Apple Galette Recipe

Use firm apples that keep their shape and balance sweet and tart notes. Granny Smith, Pink Lady and Honeycrisp are great choices and mixing two varieties gives the best texture and flavour.

Create a barrier and control excess juice: dust the pastry center with semolina or fine breadcrumbs, or press a thin disc of almond paste or frangipane in the middle, and if you macerate the apples drain and reduce the juices before adding them back. Baking on a preheated tray or stone also helps the bottom brown and crisp.

Keep everything cold, use cold butter or vegan block, handle the dough as little as possible, and chill the dough between steps so the fat stays firm; a short rest in the fridge before baking makes a big difference. Measuring your ingredients and using a simple ratio based approach also helps you repeat the same result each time.

Either works and it comes down to the texture you want: raw slices bake to tender but still shaped fruit while lightly cooking or macerating first gives a softer, saucier filling; if you macerate, drain and reduce the juices so you do not end up with a watery dessert.

Cornflour, arrowroot and tapioca all work well; cornflour is common and reliable, arrowroot gives a glossy finish and thickens at lower temperatures, and mini tapioca pearls create a classic pie like texture that sets nicely as it cools. Let the filling rest after mixing so the thickener can absorb juices before you assemble.

Yes. The dough and filling can be made ahead and chilled for a few days, the dough freezes for months, and you can freeze an assembled pie before baking then bake from frozen with a few extra minutes; baked galettes also freeze and reheat well when refreshed in a low oven.