Pink Pearl Apple Galette
This was the lucky year that I could get my hands on pink pearl apples. Although beautiful, their debut at the end of summer is a sobering reminder that berries and stonefruit are headed towards the door. Even still, there’s something about fleeting esoteric fruit that I can’t get enough of and will continue to empty my pockets for. Their short window of ripeness between late August through mid-September (in the Bay Area, at least) demands immediate action.
The flaky dough recipe is a staple at Tartine, and in my kitchen- I find myself referring to it more often than not. It’s simple, uncomplicated, and yields a shatteringly flaky crust when laminated well and thoroughly baked. It also works beautifully with whole grains, which I do often, although the dough I used for this particular recipe was a bit of a mystery as it was unlabeled and had been sitting in my freezer for months- I suspect it had some spelt, but who knows (who cares?). Anyway, don’t be afraid to get a little dark color on your dough during baking, there is nothing worse than blonde, soggy pie dough.
Pre-bake
This recipe scratches the itch without much hassle, so you can still enjoy the last warm summer days without being shackled to the oven (literally the worst). Get your hands on some pink pearl apples while you still can and give this recipe a go.
Post Bake
Pink Pearl Apple Galette
Alexa | September 24, 2021
Flaky Dough adapted from Tartine: A Classic Revisited
active prep time: 2 hours
inactive prep time: 2½ hours - overnight
cook time: 35-45 minutes
Servings: 4-6
Ingredients:
Flaky Dough
1 tsp Sea Salt
½ cup + 2 Tbsp (150 ml) Water, very cold
3 ½ cups (455g) All-Purpose Flour (use up to 50% whole grain flour if desired, I like spelt and rye)
1 ⅓ cups (300g) Unsalted Butter, cold and cubed (European Style preferred but not necessary)
Apple Galette
4-5 small Pink Pearl Apples
¼ cup Jam (apple butter would be great here but use whatever you have, I used raspberry jam)
½ cup Granulated Sugar
1 Egg
Instructions:
For the dough
In a small bowl combine the salt and cold water. Mix to combine and put in the freezer until ready to use.
Put the flour in a large mixing bowl and scatter the cold, cubed butter over the top of the flour.
Toss the butter in the flour to coat, then begin to squeeze and rub the butter into the flour using your thumb and fingers until the butter is in hazelnut-sized pieces and flattened leaves of butter.
Alternatively, you can cut the butter into the dough using a pastry blender, cutting the butter until it’s in hazelnut to pea-sized pieces, or use a food processor to pulse the mixture.
Get the water-salt mixture from the freezer and stir it to ensure the salt has dissolved. Pour the water evenly over the surface of the dough then toss and squeeze the dough with your hands until it forms a shaggy mass. Gently and briefly knead the dough until it comes together to form a chunky ball, it should not be completely smooth and there should be visible chunks of butter.
Divide the dough in half, form each half into a 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick disk, wrap well and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight.
We’re only using 1 disk of dough for this galette, so now you have an extra in the freezer- yay! Follow the steps below with the extra crust to have fully laminated dough in your freezer ready to go for a pie or galette at any time. It’s a real gift to your future self.
After the dough has thoroughly rested it’s time to roll it out and put a couple of turns into it, as you would with biscuit or croissant dough, for exceptionally flaky pie dough- this is what really makes a difference so don’t skip it.
Lightly dust a large work surface with flour and place one of the dough disks onto it, dusting the surface with a little flour as well.
Roll the dough out into a rough rectangle that is at least 2 times longer than it is wide- the exact dimensions aren’t necessary here.
Fold the dough onto itself in thirds like a business letter, then rotate 90° and roll out into a rectangle again, repeating the folding and rolling 1-2 more times until the butter is visibly streaky and the dough is smooth.
Wrap the dough and rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to allow the gluten to relax.
At this stage, the dough can be well wrapped and frozen for up to 1-2 months for best results(I’ve done much longer and it’s fine).
Once rested, roll the dough out into a round roughly ⅛ inch (3 mm) thick on a lightly floured surface, rolling from the center towards the edge in each direction until the dough is even in thickness all the way around.
Transfer to a parchment or Silpat lined baking sheet and let chill in the fridge until ready to assemble the galette.
For the galette
Preheat the oven to 425°F.
Peel the apples and cut each apple in half. Use a spoon or melon baller to scoop out the seeds, then discard along with the stem and calyx (in other words, the apple’s butt).
Lay an apple half flat side down on a cutting board and cut into very thin slices. Rearrange slightly to make sure the apple slices match up and look somewhat cohesive if aesthetics are important to you. If desired, lightly push down on the apple slices to shift them slightly to one side, creating a shingled look. Repeat with the remaining apples.
Fetch the dough from the fridge and evenly spread the jam over the surface, leaving a 1-inch border around the edge.
Arrange the sliced apple halves over the jam, snuggling them closely together to leave little to no space in between. Leave 1-inch of dough around the border bare.
Fold the dough border over the apples, pleating the dough together as you go.
Whisk together the egg and brush it over the pleated edge of the dough.
Generously sprinkle ½ cup of granulated sugar over the apples as well as the dough.
Transfer the galette to the oven and bake for 35-45 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and there are small bubbles around the apple halves. I like to bake pie crust items on the bottom rack of the oven to avoid the dreaded soggy bottom. If you notice the top crust starting to become a little dark during baking, tent the rim with foil (or one of these extremely useful silicone pie crust protectors- if you bake a lot of pies/tarts owning one of these is a game changer), leaving the apples uncovered to get a little color.
Let cool slightly, then cut and serve. Highly recommend serving with whipped cream, lightly sweetened creme fraiche, or ice cream.