This rustic but charming Apple Galette is buttery, flaky and hard to resist! A simple homemade dessert that’ll win everyone over
Homemade shortcrust pastry
Rustic sweet galettes were a big thing a couple of years ago, and they still are. I got on board pretty late because I try to avoid making my pastry from scratch.
It’s messy and labour-intensive, and then there’s no guarantee that all the hard work will pay out. Making my pastry from scratch is a risky business! I’ve relied heavily on frozen sheets of pastry because they’re convenient and cheap. I also thought they tasted pretty good.
However, those rustic and charming galettes have reeled me and I gave it a go, homemade pastry and all! After all, people that have made galettes let us know they’re quite simple.
Let me just say that homemade shortcrust pastry blows store-bought frozen pastries into space. Even the best brands can’t compare! Bye-bye, frozen pastry, I never want to see you again. On second thoughts, hold up, and stay around for the days when I’m feeling ultra lazy.
I was expecting the base of the galette to be soggy from the apples. Nope, every part of the pastry is buttery, flaky and crispy. I can’t believe I made my shortcrust pastry from scratch and, yes, it’s pretty simple to make!
The apples in the galette are so flavourful and tender as they’re tossed in lemon juice and zest, cinnamon, cardamom and cloves. You’ll feel like a professional baker once this comes out of the oven!
Welcome to the world of galettes
Since I’ve discovered how easily I could make these sweet galettes, I can’t stop making them. This delighted my family because they also can’t get enough, and this Apple Galette is their favourite! Switching back to frozen pastry may be harder than I expected.
What is a galette?
Galettes are a French pastry, they’re usually flat, round or free-form. They can be sweet or savoury. A popular savoury galette is Buckwheat Crepes (Galettes) which I’ve previously made with egg, ham and cheese.
What other fruits could I use in my galette?
You could easily swap apples with many kinds of fruits or even combine them. Blueberries, bananas, pears, and peaches, just to name a few. However, you may wish to swap the spices to suit the fruit you’re using.
I probably shouldn’t mention this but, you could also do chocolate and marshmallows! **insert evil laugh**
Indulge a little more with these beauties:
Easy Tiramisu Cake
Brazilian Caramel Flan
Persian Love Cake
Chocolate Guinness Cake
Ingredients for Apple Galette
For the pastry
Plain flour (All-purpose flour) doesn’t have any leavening (raising agents) such as baking powder mixed in.
Icing sugar (powdered sugar, confectionary sugar) – Icing sugar usually comes in two forms: icing sugar mixture and pure icing sugar. Icing sugar mixture is softer than pure icing sugar because there’s starch or flour added to it. For this recipe, you could use either.
For the apples and egg wash
Apples – I used Pink Lady apples, however, feel free to use your favourite eating apple such as Granny Smith, Royal Gala, Fuji or Honeycrisp.
Caster sugar (superfine sugar) – Caster sugar has finer granules than regular white sugar, but it’s not the same as icing/powdered sugar. Many baking or candy recipes call for caster sugar as it dissolves faster and better into mixtures. If you can’t find caster sugar, you can make your own by placing regular sugar in a food processor or blender. Pulse the sugar a few times until it looks finer, but don’t over-blitz it to a powder consistency. However, you could just use equal amounts of regular white sugar.
Demerara sugar is a form of raw sugar. Its crystals are larger, coarser and darker than regular white sugar with a subtle molasses flavour. You could swap raw sugar or turbinado sugar for demerara sugar.
Thickened cream (whipping cream or heavy cream) has gelatine added to it and contains at least 35% milk fat.
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How to make Apple Galette
Step-by-step guide with photos
For the sweet shortcut pastry – Place the flour, butter, icing, sugar and salt into a food processor. Pulse quickly a few times until the chunks of butter are the size of large peas. You could also do this step using your fingers tips by pressing the butter into the flour.
Add the egg to the flour mixture and mix to combine. Pour in the iced water a tablespoon at a time. Use your hands to gather the mixture to form a dough. There’s enough water if the dough holds together with a few loose crumbs.
