How to make a Galette: an impressive yet surprisingly easy homemade dessert to make for your guests any time of year. Let me take you through the steps of making the dough to the finished dessert.
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Have you wanted to learn how to make a rustic, photogenic galette like the one you see on Pinterest and in magazines?
I’ve got all the tips and tricks to help you make the perfect galette from dough to dessert.
What is a galette?
Hailing from France, a galette is typically a round, rather flat cake made of flaky pasty dough, yeast dough, or sometimes unleavened dough. Today I am showing you how to make a galette using flaky pastry dough.
The term galette also applies to a variety of tarts, both savory and sweet, topped with fruit, jams, nuts, meat, cheese, etc.
All in all, a galette is a round dessert wrapped with your choice of fruit (apples, plums, peaches, berries, cherries) and is baked on a baking sheet pan. *Note: Galette des Rois is the traditional cake name.
Gather all of your ingredients. You will need 2 tsp. sugar, 3/4 tsp. salt, 1.5 cups of all-purpose flour (and a little more for the surface), 1.5 sticks of cold, unsalted butter and 4 Tbsp. ice cold water.
Whisk the flour, sugar and salt together in a medium sized bowl and then cut your butter into pieces and toss it into the dry ingredients.
Then, you’ll take this mixture and pour it onto a flat surface so you can start to roll the butter into the flour mixture.
Using your rolling pin, roll the butter into the dough until it starts to incorporate with the flour.
Use your bench scraper to bring the dough together into a loose pile. Slowly pour the 4 Tbsp. ice cold water into the dough 1 tablespoon at a time. Use your finger tips to incorporate the water into the dough after each tablespoon of water added.
The water will help the dough come together. Be sure to get it equally distributed into the dough and use your hands and the bench scraper to form it into a rectangle.
Then roll the dough out into a flat long rectangle.
Next, you will fold the dough into thirds. You are essentially folding the dough over itself a few times to pick up any dry bits from the bottom. Repeat a few times, turning and folding. The dough should be holding together at this point; if you squeeze some into your palm it should hold together.
Flatten the dough out into a circle and wrap in plastic wrap. Dough should be able 1 inch thick. Place in the fridge to chill for 30-60 minutes.
You can make the dough up to three days ahead, but this galette is at its best served the same day it was baked.
While the dough is chilling, prep your apples! Slice them pretty thin. I like the to leave the skin on because it makes for a prettier looking galette in my opinion, but you can peel them if you’d like.
Then gather the rest of your ingredients to mix into the apples. You will need 1/3 cup white granulated sugar, 1 tsp. salt, 2 pounds apples (that’s about 4-8 apples depending on size), 1 Tbsp. lemon juice (or apple cider vinegar), 1/2 Tbsp. cornstarch, 1 tsp. vanilla extract, 1/2 tsp. cinnamon and 1/2 tsp. nutmeg.
Mix all of the ingredients into the apples and toss gently to coat. You can use a wooden spoon or your hands.
*Note: I recommend using a mix of Granny Smith Apples and Honey Crispy/Pink Lady for color. But you can use all Granny Smith if you prefer.
By this time your dough should be chilled. Roll the dough out on a floured surface into a 12-inch round about 1/8-inch thick. Don’t worry about the cracks at the edges, it gives the galette a rustic look once baked.
Use your rolling pin to roll the flattened dough onto the pin so you can transfer it onto a sheet of parchment paper on your baking sheet.
*Or you can do this entire step above on the baking sheet so you avoid the risky transfer.
Preheat the oven to 375° F. Start to arrange your apples onto the dough. I like to alternate apples so it’s aesthetically pleasing to the eye. Repeat with remaining apples.
You’ll want to leave a 2 or 3 inch border around the edge. Fold the rim of the dough up and over the edge of the filling, overlapping the dough as you go around and pleating the dough.
My galette turned out a little more rectangular than circular. HAHA but it doesn’t matter. You do you, boo.
Before baking, use a pastry brush to brush 1 Tbsp. heavy cream all over the dough. This will give the galette a nice brown color while baking. Sprinkle with turbinado sugar for a nice crystallization.
Bake at 375° F for about 35-45 minutes or until the crust becomes golden brown.
Transfer the galette with the parchment paper on to a wire cooling rack. Let it cool completely; about 2 hours.
Once cooled, dilute your apricot jam with a teaspoon of water and brush the apples with the apricot jam. YUM. cut into wedges and serve with vanilla bean ice cream.
