We chuckle at the expression “easy as pie,” because baking a pie from scratch can be kind of a pain. You gotta make, chill, and form your dough, then transfer it to the pan without breaking it, and we can’t even with lattice tops. After the pie is done, you have to wait hours for the middle to set before you can slice it. But flaky pie crust is one of life’s great pleasures, so what’s a lazy baker to do? Enter the galette.
Think of a galette like a free-form pie that bakes directly on a cookie sheet, but with a higher crust-to-fruit ratio (mmmm more crust). You just pile some fruit in the center and fold the dough over the edges with zero stress about making it perfect—it’s meant to be rustic! Galettes look impressive—and taste delicious—even with all their charming irregularities. Bonus: You can eat ’em while they’re hot.
You can swap the apples for pears or try one with berries and stone fruit in the spring and summer months. The best part is that the food processor does all the hard work for you. Commit this dough to memory, and you’ve got a go-to dessert for every holiday, dinner party, or impromptu potluck. You can even make it savory, as witnessed here and here. Before we get started, here are some cardinal rules of handling pie dough, for the flakiest crust experience:
- Keep everything as cold as possible until the dough hits the oven. Freeze the butter cubes until solid and use ice water when making the dough.
- Work quickly. The heat of your hands and the rolling pin can warm up the butter. No need to race against the clock, but don’t abandon your dough mid-roll.
- Chill the dough for a minimum of 2 hours before rolling it out and baking it; this allows the gluten time to rest and the butter time to firm up again.
Brown Sugar Apple Galette
Yield: 6-8 servings
Ingredients:
Dough:
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 4 tablespoons turbinado sugar, divided
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 8 tablespoons unsalted vegan butter, cubed and frozen solid
- ¼ cup ice water
Filling:
- 3 large apples
- ¼ cup dark brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons nondairy milk, for brushing
Procedure:
- Make the crust. In a food processor, pulse flour, 1 tablespoon sugar, and salt until combined. Add the butter cubes and pulse 8 to 10 times, or until dough forms into small clumps—no larger than a pea. Continue pulsing, adding the water 1 tablespoon at a time until the dough starts to form a ball. You may or may not use all the water: The dough should be hydrated, but not sticky, and there should be tiny, visible pieces of butter. Transfer onto a lightly floured surface, form it into a 4-inch disk, and wrap. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
- Preheat. When ready to bake the galette, heat the oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
- Make the filling. Core and slice the apples about ⅓ inch thick. In a large bowl, toss the apples with brown sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, lemon zest, cinnamon, ginger, and salt.
- Assemble. On a lightly floured work surface, roll the dough into a rough 12-inch circle. If the dough cracks, pinch it back together or patch it up with dough from the edges. Transfer to the lined baking sheet and spread the apples into an even layer over the dough, leaving a 1-inch border. Fold (or pleat if you’re feeling fancy) the edges of the dough over the apple mixture all the way around. Brush the edges of the galette with nondairy milk and sprinkle with the remaining sugar.
- Bake for about 40 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.
Notes and Substitutions:
- If using salted butter, reduce salt in the dough to ¼ teaspoon.
- Our favorite apples to bake with are Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, and Granny Smith. They hold their shape the best and don’t turn to mush in the oven.
- Galette can be baked up to 2 days in advance. Gently reheat it in the oven to serve.
