This Jacques Pepin apple galette recipe is basically a freeform tart, made with honey in the French country style. The crust is flaky, crisp, and doesn't require any chilling so you can make it at a moment's notice! The apple filling is sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar for a beautiful color as it bakes.
This recipe has fewer steps than you might think. First, the apple slices don't have to be arranged in any particular pattern (if you want to do something like that try my apple upside down cake.) The cinnamon-sugar is sprinkled on top just before baking, saving another step.
And unlike my blueberry lemon galette, this is an all-butter crust situation. It is shatteringly crisp!
This crust is so crisp on the bottom, you can hold it in your hand and eat it like a slice of pizza if you want to. And there's no need to chill it so you're not waiting around, you can get right to baking and eating. Less steps, less fuss.
Apple galette recipe ingredients
Galette crust
This crust is unbelievable! It is so flaky and easy to roll out and shape. Just zip it in the food processor, no muss, no fuss. It's got all the ingredients you'd expect in a classic pie dough, but it's the ratios that make it work so well, a little more butter does wonders here.
- All purpose flour, unsalted butter, granulated sugar, ice water, kosher salt
Apple cinnamon filling
- Granny Smith apples: These are my favorite to bake with because I love their tart flavor. They don't give up a lot of water, so no worrying about too much liquid in the filling and they hold their shape, this is why I also like to use them to make apple compote.
- Lemon: You'll need to squeeze some fresh lemon juice over the apples so they don't discolor, this also helps them hold their shape as they bake.
- Honey: We'll drizzle a little honey over the bottom layer of apples for a nice floral flavor.
- Sugar and cinnamon: We're just going to sprinkle this on top! No need to mix or macerate!
*Ingredients with measurements are listed in the recipe card below.
Best apples for a galette
Most good baking apples will work for a galette. Here are some to try:
- Granny Smith: The classic!
- Braeburn: Not too tart, not too sweet, juicy, but not too juicy.
- Golden Delicious: Slightly sweet, and they hold their shape well.
- Pink Lady: Sweet and juicy, and they don't turn brown when you're cutting them up as fast as most other apples, so I use them for recipes with a pretty design on top like my German Apple Yogurt Cake.
How to make an apple galette
Adapted from Jacques Pepin via Food & Wine.
Want to save this recipe?
I will email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later!
You'll join hundreds of readers on my email list!
Step 1: Make the crust
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut the butter into small pieces.
Pulse the flour, sugar, salt, and butter in a food processor until the butter is the size of small peas.
Sprinkle water over the top, pulse until it looks like breadcrumbs or wet sand and holds together if you squeeze a bit of it in your palm. See tips below.
Step 2: Wrap and chill
Transfer the mixture to a clean surface and bring it together with your hands. Pat into a disk and wrap in plastic. Put in the refrigerator to chill while you make the filling.
This galette dough doesn't have to be chilled for a specific minimum amount of time, (or at all!) so you can go ahead and start prepping the apples.
Step 3: Prep the apples
Mix together the sugar and cinnamon and set aside. Peel and core the apples.
Chop two of them into small pieces. Transfer to a bowl, squeeze some lemon juice over them and toss to coat.
Slice the other apples into ยผ-inch half moons. Transfer to a separate bowl, squeeze lemon juice over the top.
Step 4: Roll out the galette crust
On a lightly floured surface, gently roll out the galette crust, turning it clockwise as you go to prevent sticking. Add more flour as necessary.
When the crust is about 14 inches in diameter, gently drape it over your rolling pin and transfer to the prepared baking sheet.
Step 5: Add the filling
Spread out the chopped apples so they're about 1 ยฝ inches from the edge of the crust. Drizzle them with the honey.
Arrange the sliced apple wedges in a layered pattern of your choosing on top of the chopped apples. You can make concentric circles or have them going every which direction for a more abstract look like I did.
Step 6: Finish and bake!
Sprinkle the prepared cinnamon and sugar over the apple slices. Gently fold the galette crust around the apples, making little pleats as you go around. Dot the apples with the remaining pieces of butter.
Bake for about 1 hour until the crust is golden brown. Let cool on the pan on a cooling rack before serving. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Galette shape doesn't matter!
The shape of the galette crust doesn't matter too much. It can be a circle, a rectangle, a square-ish circle. What matters is that it's big enough (but not too big) to hold the apples. It's not meant to be perfectly round when it's finished baking so just fold up the edges and go with it.
Expert tips
- Keep the crust ingredients as cold as possible. I always like to put the butter in the freezer for a few minutes after I cut it up. Use ice water, not just cold water from the refrigerator.
- Turn the dough as you roll it out: This prevents it from sticking to the surface, add more flour if necessary. Don't forget to flour your rolling pin, too!
- Don't handle the dough too much: This helps keep the butter from melting. The steam from the cold butter hitting the hot oven is what makes the crust so flaky.
- This apple galette recipe is NOT a piled high fruit situation. It is more like a French tart because the fruit lays pretty flat, which makes it very easy to work with when assembling.
- I know it seems like a long baking time but it works! You can check it at 50 minutes to be safe. You may want to have a ring of foil ready to place over the edge of the crust just in case it's getting too dark.