Shape the dough into a round flat disc and cover it completely with plastic wrap/film to prevent it from drying out. Chill the dough in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or up to 3 days.
In the last 15 minutes of chilling the dough, preheat the oven to 190°C (370°F). Line a large baking tray with non-stick baking/parchment paper or a large silicone baking mat.
For the apples – Peel the apples and cut them into very thin wedges. Transfer the apples to a large bowl and toss them with lemon juice, then add in the remaining ingredients and gently stir to coat the apples.
Make the egg wash – Whisk the egg and cream together until combined.
Roll the dough using a rolling pin into a rough circle with a diameter of approximately 35 to 40cm (13.8 to 15.7in) in diameter, then transfer it to the baking tray. Arrange the apples upright and place them in the centre of the dough, leaving around 5cm (2in). Fold the dough around the apples, pressing down gently to hold the apples in.
Brush the egg wash onto the pastry rim, then sprinkle on some demerara sugar (if using). Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until the pastry is golden brown. Cool for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. The Apple Galette is tasty when served warm or at room temperature, especially with some whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
Leftovers – Allow the Apple Galette to cool completely at room temperature, then transfer it into an air-tight container and store it in the fridge for up to 4 to 5 days.
I’ve used a third-party application to calculate the calories and nutritional information, so please use this as an approximate guide only.
Cooking measurements are in Australian standard spoon and cup measurements. For specific details and conversions, visit our Australian Cooking Measurements page.
I would love your feedback and support if you made this recipe. To do this, please rate this recipe and provide a comment by scrolling down this page or by clicking that green circle on the bottom left. An email address is required (for spam), but it won’t be published. I would also love to see your dish, so don’t forget to tag me on my Instagram account ‘3catsfoodie’
Cheers – Cat T
Apple Galette
Ingredients
For the pastry
- 1½ cup plain flour (all purpose 230gm/ 8oz) + more for dusting (NOTE 1)
- 170 gm cold unsalted butter (cubed)
- 2 tbsp icing sugar (powdered/confectionary sugar) (NOTE 2)
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 large egg (beaten)
- 3 to 3½ tbsp iced water (I used 3 tbsp + 1 tsp)
For the apples
- 500 gm apples (peeled and sliced thinly) (NOTE 3)
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp lemon zest (finely grated)
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ cup caster sugar (NOTE 4)
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground cardamom
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
Egg wash
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp thickened cream (NOTE 5)
Optional
- Demerara sugar (or raw /turbinado sugar) (NOTE 6)
Instructions
- For the sweet shortcut pastry – Place the flour, butter, icing sugar and salt into a food processor. Pulse quickly a few times until the chunks of butter are the size of large peas. You could also do this step using your fingers tips by pressing the butter into the flour.
- Add the egg to the flour mixture and mix to combine. Pour in the iced water a tablespoon at a time. Use your hands to gather the mixture to form a dough. There's enough water if the dough holds together with a few loose crumbs.
- Shape the dough into a round flat disc and cover it completely with plastic wrap/film to prevent it from drying out. Chill the dough in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or up to 3 days.
- In the last 15 minutes of chilling the dough, preheat the oven to 190°C (370°F). Line a large baking tray with non-stick baking/parchment paper or a large silicone baking mat. For the apples – Peel the apples and cut them into very thin wedges. Transfer the apples to a large bowl and toss them with lemon juice, then add in the remaining ingredients and gently stir to coat the apples.
- Make the egg wash – Whisk the egg and cream together until combined.
- Roll the dough using a rolling pin into a rough circle with a diameter of approximately 35 to 40cm (13.8 to 15.7in) in diameter, then transfer it to the baking tray. Arrange the apples upright and place them in the centre of the dough, leaving around 5cm (2in). Fold the dough around the apples, pressing down gently to hold the apples in.
- Brush the egg wash onto the pastry rim, then sprinkle on some demerara sugar (if using). Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until the pastry is golden brown. Cool for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. The Apple Galette is tasty when served warm or at room temperature, especially with some whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
