Our Rustic Apple Galette is a stunning dessert that is sure to impress. A buttery, flaky pie crust with hints of cinnamon envelops a delightful apple pie filling made with fresh apples. Top it with salted caramel for a delicious dessert to please the whole family.
This dish can be made ahead of time by freezing it before or after baking, making it the perfect dessert for a holiday meal. To further satisfy your sweet tooth, check out all of our easy dessert recipes, including our Salted Caramel Apple Slab Pie or this tender Apple Cinnamon Bund Cake.
Ingredient Notes
- Galette crust dough: Includes all-pourpose flour, granulated sugar, ground cinnamon, Kosher salt, unsalted butter, vegetable shortening, and turbinado sugar. We’ve adapted our standard pie crust recipe to add a ½ a teaspoon ground cinnamon, but you can use store-bought if preferred.
- Apples: We recommend Honey Crisp, Granny Smith, or Braeburn.
- Light brown sugar: To sweeten the filling.
- Lemon: Zested and juiced.
- Vanilla extract: To bring out the flavor of the apple filling.
- Cornstarch: This will help thicken the juices from the fruit.
- Cinnamon: To add a touch of spice to the filling. You could add a little nutmeg too, if you like.
- Kosher salt: To bring out all the flavors in the apple filling.
- Unsalted Butter: This will be cubed on top of the filling after it goes in the crust.
- Egg wash: With egg and heavy cream, milk, or water.
How To Make A Rustic Apple Galette
- Make the pie dough. Combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, Kosher salt, unsalted butter, and shortening in a food processor. Pulse until pea-sized pieces form. Add ice water and pulse again. Add additional tablespoons of water until the dough begins to form.
- Chill the pie dough. Remove the dough and wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, pressing it into a round, flat disc. Chill in a fridge for at least 30 minutes.
- Make the filling. Place sliced apples, brown sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, vanilla extract, cornstarch, ground cinnamon, and Kosher salt in a large bowl, tossing to mix.
- Roll out the dough. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll the chilled dough out onto a lightly floured surface into a 13-inch circle. Carefully transfer it to the prepared baking sheet.
- Assemble the apple galette. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the filling to the crust, allowing excess juice to drip off. Leave about 2 inches of dough overhang on all sides. Fold the edges of the dough up and over the filling, overlapping the dough as you go. Press down slightly to seal. Top with cubed butter.
- Brush with egg wash. Whisk together 1 egg and heavy cream, milk, or water in a small bowl. Brush the mixture over the pie dough. Sprinkle the dough with coarse turbinado sugar.
- Chill before baking. Transfer the pie to a freezer for at least 15 minutes or to a fridge for 30 minutes. When you’re ready to bake, preheat an oven to 400F with a rack placed in the lower third of the oven.
- Bake the galette. Bake for 40-45 minutes until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbling. Allow the galette to cool for 15 minutes before carefully transferring it to a wire rack. Cool for an additional 30 minutes to allow the filling time to set. Slice, then serve with salted caramel and a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
FAQs
A galette is a type of rustic pastry made by placing filling on a flat piece of dough, then folding the edges of the dough over the filling. It’s usually baked until the crust is golden and the filling is cooked. The key difference from a pie is that a galette doesn’t require a pie dish or pan – it’s free-form and more casual in appearance than a traditional pie.
We recommend Honey Crisp apples, Granny Smith, or Braeburn apples because they are firm enough to hold their shape during baking.
You certainly can, but we like to leave them unpeeled. It cuts back on prep time, looks beautiful, and as an added bonus, apple skin has lots of vitamins!
Yes, you can use store-bought pie crust to make a galette. However, if you have time, I recommend making your own pie crust. It’s not as difficult as you might think, and it will make your galette taste even better.
Expert Tips
- Make sure all pie dough ingredients are very cold. This is what keeps the pastry flaky instead of dense! This is also why you can’t skip the chilling phases.
- Don’t over work the dough, as that will lead to a tough galette.
- Be sure to brush the exposed dough with egg wash. This will give the crust a golden brown color.
Make-Ahead, Leftovers, & Storage
- To make ahead: Assemble the galette, but do not brush on the egg wash. Transfer to a freezer, then freeze until solid, about 2 hours. Wrap the apple galette tightly in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil. Return to the freezer for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to cook (unbaked, frozen), brush the dough with the egg wash mixture, then bake according to instructions, adding about ~5 minutes to the overall cook time.
- Leftovers and storage: Leftovers can be stored at room temperature for 1 day or in a refrigerator for up to 3 days. To reheat leftovers: place the galette on a parchment-lined baking sheet, then place in an oven preheated to 300F. Warm for 8-10 minutes, then slice and serve
- To freeze: Allow the galette to cool completely, then freeze until solid, about 2 hours. Wrap the apple galette tightly in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil. Return to the freezer for up to 3 months.
How To Serve
This rustic apple galette is fantastic served after any fall meal. Try it topped with salted caramel sauce and vanilla ice cream to make it extra special.
