, peach pie, or lemon meringue pie is an experience like none other. And they are fun to make!
But if you’re in a hurry or you just don’t feel like fussing around, an apple galette recipe is so much quicker and easier!
Table of Contents
- What is an apple galette?
- What’s great about this apple galette recipe
- What does it taste like?
- Ingredients
- Special equipment
- How to make this apple galette recipe
- How to serve an apple galette
- Expert tips
- Frequently asked questions
- A few more of my favorite apple recipes
What is an apple galette?
Think of a galette (also called a crostata) as a free-form pie.
There’s a pastry base and a filling that’s contained within it.
You don’t need a pie dish, and you don’t have to mess around with a crimped edge. There’s no trimming involved, so there’s zero waste.
And really you can make it with just about any kind of filling, but today we’re using juicy, seasonal apples, lightly sweetened and gently spiced with warm holiday flavors.
What’s great about this apple galette recipe
- Tastes amazing: The apples are just sweet enough, with a hint of warm spice, and the pastry is so buttery.
- Few ingredients: The filling has just 5 simple ingredients, and so does the crust.
- Easy to make: Once you’ve got the pie dough, the whole thing comes together in minutes.
- Versatile: You can add all sorts of different things and get creative with it.
What does it taste like?
When you first take a bite, you’ll notice the sweetness of the apples. They’re also slightly tart, and there’s a low hum of cinnamon spice.
Next, you’ll get the buttery taste of the pastry.
Together, the sweet and juicy combined with the buttery and flaky are a perfect match!
Ingredients
Apples: Apples should be peeled, cored, and cut into 1/8-inch thick slices. Use any variety of apple that is firm and good for cooking. My favorites are Granny Smith and Honeycrisp. Stay away from red delicious or golden delicious, they’ll turn to mush as they cook.
Sugar: Regular white sugar is fine, or sub for another type of sweetener if you like. As long as it swaps 1:1 for granulated sugar it should work.
Flour: All-purpose flour will help to thicken the juices. For a gluten-free apple galette, use half the amount of cornstarch instead.
Lemon juice: This ingredient prevents the apples from browning and brightens up the flavors. Your apples will taste more apple-y! Fresh squeezed is best, but the bottled kind will work in a pinch.
Spice: Apple pie spice is a blend of seasonings that works really well in apple pie (duh). Depending on the brand, it’s usually made with cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and sometimes cardamom and/or ginger. If you don’t have it, you can order it here: Apple Pie Spice, or just substitute with ground cinnamon.
Pastry: For the galette pictured here, I used my favorite pie crust recipe, which can be found here: Homemade Pie Crust Recipe. You could also use pre-made, store-bought pie dough or puff pastry.
Special equipment
- Peeler: To peel the apples.
- Knife & cutting board: For coring and slicing the apples.
- Mixing bowl: In which to make the filling.
- Silicone spatula: Helps to get every drop of filling out of the bowl.
- Baking Sheet: On which to bake the galette.
- Pastry brush: For brushing on the egg wash.
How to make this apple galette recipe
This recipe is made in just 4 simple steps.
Step 1: Make the filling
Put your peeled, cored, and sliced apples in a big bowl, and add in the sugar, flour, lemon juice, and apple pie spice.
Then just stir everything together to get every perfect slice of apple coated.
Step 2: Assemble the galette
Next, just roll out your pie dough to a big circle, and place it on your baking sheet.
Plop the filling in a big pile in the middle, allowing a generous margin around the outer edge.
And then just pull up the sides…
Pleating and folding them as needed to shape the dough around the filling.
Step 3: Decorate
This step is completely optional, but it gives the galette a really beautiful shine and helps it to brown.
Just brush a little egg wash on the crust.
Egg wash is nothing more than an egg, beaten with a few teaspoons of water to thin it out to a brush-able consistency.
After that, you can sprinkle on some extra adornment if you like.
I sprinkled on some sliced almonds, but any kind of nut would work! As would a sprinkling of coarse sugar.
Step 4: Bake
Now just slide it into the oven, and bake! You’ll know it’s done when the apples are tender. Slide in the point of a sharp knife to check.
How to serve an apple galette
To make this extra pretty, I like to dust the outside edge with a little powdered sugar.
You can also give it a drizzle of salted caramel sauce and a scoop of ice cream or dollop of whipped cream if you really want to gild the lily!
Expert tips
Let it collapse: At first, it might seem like there’s too much filling. You really need to pile it high, and almost shingle the apple slices in like pieces of a puzzle. The galette will be tall! But as it bakes, the apples soften and everything slumps and settles and becomes more flat.
Cover the edges: If you like your apples really soft and tender, you may find the edges of the galette are getting too brown before the filling is cooked to your liking. If you notice this happening, cover the edges lightly with foil to prevent them from burning.
Frequently asked questions
You absolutely can! Refrigerated pie dough or puff pastry are huge timesavers!
Yes, but you may find it to be more sugary and liquid than you’d like.
If you don’t have apple pie spice, just swap in the same amount of cinnamon.
This dessert can be kept, lightly covered, at room temperature for a few hours.
Any longer than that, and it should go into the fridge. It will last there for a day or so before the bottom starts to get soggy.
You can also freeze it! Wrap it tightly, and it should last for a couple of months frozen. Thaw it in the fridge and reheat it in a 170-degree oven until warmed through.
If you slice this galette into 8 equal portions, each slice would be one serving.
The nutritional info in the recipe card below reflects a serving size of 1/8 the whole galette. It does not include any garnishes.
A few more of my favorite apple recipes
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Apple Galette
Ingredients
- 4 (728 g) apples, medium, peeled, cored, and sliced 1/8-thick
- 1/4 cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons (11.25 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon (15 g) lemon juice
- 1 1/2 teaspoons (3 g) apple pie spice
- 1/2 batch (310.145 g) pie dough
- egg wash, (one egg beaten with 2 teaspoons of water)
- sliced almonds, optional garnish
Instructions
- Place the apples, sugar, flour, lemon juice, and apple pie spice in a large bowl and toss to combine.
- Roll out the pie dough to your desired thickness, and place it on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Pile the filling mixture in the center of the pastry, allowing a generous margin around the outside edge.
- Draw the sides of the pastry up and over the filling, pleating and folding as necessary.
- Brush the pastry with egg wash, and sprinkle with sliced almonds (optional).
- Chill the unbaked galette for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Bake the galette until the crust is golden and crisp and the apples are tender (approx. 1 hour).
