Bakers Formula: Apple Galette

Galettes often take round shapes similar to a pancake or large cookie, but this recipe calls for the dessert to be cut up into rectangular strips, which could be sold individually as snacks.

This month’s recipe is courtesy of the San Francisco Baking Institute, which consults for bakeries around the world. www.sfbi.com

Apple Galette
Ingredients

• Blitz puff pastry, rolled to about 1/8”
• Apple, not peeled, sliced 1/8”
• Melted butter
• Sugar

(Optional: Apricot glaze, pearl sugar)

Assembly

• Cut the dough into 4- by 8-inch rectangles. Use a fork or docking tool to prick the surface of the dough.
• Arrange the sliced apples over the surface, slightly overlapping.
• Brush the apples with melted butter. At this point, the galette can be covered and frozen for up to one week if desired.
• Just before baking, sprinkle generously with sugar.

Baking and finishing

• Bake the galettes directly from the fridge or freezer at 176 C (350 F) convection or 190 C (375 F) to 204 C (400 F) in a conventional oven, until deeply browned and the bottom is crisp (lift with a spatula to check).
• Brush with warmed, diluted apricot glaze and sprinkle the edges with pearl sugar, if desired. If you don’t have apricot glaze, thin apricot jam with water and strain.
• Serve warm or at room temperature. The galette is best the day it is baked.

Mixing

• Combine flour, malt, salt and butter just to coat butter with flour.
• Add lemon juice and 3/4 of the water, tossing gently to combine.
• Add remaining water as needed until not much dry flour is visible at the bottom of the bowl, but also making sure to avoid having wet areas.
• Fold and press mixture over several times to make a barely cohesive mass.
• Press into a 1-inch-thick rectangle, wrap in plastic and allow the dough to rest in the refrigerator for a minimum of 30 minutes, or up to 24 hours. Alternatively, dough can be mixed on low speed in a mixer with the paddle attachment. Be careful to not over-mix or the butter will break down too much.

Lamination

• Roll dough until the length is 2 1/2-3 times its width, and the thickness is not less than about a half inch.
• Fold the dough like a business letter: fold over one-third of the dough lengthwise, followed by the opposite side. This is considered one single fold.
• If the dough is still cold and firm, an additional single fold can be completed immediately. Always roll toward the exposed ends. If the dough becomes at all soft or sticky, cover and refrigerate until firm.
• Rest the dough in the refrigerator for a minimum of 30 minutes between each set of 1-2 folds, until you have performed 6 folds in total.
• After all folds have been completed, rest the dough for a minimum of 30 minutes, or up to overnight.

Rolling

• On a lightly floured surface, roll the rested dough toward the closed edges to the desired final width.
• Rotate dough and roll out to desired thickness, about 1/8 inch.
• Cut with a sharp knife while cold. If dough softens during rolling or shaping, transfer to the refrigerator to chill for 15-30 minutes.

Baking

• Bake the puff pastry items directly from the fridge or freezer at 176 C (350 F) convection or 190 C (375 F) to 204 C (400 F) in a conventional oven. Sheets of well-wrapped dough can be stored refrigerated for up to 3 days, or frozen for up to 2 months.