Rustic apple galette

Instructions

1. Step 1

   Mix 190 g all-purpose flour, 12 g granulated sugar and 3 g salt, add 130 g very cold cubed unsalted butter and flatten each piece between your fingers, then drizzle in 60 g ice water and gently gather it into a ball. Those leaf-thin flakes of butter become crisp, flaky layers in the oven. The dough is ready when it just holds together and the surface is still streaked with yellow butter.

   Mark step 1 as done

2. Step 2

   Press the dough into a disk about two centimeters thick, wrap it well and chill it for an hour. Cold dough keeps the butter solid, so the pastry doesn't stick as you roll and the layers stay distinct. It's ready when it feels firm but still gives a little when pressed with a finger.

   Suggested time: about 60 minutes.

   Mark step 2 as done

3. Step 3

   Peel and core 650 g apples, slice them about three millimeters thick and immediately toss them with 10 g lemon juice, 50 g brown sugar, 12 g cornstarch and 2 g ground cinnamon. The lemon keeps the apples from browning, and the cornstarch thickens the juices the apples release in the oven. They're ready when every slice is evenly coated with cinnamon sugar and looks slightly glossy and moist.

   Mark step 3 as done

4. Step 4

   Preheat the oven to 200°C with a rack in the middle and have a baking sheet lined with parchment paper ready. With no pan to support it, a galette needs strong heat so the crust firms up quickly. The oven is ready when the heating light has switched off.

   Mark step 4 as done

5. Step 5

   Roll the dough out on parchment paper into a circle about 32 cm across and roughly three millimeters thick; the edges don't need to be perfectly round. Then slide the whole sheet of paper onto the baking sheet. Rolling right on the paper lets you move the crust without tearing it. It's ready when it is evenly thick with no thin spots where you can see the paper underneath.

   Mark step 5 as done

6. Step 6

   Arrange the apple slices in an overlapping spiral in the center of the crust, leaving a border about five centimeters wide, dot 15 g unsalted butter in small pieces over the top, then fold the edge of the crust up over part of the apples, overlapping it into pleats all the way around. The pleats form a wall that keeps the apple juices from running onto the sheet. The galette is ready when the folded border hugs the apples snugly and only the center is left uncovered.

   Mark step 6 as done

7. Step 7

   Brush 25 g beaten eggs over the folded crust, then sprinkle 10 g granulated sugar evenly over the border. The egg helps the sugar stick and bakes into a crisp, sparkling edge. The border is ready when it looks glossy and is covered with a thin layer of sugar crystals.

   Mark step 7 as done

8. Step 8

   Bake at 200°C for 40 to 45 minutes, rotating the sheet once halfway through so the crust browns evenly. The high heat crisps the bottom and lightly caramelizes the edges of the apples. It's done when the crust is a deep golden brown, the juices are bubbling and thick in the center and the bottom looks dry and crisp when you lift the edge of the paper.

   Bake at 200°C for about 40 to 45 minutes.

   Mark step 8 as done

9. Step 9

   Warm 30 g fruit jam, ideally apricot, until runny and brush it over the apples while the galette is still hot, then let it cool on the sheet for about twenty minutes. The jam keeps the apples beautifully glossy, and the juices thicken as it cools. It's ready when the filling has set and you can slide the whole galette onto a cutting board without it breaking.

   Suggested time: about 20 minutes.

   Mark step 9 as done