The best part about picking apples, and having an abundance of them after you go apple picking, is the recipe you plan to make with them. I always love a good apple orchard for the cider, the donuts, and of course, the fresh, crisp taste of biting into a tree-ripe apple. Traditionally, you'd bake a pie, but in this post, I'm going to show you how to make the BEST rustic apple galette recipe of your dreams. Trust me, this is a "print and hang on the fridge" recipe.
Galettes are actually quite evergreen, meaning they don't have a particular season to make them. The ingredients and fillings may vary, but the galette dough itself is great all year round.
Apple recipes are some of my favorites to make like my apple brioche french toast and my apple cider sangria. Apples are just one of those fruits that can be used in a variety of different ways.
Jump to:
What apples are best to bake with?
There are actually quite a few different types of apples out there, some of which are better to snack on than to bake with. A few varieties that I like to use for baking include:
- RubyFrost
- Gala
- Honeycrisp
- McIntosh
I will totally be the unpopular opinion and say I do not like granny smith. I find them way too tart or sour, and would much rather a sweet, crisp bite instead. If you like granny smith, this recipe works for them too!
What ingredients do I need for this recipe?
This recipe calls for homemade galette dough, but you can always opt for puff pastry from the store or pie crust! To make the galette dough, and the filling for the apples, here's what you will need:
For the Dough:
- All purpose flour - This is a very versatile flour that works great in most baking recipes.
- Cold salted butter - the colder, the better.
- Sugar
- Ice water - be sure to use very cold water.
For the filling:
- Apples - refer to my information above on the best types of apples to bake with
- Brown sugar - light brown sugar is best.
- Cinnamon
- Clove - if you don't have clove, or nutmeg, simply use cinnamon.
- Nutmeg
- Demerara sugar - we will sprinkle this on the perimeter of the crust to give it a crunch and a little added sweetness after it bakes.
- Egg
How do I make this galette?
*There are more process shots coming!*
Making this galette is done in two steps: forming the dough and then filling it with the apples and baking it.
In a food processor, pulse the flour, sugar, and salt to combine. Add the cold butter pieces, and pulse until the mixture looks like coarse meal with some pea-size pieces. Sprinkle with 6 tablespoons of the water, and pulse until the dough comes together. If the dough seems too dry, add more water by the tablespoon, and knead until the dough comes together and is soft, smooth, and not crumbly. Form the dough into a large ball and wrap the dough in cling wrap. Press down into a thick disk and set in the fridge and chill for up to 60 minutes.
Twenty minutes before you remove the dough from the fridge, preheat the oven to 400º. Take the dough out from the fridge and lay on a flour-dusted surface. Roll out the dough until approximately 11” in diameter and approximately ¼” thick.
Slice the apples ¼" thin and place into the center of the rolled out dough.Sprinkle the apples with a dusting of cinnamon and some brown sugar. Fold the outer edges of the dough inward, forming a crust by overlapping each fold.
Brush with the egg wash and sprinkle the granulated sugar on top. Bake for 30 minutes.
HINT: Let the dough chill as long as you want, but at minimum one hour. When you roll out the dough, you want the dough to be pliable, so remember to pull the dough from the fridge a few minutes before you plan to roll it out. The first time I tried making this recipe I didn't chill it long enough, and the dough became way too warm to work with.
Recipe Swaps and Substitutions
If you're looking to make this recipe but need to swap out a few ingredients due to dietary needs, here are some of the suggestions I recommend:
- Flour - instead of all purpose, swap for a 1:1 version like Primal Palate's GF flour.
- Sugar - use coconut sugar in replacement of the brown sugar in the apple mixture.
- Butter - vegan butter will work well in this recipe, as long as it stays cold!
Recipe Serving Suggestions
One of my favorite things about making and serving galettes is that they are functional as they are delicious. Here are some ways you can serve this one, or any, of my galettes:
- Dessert
- Appetizer for a brunch
- Weekend snack
- Friendsgiving or a holiday gathering
- Bring as a dessert when visiting someone on an occasion
Making galettes are also a fun way to get your kids in the kitchen too. My son loves to get his hands dirty with the flour when we roll out the dough.