- Make ahead: The galette should be baked and eaten the same day. The crust and cinnamon sugar can be made one day ahead.
FAQ
You probably won't have that problem with this apple galette, because we're baking at a higher temperature, we're not using an overwhelming amount of apples, and we're not adding sugar to them until right before it goes into the oven, so you won't have a lot of juices running out. If you're concerned, you can sprinkle some semolina flour on the crust before adding the apples.
Galettes should be baked on a rimmed baking sheet, just in case any juices run out. I use a half sheet pan. Keep in mind that a darker pan will brown the crust faster.
This galette doesn't have a gooey filling that needs to set up, so it doesn't take too long to cool, about 15 minutes. Once it has stopped bubbling and it's warm, but no longer hot, you can slice and serve.
More galette recipes
Debra's Details: Jacques Pepin apple galette is simple, quick and rustic!
- The crust is made quickly in the food processor, and no waiting around for it to chill.
- Easy prep for the filling, just peel and slice 4 apples and you're done!
- Not too much fruit, so no worrying about a soggy bottom!
- Cinnamon sugar on top adds a beautiful rustic look.
- Tastes great at room temperature, so it's perfect on a dessert buffet or for brunch!
If you enjoy this recipe, please leave me a 5-star rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ in the recipe card! It really helps others find my content and helps my business grow! Sign up for my newsletter for recipes delivered to your inbox and follow me on Instagram and Pinterest! Thank you!
Recipe
Jacques Pepin Apple Galette Recipe
Ingredients
Galette Crust
- 1½ cups all purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoon sugar
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 10 tablespoon cold unsalted butter
- ⅓ cup ice water
Apple Filling
- 4 medium Granny Smith apples
- 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 tablespoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut the butter into small pieces. Chill it in the freezer for 5-10 minutes if you have time.
- Pulse the flour, sugar, salt, and cold butter in a food processor until the butter is the size of small peas. Sprinkle the water over the flour mixture and pulse until it looks like breadcrumbs or wet sand and it holds together if you squeeze a bit of it in your palm.
- Transfer the mixture to a clean surface or onto a slice of plastic wrap and bring it together with your hands. Pat into a disk and wrap in the plastic. Put in the refrigerator to chill while you make the filling. The dough doesn't have to be chilled for a specific minimum amount of time, (or at all!) so you can go ahead and start prepping the apples.
- In small bowl, mix together the sugar and cinnamon and set aside.
- Peel and core the apples. Take two of the apples and chop into small pieces. Place them in a bowl, squeeze some lemon juice over them and toss to coat.
- Take the other two apples and slice them into half moons about ¼ inch thick. Add them to a a separate bowl, squeeze lemon juice over the top, toss to coat and set aside.
- On a lightly floured work surface, gently roll out the galette crust, turning it clockwise as you go to prevent sticking. Add more flour as necessary. When the crust is about 14 inches in diameter, gently drape it over your rolling pin and transfer to the prepared baking sheet. See note below.
- Spread out the chopped apples so they're about 1 ½ inches from the edge of the crust. Drizzle them with the honey. Arrange the sliced apples in an overlapping pattern of your choosing on top of the chopped apples. You can make concentric circles or have them going every which direction for a more abstract look like I did.
- Sprinkle the prepared cinnamon and sugar over the apple slices. Gently fold the galette crust around the apples, making little pleats as you go around. Dot the apples with the remaining pieces of butter.
- Bake for about 1 hour until the crust is golden brown. Let the galette cool on the pan on a cooling rack for at least 15 minutes before serving. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Want to save this recipe?
I will email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later!
You'll join hundreds of readers on my email list!
Notes
- Keep the crust ingredients as cold as possible. I always like to put the butter in the freezer for a few minutes after I cut it up. Use ice water, not just cold water from the refrigerator.
- Turn the dough as you roll it out to prevent it from sticking to the surface and add more flour if necessary. Don't forget to flour your rolling pin, too!
- Don't handle the dough too much to keep the butter from melting. The steam from the cold butter hitting the hot oven is what makes the crust so flaky.
- Don't worry about the shape of your rolled out galette dough. Mine are usually square-ish circles! As long as it's got about a 14-inch diameter, you'll be fine. It's not meant to be perfectly round when it's finished baking so just fold up the edges and go with it.
- This apple galette recipe is NOT a piled high fruit situation. It is more like a French tart because the fruit lays pretty flat, which makes it very easy to work with when assembling.
- I know it seems like a long baking time but it works! You can check it at 50 minutes to be safe. You may want to have a ring of foil ready to place over the edge of the crust just in case it's getting too dark.
- Storage: This apple galette should be eaten the same day it's made, but any leftovers will keep for one day loosely covered with foil at room temperature. The delicate crust will lose some of its crispness the next day. You can gently reheat leftovers in a 350°F oven until warmed through.
- Make ahead: You can make the crust and the cinnamon sugar one day ahead. Keep the crust refrigerated until ready to roll out.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated as an estimate. Calorie accuracy is not guaranteed.
Leave a Reply