Easiest Apple Galette for Fall Celebrations

If you love apple pie but find that making a homemade pie a little fiddly, I have a solution: make an apple galette – a free-form pie that offers all of the pleasure of a homemade pie with half the effort.

Easiest apple galette recipe: If you love apple pie but find that making a homemade pie a little fiddly, I have a solution: make an apple galette - a free-form pie that offers all of the pleasure of a homemade pie with half the effort.

My dad’s eccentric Aunt Margaret loved to bake apple pies but she didn’t core the apples first, or at least she didn’t core them completely. As a result, her pies were always filled with apple seeds. According to my mom, when served a slice while seated in Aunt Margaret’s dimly-lit farmhouse kitchen, it always looked as though the pie was dotted with houseflies.

My mom’s apple pies are my favourite. She is a pastry wizard so they always look lovely with perfectly crimped edges and she barely adds any spices so the flavour of the apples shines.

Galette – the easy way to make pie

If you love apple pie but find that making a homemade pie a little fiddly, I have a solution: make an apple galette. A galette is a free-form pie that offers all of the pleasure of a homemade pie with half the effort.

You simply roll a big round of pastry, lay it on a cookie sheet, pile sliced apples on top, and fold over the pastry edges. That’s it. Not bottom crust to fit into a pan. No top crust to crimp.

Homemade whole grain pastry is easier than you think

You can buy pastry but if you have a food processor and five minutes to spare you can make homemade pastry that is so delicious you’ll never buy pastry again.

This big-batch recipe makes enough for two generous galettes. Unused pastry can be frozen.

(Recipe can be halved. To divide the egg, beat it in a small bowl, remove 2 Tbsp. and add to the liquid ingredients and use remaining beaten egg to brush the pastry edges before baking.)

Easy Apple Galette Recipe

Filling:

6 tart apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
¾ cup sugar
1 Tbsp. flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
Pinch of nutmeg
3 tsp. butter

Pastry:

4 ¾ cups flour (can use half stone ground whole wheat or spelt)
¾ tsp. salt
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
1 lb butter, cold
½ cup cold milk
½ cup cold water
1 egg

Pastry Instructions:

Toss dry ingredients into a food processor and whirl for a second.
Cut the cold butter into chunks and add to the food processor. Pulse on and off until the butter is pea sized.
In a small bowl whisk the milk, water and egg. Add to the flour mixture and pulse until the dough is just starting to come together.
Remove from processor and pat into a disc. Cut in half, wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour.

To make the pie:

Preheat the oven to 375 F
In a large bowl toss the sliced apples with the sugar, flour and spices.
On a lightly floured surface, roll one half of the pastry into a circle 1/4 “ thick.
Place pastry on a large baking sheet that has been lined with parchment paper.
Mound apple slices in the middle of the pastry, 2”-3” from the edge of the pastry.
Fold the pastry edges over the apples, overlapping the pastry as required. Dab with butter.
Place in the oven and bake for 45 minutes or until the apples are soft and the pastry is nicely browned.
Let cool before slicing.