Apple & Pear Galette

This apple and pear galette is the fruit of your suggestions from my newsletter last month, and I’m super happy with how it turned out! It has nearly half the sugar and calories than a regular slice of pie, but just as much flavor. I tested this recipe many times, more than I test most recipes since I think baked goods need to be precise. If you try it I would love to hear your feedback! I also highly recommend reading this whole post even though it’s longer than usual. There are numerous tips in here that will make the process easier and your final product more delicious.

I definitely gravitate toward cooking vs baking, but over the last few years I’ve found a new joy and satisfaction in it. My Grandma was famous for her pastries, so there’s always a sweet, nostalgic feeling when I bake. Mila also loves helping in the kitchen. She can easily help measure and mix and I don’t have to stress about knives or other sharp kitchen tools and it’s a fun, creative activity for us both.

I tested the recipe with just apples, just pears and both. I liked the end result of both apples and pears since I think the combo creates a more complex flavor profile. Nice tart apples like Pink Lady or Granny Smith work beautifully. For pears I like the D’Anju variety best since they’re tart and slightly citrusy, but use whatever you can find.

I’ve included instructions for both a gluten free and regular crust. I must say that the gluten free dough always turned out a little crumbly, and is generally harder to work with but still tastes great. It sort of reminds me of a McDonalds Baked Apple Pie, nice and crispy! (It’s been a long time since I’ve frequented a Mickey D’s but I definitely had my fast food days, don’t judge!)

I outsourced both of the crust recipes since I’m certainly not a good enough baker to create the recipe myself. The gluten free crust recipe came from the Bob’s Red Mill website. They recommend using their 1 to 1 gluten free flour. I tried both the 1 to 1, and all purpose flours and I had more success with the all purpose. Use your best discretion here, you may be more experienced with gluten free baking than I am. The regular crust recipe came from Dorie Greenspan’s famous blog “Everyday Dorie” and came together really easily.

The two images after this paragraph are of before and after cutting the butter into the flour. You want “large pea” sized butter bits left before you form the disk. The gallery of photos shows the progression of dough from the disk, to 12″ circle, and pre and post baking. Hopefully the visual is helpful. I always like to look back at photos after reading through the instructions.

For both recipes it’s super important to use very cold butter. The dough will be too soft and nearly impossible to work with otherwise. I realize the extra detail might make this recipe sound overwhelming, but it’s really not. If you read this whole post, follow the instructions carefully and don’t cut corners, you’ll succeed.

One of the best things about a galette is that it’s free form pastry. You don’t have to strive for perfection, it’s supposed to be rustic so just have fun with it, pressure’s off!

You want the crust to be nice and golden brown. One of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned in baking is the importance of knowing your oven. I recommend setting a timer for 10-15 minutes before the suggested baking time to see how it’s coming along. Use your intuition (and your nose!) and take it out if it seems done.

Happy Holidays!

Apple & Pear Galette

Carrie Beyer

A delicious and "healthy-ish" version of a classic dessert. Great for any holiday gathering.

5 from 1 vote

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Servings 6

Equipment

• Food Processor
• Pastry cutter
• Rolling Pin

Ingredients

  

Gluten Free Crust

• 1 1/2 cups Bob's Redmill Gluten Free 1 to 1 baking flour or Bob's Redmill Gluten Free All Purpose baking flour
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup (one stick) very cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 4-5 tbsp ice water

Egg Wash

• 2 tbsp coarse, turbinado sugar
• 1 egg, beaten

Regular (non gluten-free) Crust

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
• 1/2 cup (one stick) very cold, unsalted butter, cut into 16 pieces
• 1/4 cup ice water

Filling

• 1 D'Anju or Bosc pear, cored and sliced
• 1 Pink Lady or Granny Smith apple, cored and sliced
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tbsp tapioca starch or cornstarch
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger
• 1/2 tsp lemon zest
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon

Instructions

 

For Gluten Free Galette (taken directly from Bob's Redmill website and modified to reflect apple and pear filling)

