Apple Galette Tart in Phyllo Dough

I recently went apple picking in New Hampshire, and picked up a couple of pounds of McIntosh apples (great for baking and eating). It’s an activity that still delights my Southern-Californian-heart as something so unique to New England in the Fall.

(Not another Fall-in-New-England rhapsody, please!) Don’t worry, I only bring it up to show why I decided to make yet another apple dish. This time I'm making an apple galette tart, a quintessential Autumn baking treat. 

What’s a galette? Glad you asked!

A galette is a rustic pie tart

Longtime readers know how much I like pie in all its variations…in a crust, as a bar, or just as a slab (yeah, we get the picture).

One way I haven’t talked about pie is as a galette tart, aka a freeform pie. Basically, take a pie crust and don’t do any work putting it in a pie pan. Instead you place the crust directly on a baking pan, fill it, then fold over the edges to keep the filling in.

The resulting tart looks rustic and tastes fantastic.

Subscribe to Scotch & Scones!

Sign up for my weekly featured recipe and you'll get two recipes, Extra-Tangy Sourdough Bread and Mint Chocolate Chunk Scones!

First Name Email Address

By subscribing, I consent to receiving emails.

What you need

You need a fairly solid filling when making a galette, so save those custard-y type fillings like pumpkin or pecan for the regular type of pie. That is, unless you like having filling running all over the bottom of your oven. I won’t judge.

For this apple galette recipe the filling will be homemade applesauce topped with sliced apples. And instead of a regular pie crust, I'm making this recipe with phyllo dough (aka filo dough), that paper thin dough used for making baklava.

Oh, and that homemade applesauce? It’s made with boiled apple cider, that concentrated concoction of intense apple flavor, to really ramp up the apple goodness. Plus, the whole apple tart can be brushed with melted apple cider jam to give it a pretty sheen.

How to make an apple galette

Step 1: Peel the apples

Homemade applesauce forms the base on which to place sliced apples.

Start by peeling and coring the apples, then chopping them into chunks (photo 1). I use a melon baller to take out the core and a serrated peeler to peel the apples.

Step 2: Make the applesauce

Bring the apples, water, sugar, boiled apple cider, zest, and cinnamon to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, 15 minutes. Remove the lid and simmer until most of the liquid is evaporated, about 5 to 10 minutes more.

Mash the apples with a potato masher or a fork to a coarse sauce (if you need to...mine kind of fell apart on its own), then set it aside to cool. The applesauce can be made 3 days ahead and chilled, covered.

Step 3: Prepare the shell

Working with phyllo dough is just a matter of taking a very thin sheet of dough, placing it on a half sheet baking pan lined with a Silpat silicone mat or parchment paper, and gently brushing it with melted butter or ghee. Stack another layer on top and repeat until you’ve built up a good base for your filling (photo 3). Here I'm placing the layers perpendicular to the previous sheet to get an approximately round shape.

Step 4: Place the filling on the phyllo dough

Spread the cooled applesauce in the center of the phyllo stack, leaving a 2-inch border, then top sauce with the sliced apples in a nice pattern, mounding slightly. Dot the apples with butter (photo 4).

Step 5: Fold over the phyllo dough & bake

Turn the corners of the phyllo over to form an octagon and press them flat. Fold the pastry edge over the filling to form a rim, pleating the dough as necessary.

Brush the top of the pastry rim with a last bit of ghee, then sprinkle the crust and filling with sugar. Bake the galette at 400°F for about 20 to 22 minutes or until the phyllo pastry is golden and the apples are tender (photo 5).

After the galette has come out of the oven, you can brush the edges of the shell with melted apple jelly to give it a nice sheen. Cut it into wedges with a pizza cutter.

Questions asked and answered

Here are some questions you might have...

Pro Tip: Working with phyllo dough

There are a couple of caveats about working with phyllo dough. The sheets tear easily, so make sure you fully defrost them in the refrigerator and lay them out gently.

Also, said sheets also dry out quickly, so after you lay them out, cover them with plastic wrap and a clean, damp kitchen towel. Pull back the covering just to take a sheet to work with, then return the covering onto the rest of the stack.

Don't worry too much if the sheet tears a little as you brush on the ghee...all those layers will make sure everything works.

If you don't want to mess with phyllo dough, you can always make an apple galette with puff pastry instead.

Apples on and on, in flaky layers

This Phyllo Dough Apple Galette Tart was auh-mazing! Deeply apple flavored thanks to the boiled apple cider in the applesauce (and those freshly picked apples) and flaky and crispy from the phyllo dough.

I really liked how the crust’s flakiness didn’t compete with the apple filling as a regular pie crust might have. I brought this tart to a celebratory Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year) dinner to rave reviews, just like the Apples and Honey Babka.

Try your hand at this rustic apple tart recipe. You'll be rewarded with a wonderful way to celebrate Fall!

Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star ⭐️ rating in the recipe card below ⬇️ and/or a comment further down the page.

I'd love to hear from you! Stay in touch on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and please tag me using the hashtag #scotchandsconesblog. You can also sign up for my mailing list. I can't wait to see your creations!