Simple Apple Cinnamon Galette

Crisp, tart Granny Smith apples, tossed with a bit of brown sugar and cinnamon, get wrapped up in flaky whole wheat pastry for a simple, rustic open-faced pie. I use this recipe to teach beginning bakers as well as anyone who struggles with making pastry at home how just a few easy steps and a bit of chilling in between can create a light, flaky, memorable crust!! If you keep some dough on hand in the freezer, putting this galette together is super quick and a great dessert to serve at home or take to your next get-together.

Simple Apple Cinnamon Galette

Try out your hand at homemade pastry and you'll never go back to store-bought dough! This simple, basic apple galette is easy enough for everyday, but impressive for a festive gathering too.

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Prep Time 1 hour hr

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 2 hours hrs 45 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Servings 8 servings

Equipment

• Food Processor or Pastry Blender optional (see notes)
• Rolling Pin
• parchment paper

Ingredients

  

Pastry Crust

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup whole wheat flour
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 11 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cut into small cubes, about 1/4-inch
• 1 large egg yolk save the white for the glaze
• ¼ cup ice water (see NOTE)

Filling

• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 medium Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced, about 14 ounces total
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into small cubes, about 1/4-inch
• 1 egg white, lightly beaten
• 1-2 teaspoons raw sugar optional

Instructions

 

• To make the pastry: Combine both flours, sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. (See NOTES below for instructions on making pastry by hand). Pulse a few times to combine the dry ingredients. Add the butter pieces and pulse until the mixture resembles pebbles and coarse sand without any pieces of butter larger than a lima bean. Whisk the egg yolk and the ice water, remove the lid of the food processor and drizzle the liquid evenly over the flour-butter mixture. Replace the lid and pulse just until the dough begins to hold together. Do not over mix. You will still see bits of butter in the dough. Turn dough out onto plastic wrap or wax paper and gather the dough into a disk about an inch thick; wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes or up to one day. (You can also freeze pastry dough, tightly wrapped, for up to 3 months. Thaw in refrigerator before using).
• Preheat oven to 400ºF.
• Place dough in center of a 15-inch square piece of lightly floured parchment paper. If the dough is too cold to roll easily, let it stand for about 5 minutes to soften slightly. Roll dough with a rolling pin into a 12-inch circle, starting from the center of dough and rolling toward the outside edges. If the dough begins to stick to the rolling pin, sprinkle the dough with a little flour. If it is too dry, add a very small sprinkle of water, preferably with a spray bottle, to moisten dough. Slide dough circle along with the parchment paper onto a large rimmed baking sheet and refrigerate while making the filling.
• Combine brown sugar, cornstarch and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Add apple slices and toss with a rubber spatula until evenly coated. Remove dough circle from refrigerator and spoon fruit filling evenly onto dough, leaving about an inch and a half of dough uncovered around the edges. Sprinkle small butter cubes over filling. Turn over dough edges onto filling and gently press folded areas. Lightly whisk egg white and brush pastry edges; sprinkle pastry and filling with raw sugar if desired.
• Bake in the center of the preheated oven until pastry is golden brown and filling is bubbly, about 45 to 50 minutes. Some juices may spill out onto the parchment which just adds to the rustic beauty of a galette. Let cool slightly or to room temperature. Galette is best served the day it is baked.
• Makes about 8 servings.

Notes

NOTES: Starting with cold ingredients and not overworking the dough helps produce a flaky pastry crust, so I usually put a few ice cubes in a small measuring cup of water and refrigerate it while I measure out all the ingredients. Then when its time to add the water, I measure out a ¼ cup of the icy, cold water, mix it with the egg yolk and quickly incorporate it into the dough.

To make pastry by hand: Combine flours, sugar and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Using a pastry blender, 2 knives, a fork or your fingertips, incorporate butter into flour mixture until it resembles pebbles and coarse sand without any pieces of butter larger than a lima bean as described above. Stir egg yolk and water together, make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add liquid; stir with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula just until well blended. Shape into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap or wax paper and refrigerate at least 30 minutes or up to one day and proceed to roll as above. (You can also freeze pastry dough, tightly wrapped, for up to 3 months. Thaw in refrigerator before using).

Grace

God of the all creation, thank you for gathering us together to share the fruits of the earth and the work of our hands. We believe that you can breathe life into all things and that our time together becomes holy when we allow your Spirit to nourish our bodies and feed our souls. Amen.