• Preheat your oven to 375°F.  
• Place flour, sugar, salt and butter into a bowl and, using a pastry cutter, cut the butter in until the size of large peas. Slowly drizzle in ice water, gently incorporating each addition with a fork.
• After you add the fourth tablespoon, squeeze the dough together into a few handfuls. If it sticks, continue to form the dough into a disc. (If still too dry, add another tablespoon of water and then proceed to making the disc.) The dough should adhere and not be crumbly, but it also shouldn't be too wet.
• Cover and chill the dough while making the filling.
• Mix together apples, pears, sugar, tapioca or cornstarch, lemon juice and zest, ginger, nutmeg and cinnamon. Let macerate for 10 minutes.
• Flour your surface and roll the dough into a large circle about 12 inches in diameter. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet before adding fruit.
• Mound apple and pear mixture into the center of the dough, leaving behind excess liquid that has released from the fruit.
• Fold the edges of the pie crust towards the center, leaving a small circle of exposed fruit.
• Lightly whisk the egg together with a splash of water. Brush the egg wash over the crust and sprinkle with coarse sugar.
• Bake on parchment lined baking sheet for 45 minutes until crust is firm and golden. Allow to cool for 15 minutes before serving.

For Regular (non gluten-free) Galette (taken directly from Everyday Dorie and modified to reflect apple and pear filling)

• Put the flour, sugar and salt in a food processor and pulse a couple of times to blend. Scatter the pieces of butter over the dry ingredients and pulse until the butter is cut into the flour. At first you’ll have a mixture that looks like coarse meal and then, as you pulse more, you’ll get small flake-size pieces and some larger pea-size pieces too. Add a little of the ice water and pulse, add some more, pulse and continue until all of the water is in. Now work in longer pulses, stopping to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl if needed, until you have a dough that forms nice bumpy curds that hold together when you pinch them. Just before you reach this clumpy stage, the sound of the machine working the dough will change—heads up. Turn the dough out onto a work surface.
• To incorporate the butter more evenly and to catch any dry ingredients that might have escaped mixing, separate small amounts of dough from the pile and use the heel of your hand to smear each piece a few inches across the counter. In French this is called fraisage, and it’s the ideal way to finish blending a dough.
• Gather the dough into a ball, flatten it into a disk and put it between two large pieces of parchment paper.  Roll the dough, while it’s still cool, into a circle about 12 inches in diameter. Don’t worry about getting the exact size or about having the edges be perfect; when you construct the galette, the edges will be bunched up and pleated and they’ll only look prettier if they’re a bit ragged. The dough will be somewhat thick and that’s fine—you want to have a little heft for a free-form pastry.
• Slide the rolled-out dough, still between the paper, onto a baking sheet or cutting board and freeze for at least 1 hour or refrigerate for at least 2 hours. (Well wrapped, the dough can be refrigerated for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 2 months.)
• When you’re ready to use the dough, leave it on the counter for a few minutes, just so that it’s pliable enough to lift and fold without cracking.
• Storing: The dough can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 2 days or wrapped airtight and stored in the freezer for up to 2 months. If you’ve frozen the dough, leave it on the counter to come to a workable texture and temperature.
• Take the rolled-out dough out of the freezer or refrigerator, remove the top piece of parchment paper and, if the dough isn’t already on a rimmed baking sheet, move it to one. Leave the dough on the counter while you mix the fruit.
• Mix the fruit with the sugar, tapioca or cornstarch, lemon juice, lemon zest, vanilla, ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg. Set aside for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, so that the sugar dissolves and you have syrup in the bowl.
• Spoon the fruit and the accumulated juices (unless the fruit is absolutely drowning in liquid, in which case you’ll want to either add more tapioca starch or leave some of the syrup behind) onto the galette, mounding the fruit in the center and leaving the 2-inch border bare. Gently lift the border of dough up and around the filling. As you lift the dough and place it against the filling, it will pleat and fold—it’s meant to. Dot the filling with more butter bits, then brush the dough very lightly with a little water and sprinkle it with sugar.
• Bake the galette for 45 to 55 minutes, until the crust is deeply golden brown and the juices are bubbling. If the crust is getting darker than you’d like it to, just cover it with a foil tent.