No need to store in the fridge. You’ll want to keep the galette at room temperature on the day it is baked. Wrap leftovers in plastic and keep at room temperature.
Can you use this galette dough for pie dough?
Yes, I use them interchangeably and it just depends on what pie you are making if you need to pre-bake the dough or not.
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How to make a Galette: From Dough to Dessert
Step by Step, how to make a galette and flakey pastry dough! Learn how to make an impressive, yet approachable dessert with my easy directions!
1Tbsp.heavy cream or 1 egg (for brushing on the crust)
1/3cupApricot Jam for brushing on apples
1pintVanilla Ice cream for serving
Instructions
Whisk the flour, sugar and salt together in a medium sized bowl and then cut your butter into pieces and toss it into the dry ingredients. Pour this mixture onto a flat surface so you can start to roll the butter into the flour mixture.
Using your rolling pin, roll the butter into the dough until it starts to incorporate with the flour. Use your bench scraper to bring the dough together into a loose pile. Slowly pour the 4 Tbsp. ice cold water into the dough 1 tablespoon at a time. Use your finger tips to incorporate the water into the dough after each tablespoon of water added.
The water will help the dough come together. Be sure to get it equally distributed into the dough and use your hands and the bench scraper to form it into a rectangle. Then roll the dough out into a flat long rectangle.
Next, you will fold the dough into thirds. You are essentially folding the dough over itself a few times to pick up any dry bits from the bottom. Repeat a few times, turning and folding. The dough should be holding together at this point; if you squeeze some into your palm it should hold together.
Flatten the dough out into a circle and wrap in plastic wrap. Dough should be able 1 inch thick. Place in the fridge to chill for 30-60 minutes.
While the dough is chilling, prep your apples! Slice them pretty thin. I like the to leave the skin on because it makes for a prettier looking galette in my opinion, but you can peel them if you'd like. Mix all of the ingredients (from Apples to the nutmeg from the list above) into the apples and toss gently to coat. You can use a wooden spoon or your hands.
By this time your dough should be chilled. Roll the dough out on a floured surface into a 12-inch round about 1/8-inch thick. Don't worry about the cracks at the edges, it gives the galette a rustic look once baked. Use your rolling pin to roll the flattened dough onto the pin so you can transfer it onto a sheet of parchment paper on your baking sheet.
Preheat the oven to 375° F. Start to arrange your apples onto the dough. I like to alternate apples so it's aesthetically pleasing to the eye. Repeat with remaining apples. You'll want to leave a 2 or 3 inch border around the edge. Fold the rim of the dough up and over the edge of the filling, overlapping the dough as you go around and pleating the dough.
Before baking, use a pastry brush to brush 1 Tbsp. heavy cream all over the dough. This will give the galette a nice brown color while baking. Sprinkle with turbinado sugar for a nice crystallization. Bake at 375° F for about 35-45 minutes or until the crust becomes golden brown. Transfer the galette with the parchment paper on to a wire cooling rack. Let it cool completely; about 2 hours. Once cooled, dilute your apricot jam with a teaspoon of water and brush the apples with the apricot jam. YUM. cut into wedges and serve with vanilla bean ice cream.
Notes
Be sure to reference the step by step photos for help!
For the blueberry galette you will follow the same steps for the crust but the filling is a little different.
Filling: 16 oz. blueberries, 1 Tbsp. cornstarch, 1 1/2 tsp. lemon juice, 1/4 cup sugar. Toss all of those ingredients together and mound the blueberries in the center of your dough.
Leave a 2-inch boarder and fold the edges over, overlapping slightly.
It’s been a while since I last made a galette, so really keen to follow your instructions – they look amazingly easy. Can’t wait to have this deliciousness in front of me 🙂
Such a great tutorial! Love the texture of that galette crust. Looks perfect!
Thank you so much!!
This rustic dessert deserves our special attention! It is so delicious that it is served in restaurants nowadays!
I’ve never heard of this before! It seems like the French version of apple pie 🙂
Exactly!! Thank you 🙂 I hope you love it Liz!
It’s been a while since I last made a galette, so really keen to follow your instructions – they look amazingly easy. Can’t wait to have this deliciousness in front of me 🙂
They are actually SO easy to make! Thank you so much Danielle, enjoy!
This looks incredible. I can’t wait to try it.
Thank you so much Krissy! Enjoy!!