Kitchen Tools and Equipment
The most important kitchen tool I highly recommend is a scale for anyone who likes to bake, even if not professionally. The reason for the scale is because one cup for me may not be one cup for you. There's lot of methods out there for measuring dry, or even wet, ingredients, but I am here to tell you having a scale is a game changer. I like my Zwilling digital scale, (affiliate link) but you can find many more on Amazon, Sur La Table, or even Target.
If you are not using a scale: Use the scoop and level method: Scoop flour into a measuring cup until it fills the entire cup, the level it off by scraping the excess with a butter knife back into the bag of flour or whatever contain you keep your flour in.
Other tools you'll need for this particular recipe include:
- Food processor: This is the best way to make the galette dough. I know others will grate the butter into the flour, or knead the cold butter into the flour, but I prefer to pulse it altogether in the food processor. Way easier and less of a mess
- Spatula
- Large mixing bowl: to knead the dough together with the ice water.
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
How can I store any leftovers?
This galette should stay in the refrigerator in a tupperware for up to 2-3 days. You can also make the dough ahead of time and place in the freezer for up to 2 months. Be sure to label the dough for the date in which it was prepared, and let thaw in the fridge a few hours prior to using.
Baking Tip
Leave enough space on the perimeter of the dough to fold over the filling. You want a hearty bite of dough when eating this, so be sure to leave enough of the dough to make the crust on top of the filling.
Hungry for More?
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
(How to Make) The Best Rustic Apple Galette Recipe
Equipment
- kitchen scale optional
- measuring cups and spoons
- large mixing bowl
- food processor
- spatula
- baking sheet
- parchment paper
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 180 grams all purpose flour approx 1 ½ cups
- 10 tablespoon cold butter salted
- 2 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 6-7 tablespoon ice water
For the Filling/Galette
- 2-3 medium apples sliced into ¼" slices
- 50 grams brown sugar approx ¼ cup
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1 large egg whisked
- 2 tablespoon demerara sugar optional; to top galette crust
Instructions
For the Dough
- In a food processor, pulse the flour, sugar, and salt to combine.
- Add the cold butter pieces, and pulse until the mixture looks like coarse meal with some pea-size pieces.
- Sprinkle with 6 tablespoons of the water, and pulse until the dough comes together. If the dough seems too dry, add more water by the tablespoon, and knead until the dough comes together and is soft, smooth, and not crumbly.
- Form the dough into a large ball and wrap the dough in cling wrap. Press down into a thick disk and set in the fridge and chill for up to 60 minutes.
- Twenty minutes before you remove the dough from the fridge, preheat the oven to 400º.
- Take the dough out from the fridge and lay on a flour-dusted surface. Roll out the dough until approximately 11” in diameter and approximately ¼” thick.
For the Filling/Galette
- Slice the apples ¼" thin and place into the center of the rolled out dough.Sprinkle the apples with a dusting of cinnamon and some brown sugar.Fold the outer edges of the dough inward, forming a crust by overlapping each fold. Brush with the egg wash and sprinkle the granulated sugar on top. Bake for 30 minutes.
- Slice the apples ¼" thin and place into the center of the rolled out dough.
- Sprinkle the apples with a dusting of cinnamon and some brown sugar.
- Fold the outer edges of the dough inward, forming a crust by overlapping each fold.
- Brush with the egg wash and sprinkle the granulated sugar on top. Bake for 30 minutes.
Jenny M
I’m not great at baking pies so when I came across this recipe I knew it was the one for me! The crust was EVERYTHING. I can’t wait to make this again once we go apple picking for the season! Thanks!
Morgan Peaceman
Yay, this is such an easier and more approachable recipe for non-pie bakers, glad it was a hit!
Sha Peace
not only is this an easy recipe to make it happens to be delicious
Morgan Peaceman
Thank you so much!