Substitutions and Variations
This apple galette recipe could easily be made into a different type of fruit galette to suit your tastes and the season. Try switching out the apples for pears or firm peaches or plums to change up the flavor!
You can also add nuts or additional spices (nutmeg, cardamom, etc) to the filling.
We recommend serving the galette with salted caramel sauce and vanilla ice cream, but you could also drizzle it with dulce de leche or chocolate sauce. A dollop of homemade whipped cream would be heaven! For a less sweet apple dessert, serve with creme fraiche or sour cream.
This is a beautiful fall dessert that I promise the whole family will love!
If you make this Rustic Apple Galette recipe, please let us know by leaving a review and rating below!
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Rustic Apple Galette with Salted Caramel Sauce
Equipment
Ingredients
For the dough
- 2¼ cups (270 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp (8.4 g) granulated sugar
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp Kosher salt
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, very cold, cut into cubes
- 7 Tbsp (90 g) vegetable shortening, very cold, cut into cubes
- 5 Tbsp ice water
- 2 Tbsp turbinado sugar
For the filling
- 4 large Honey Crisp, Granny Smith, or Braeburn apples, about 1½ lbs, peeled and cut into ¼-inch thick slices
- 5 Tbsp (62.5g) packed light brown sugar
- 1 lemon, zested, and 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 tsp cornstartch
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp Kosher salt
- 3 Tbsp unsalted butter, cold, cut into small cubes
For the egg wash
- 1 large egg
- 1 Tbsp heavy cream, milk or water
For serving
- Salted caramel
- Vanilla ice cream
Instructions
- Make the pie dough. Combine 2¼ cups (270g) flour, 2 tsp (8.4g) granulated sugar, ½ tsp ground cinnamon, and ½ tsp Kosher salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with blade attachment. Add ½ cup (113g) cold, cubed, unsalted butter and 7 Tbsp (90g) cold, cubed shortening. Pulse until pea-sized pieces form. Add 3 Tbsp ice water and pulse. Add an additional tablespoon of water until the dough begins to form. 4 tablespoons is usually enough, but humidity and temperature can affect how much water is needed. Do not leave the motor running, simply pulse the dough until it holds together completely as one ball with no visible clumps.
- Chill the pie dough. Remove the dough and wrap tightly in plastic wrap, pressing it down into a round, flat disc. Chill in a fridge for at least 30 minutes.
- Make the filling. Place sliced apples, 5 Tbsp (62.5g) brown sugar, 1 tsp lemon zest, 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 2 tsp cornstarch, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, and ¼ tsp Kosher salt in a large bowl, then toss to thoroughly mix.
- Roll out the dough. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Lightly flour a work surface, then use a rolling pin to roll the chilled dough out into a circle approximately 13-inches in diameter. Carefully roll the dough up around the rolling pin, then transfer it to the prepared baking sheet.
- Assemble the apple galette. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the filling to the crust, allowing excess juice to drip off and leaving about 2-inches of dough overhang on all sides. Gently fold the edges of the dough up and over the filling, overlapping the dough every few inches as you go. Press down slightly to seal. Dollop the top of the galette with 3 Tbsp cubed butter.
- Brush with egg wash. In a small bowl, whisk together 1 large egg and 1 Tbsp of heavy cream, milk, or water, then use a silicone pastry brush to brush all over the pie dough. Sprinkle the pie dough with coarse turbinado sugar.
- Chill before baking. Transfer the pie to a freezer to chill for at least 15 minutes or to a fridge for 30 minutes. When ready, preheat an oven to 400F with a rack placed in the lower third of the oven.
- Bake the galette. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbling. Allow the galette to cool for 15 minutes before carefully transferring to a wire rack. Cool for an additional 30 minutes to allow the filling time to set. Slice, then serve with salted caramel and vanilla ice cream.
Notes
- Nutrition facts do not include salted caramel and ice cream.
- Leftovers can be stored at room temperature for 1 day or in a refrigerator for up to 3 days
- To reheat leftovers: place the galette on a parchment lined baking sheet, then place in an oven preheated to 300F. Warm for 8-10 minutes, then slice and serve.
- To freeze before baking: assemble the galette, but do not brush on the egg wash. Transfer to a freezer, then freeze until solid, about 2 hours. Wrap the apple galette tightly in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil. Return to the freezer for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to cook, brush the dough with the egg wash mixture, then bake according to instructions, adding ~5 extra minutes to the cook time.
- To freeze after baking: allow the galette to cool completely, then freeze until solid, about 2 hours. Wrap the apple galette tightly in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil. Return to the freezer for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Photography by: Jo Harding
What are your suggested baking instructions for a galette frozen prior to baking? Thx
Hi Mistie! Assemble fully without the egg wash, then freeze until solid. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and/or foil, then return to the freezer for up to 3 months. When ready to cook a frozen galette, brush the dough with the egg wash mixture, then bake according to instructions, adding ~5 extra minutes to the cook time. Enjoy! xo, Ari