How To Make A Galette: From Dough to Dessert

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.

Ingredients needed to make the flaky pasty dough:

Only 4 ingredients! (not including water)

• Sugar
• Salt
• All-Purpose Flour
• Butter

Tools needed to make a galette

• Measuring cups and spoons
• A bench scraper
• Pastry brush
• Baking Sheet
• Parchment paper
• Plastic Wrap
• Rolling pin (A French rolling pin is great if you have one!)
• Mixing bowl
• Marble slab (not necessary but works well)

How to make a Galette

Gather all of your ingredients to make the dough first.

You can either make the dough by hand, or using a food processor. I’ve demonstrated how to make it in the food processor in the video below, and by hand photos below.

Making the dough in the food processor:

1. Pour the flour, sugar and salt in the food processor. Pulse a few times to combine.
2. Add in cubed butter and pulse again until butter pieces are the size of peas.
3. Slowly pour in ice water, 3-4 Tbsp. should be enough for the dough to come together. 5 Tbsp. water max.
4. Remove the dough from the food processor and place on a clean, floured surface.
5. Roll the dough into a ball and slightly flatten into a disk. Cover in plastic wrap and place in the fridge to chill.

Making the dough by hand (without a food processor)

1. Whisk the flour, sugar and salt together in a medium sized bowl and then cut your cold butter into pieces and toss it into the dry ingredients.
2. Pour onto a flat surface.
3. Roll the butter into the dough with a rolling pin until it starts to incorporate with the flour.
4. Use a 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.
5. Form it into a rectangle and then roll the dough out into a flat long rectangle.
6. 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.
7. Flatten the dough out into a circle and wrap in plastic wrap. Dough should be about 1 inch thick. Place in the fridge to chill for 30-60 minutes.
8. Mix all of the ingredients into the apples and toss gently to coat. You can use a wooden spoon or your hands.
9. Roll out the dough. Mend any cracks or tears by pressing them back together with your fingers.
10. Preheat the oven to 375° F. Arrange the apples on the dough.
11. Before baking, use a pastry brush to brush 1 Tbsp. heavy cream or egg wash all over the dough.
12. Bake, cool, and enjoy!

*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.

How do you store a galette?

You’ll want to keep the galette at room temperature on the day it is baked. Wrap leftovers in plastic wrap or foil and place in fridge.

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.

the goods

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Food Processor

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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!

5 from 5 reviews

Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate

Prep Time: 2 hours

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 3 hours

Servings: 8 people

Calories: 410kcal

Author: Tawnie Graham of Kroll’s Korner

Equipment

• Rolling Pin
• Plastic wrap

Ingredients

For the dough

• ▢ 1 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour
• ▢ 1 Tbsp. sugar
• ▢ 3/4 tsp. salt
• ▢ 1 1/2 sticks cold butter (3/4 cup)
• ▢ 4-5 Tbsp. ice cold water

For the apple filling

• ▢ 2 lbs. Apples (Granny Smith and Piny Lady/Honey Crispy mix)
• ▢ 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• ▢ 1 Tbsp. lemon juice or Apple Cider Vinegar
• ▢ 1/2 Tbsp. cornstarch
• ▢ 1 tsp. salt
• ▢ 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• ▢ 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• ▢ 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
• ▢ 1 Tbsp. heavy cream or 1 egg whisked (for brushing on the crust)
• ▢ 1/3 cup Apricot Jam for brushing on apples
• ▢ 1 pint Vanilla Ice cream for serving

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

• Pour the flour, sugar and salt in the food processor. Pulse a few times to combine. Add in cubed butter and pulse again until butter pieces are the size of peas, ~7-8 times.
• Slowly stream in the ice water, 3-4 Tbsp. should be enough for the dough to come together. 5 Tbsp. water max.
• Remove the dough from the food processor and place on a clean, floured surface. Roll/form the dough into a ball and slightly flatten into a disk.
• Cover in plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 30 minutes – 1 hour.
• While the dough is chilling, prep the apple filling (or filling of choice!) Slice thin, ~1/4 inch thick and place in a large bowl. You can peel or not peel them, up to you.
• 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. Mend any cracks or tears by pressing them back together with your fingers or use a knife to make clean edges.
• 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. PRO TIP: Place a 9-inch pie pan in the center of the dough and gently press down so it creates an indentation. This helps you to know how far out to place the filling! (see video for guidance)
• Preheat the oven to 375° F. Arrange your apples onto the dough. 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 or egg wash all over the dough. Sprinkle crust with coarse sugar, if desired.
• Bake for ~35-45 minutes or until the crust becomes golden brown. Transfer the galette with the parchment paper on to a wire cooling rack and cool.
• Once cooled, dilute your apricot jam with 1-2 teaspoons of water and brush the apples with the apricot jam. YUM. Cut into wedges and serve with vanilla bean ice cream.

Video

Notes

Be sure to reference the step by step photos for help!

How to make the dough without a food processor: 

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. Flatten the dough out into a circle and wrap in plastic wrap. Dough should be about 1 inch thick. Place in the fridge to chill for 30-60 minutes.

You can make the dough up to two-three days ahead, but this galette is at its best served the same day it was baked.

 

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Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 410kcal

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.
• For a strawberry galette filling: 4 cups sliced strawberries, 1 Tbsp. cornstarch and 1/3 cup sugar.

Hi, I’m Tawnie!

Welcome to my tiny “korner” on the Internet! I am a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist who loves cookies as much as kale. (OK, maybe I like cookies a little bit more but shh, don’t tell anyone). I am so glad you’re here! Follow along for hassle free, realistic and approachable recipes.

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