Joy the Baker's Browned Butter Bourbon Apple Galette
Recipe for Joy the Baker's Browned Butter Bourbon Apple Galette
Makes a 9-inch square galette
For the Crust:
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
¾ teaspoon sea salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold, grated on a box grater or cut into small cubes
6 tablespoons cold water plus 2 to 3 tablespoons more if your dough is dry
For the Topping:
½ cup bourbon
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup lightly packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
pinch of sea salt
4 Honeycrisp Michigan Apples, peeled, sliced from the core and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons room temperature butter, sliced into pats
1 large egg beaten with a splash of water for egg wash
cinnamon sugar (made from ground cinnamon and granulated sugar)
turbinado sugar (optional)
Vanilla ice cream or lightly sweetened whipped cream for serving
To make the crust, in a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, and salt. Add cold, grated butter and, using your fingers, work the butter into the flour mixture. Quickly break the butter down into the flour mixture, some butter pieces will be the size of oat flakes.
Create a well in the butter and flour mixture and pour in 6 tablespoons of cold water. Use a fork to bring to dough together. Try to moisten all of the flour bits. Add more water if necessary. On a lightly floured work surface, dump out the dough mixture. It will be moist and shaggy. That’s perfect. If you find the dough needs more moisture, add a bit more. Press and knead the dough into a disk.
Wrap the disk in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
To make the filling, in a small pot, bring the bourbon to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the bourbon to about ¼ cup. Remove from the heat and place in a small bowl. Add the 3 tablespoons of butter to the same pan and melt over medium heat. Simmer until the crackles cook out of the butter and the butter begins to brown and smell nutty. Remove from the heat once the butter is browned. Gently pour into the bowl with the reduced bourbon
In a small bowl mix together the brown sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, and salt. Add the warmed bourbon and butter mixture and stir together. The mixture will thicken slightly.
To assemble the galette, on a lightly floured surface, roll dough out into about a 12-inch square that’s ¼-inch thick. Slightly thicker than you might roll a pie crust going into a pie plate. Roll the dough a few strokes, then use your fingers to move the emerging square around the floured surface. This ensures that the dough isn’t sticking to the work surface. The circle won’t be perfect, that’s ok.
Try not to get any rips in the rolled out dough, but if you do, they can be patched together with extra dough. When you roll the dough and you can see it start springing back, that means that the butter is warming and the crust shouldn’t be rolled out anymore. Gently lift the 12-inch square from the floured surface and center in on a parchment lined, rimmed baking sheet. Fold each edge of the square up to create a border. Seal the edges with your fingers.
Spoon the bourbon mixture into the crust. You’ve sealed the edges so it’ll be fine.
Fan the apple slices across the crust in random patters that cover the bottom of the crust almost entirely.
Dot the apple slices with the remaining butter. Brush the edges of the crust lightly with egg wash.
Sprinkle the apples with cinnamon sugar. Sprinkle the crust with turbinado sugar or extra cinnamon sugar.
Place in the refrigerator while the oven preheats to 400 degrees F. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until the curst is golden and the apples are just lightly bubbling.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool to a warm room temperature before serving though honestly, this galette is delicious at any temperature. Store in the refrigerator, well wrapped for up to three days.
