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    Home » Popular » American Recipes

    September 18, 2021 American Recipes

    Sourdough Discard Apple Galette

    Jump to Recipe - Print Recipe

    This Sourdough Discard Apple Galette is the perfect recipe to use up sourdough starter discard. A very slight tang in a super flaky crust that is bursting with apples. The perfect no-fuss dessert for the holidays!

    And I know it would be really no-fuss by using a store bought pie crust. But you truly have to take a few minutes to try to make your own crust. Once you try, you will see this type of crust is not that difficult and worth the bit of effort! Another great fall pie is this Cranberry-Apple Pie (sweet and tart!). Or another no-fuss pie: Apple Pie with Oat Streusel (amazing topping!). Here is the last one I shared: Apple Galette with Sicilian Salted Caramel (that caramel!!!).

    overhead image of sourdough discard apple galette

    I just love a simple and no-fuss dessert like this Sourdough Apple Galette. A galette is simply a rustic pie (or tart). The beauty of it is that you can fill it with however you dream of. Since we are huge apple dessert fans and it is apple season, we went with apples for this galette!

    Sourdough Discard Apple Galette

    It only takes a few things to make a really great pie dough recipe– flour, salt, some sort of fat (butter, shortening, or a combination of both), water (in this recipe we use the sourdough discard in place of the water), and just a bit of sugar. There is some whole wheat pastry flour in the recipe. If you don’t have any on hand, it will come out fine using all-purpose flour only. The whole wheat flour adds a distinct flavor and also there is a very slight tang from the sourdough…we all just LOVE this dough!

    I just saw Alison Roman's New York Times deep dish homey apple galette...so this is very similar, but without the dish! I made this little beauty about 2 months ago...it's taken a while to get it all together just in time for Thanksgiving dessert ideas!

    The whole thing comes together in your food processor or even by hand.

    No pie plate required! You are simply forming it free-form on your baking tray! Super easy!

    How Do You Make Galette AKA Pie Dough?

    If making a pie totally from scratch intimidates you, let me introduce you to a no-fuss, no-fear galette (sometimes called a free-form crostata).  So much simpler than making a pie and no crimping of the edges. Yes, you could even make a galette.

    How to make galette dough? Here are the main steps:

    • In a food processor, pulse the flour and salt; gradually pulse the butter. (Alternatively, you can use a pastry cutter to mix by hand.)
    • Add the sourdough starter and pulse a few times until the dough comes together. The dough will be more clumpy than crumbly.
    • Divide the dough into two, wrap in plastic wrap or a sealed container, and chill for 30 minutes. Use the dough right away, or you can freeze it for later use.

    Can I make this sourdough discard apple galette without a sourdough discard?

    Yes, you can! You could use plain unsweetened yogurt containing active cultures in place of the sourdough starter to get that slight tang (and a bit of added moisture). You could also sub it for ice water.

    The sourdough starter:

    If getting rid of your sourdough starter discard every week makes you shed a tear (it makes me cry a bit to toss it out!), this is a recipe for you!!  You will want your starter fed in the last week to give your pie dough that lovely sour tang. Here is the sourdough starter recipe we use.

    Some other sourdough discard starter recipes we recently shared:

    • Sourdough Discard Pumpkin Bread Recipe
    • Sourdough Pumpkin Coffee Cake
    • Sourdough Banana Bread
    • Sourdough Pizza Margherita
    • Blueberry Limoncello Pie with Sourdough Crust

    overhead image of sourdough starter

    How Do You Make An Sourdough Discard Apple Galette AKA Apple Crostata– Step By Step

    Prep your apple filling and set it aside while you roll out the dough.

    overhead image of pie dough

    To roll out the dough:

    • When ready to use, remove from the fridge. Let it rest a few minutes until it is ready to roll out.
    • Sprinkle a bit of flour under the dough and roll it out between two sheets of plastic wrap (or parchment paper).
    • Roll the disk out and turn it while rolling.
    • Sprinkle on more flour as needed as you keep rolling the crust to the right and the left until you get your dough circle. It should be about 10-inches round.
    • Place dough circle on your parchment lined baking sheet.

    overhead image of dough rolled out

    Here is the dough rolled out on parchment paper ready for the filling.

    overhead image of dough rolled out on baking tray

    The apple filling has been waiting with the spices.

    image of apple filling

    Then top the dough with your filling. Try to place the apples side by side (it's ok even to mound them up in the middle). Just be sure to leave space around the border like this...

    overhead image of dough with apple filling

    Next, simply fold the crust by overlapping it over the filling. Once it is all folded over. Brush on the egg wash.  The egg wash helps to brown the crust while it's baking. It's not the same without it.

    overhead image of pie

    After that, brush on the apricot jam on the apples and sprinkle on the turbinado sugar around the crust.

    overhead image of pie and bowl of jam

    overhead image of pie

    To freeze the dough (UP TO THREE MONTHS):

    • Wrap the discs in plastic wrap and place in a zipped lock freezer bag. Make sure you press out all the air from the freezer bag. Date the bag and place it in the freezer for up to three months. When you’re ready to use it, allow it to defrost in the fridge overnight.

    Can You Freeze This Galette (crostata)?

    • Yes, this sourdough discard apple galette can be frozen unbaked or baked! Simply place the dessert on a cookie sheet on parchment paper, then freeze until solid.
    • Once it is frozen, completely wrap in plastic wrap and transfer it to a zipped freezer bag. If you froze it baked, allow it to thaw overnight, then re-heat in the oven until warm again!
    • If you froze it unbaked, just bake it frozen and you will need to add about 3-5 more minutes to the baking time.

    Sourdough Pie Crust Notes

    • Allow your dough to chill and rest for about 30 minutes before you roll it out.
    • It begins with cold ingredients. Really important to make sure you have  COLD ingredients.  Some even swear by cold flour. The cold makes sure you get that nice and flaky crust. Cold ingredients stop the gluten from forming, which could make it chewy and not flaky.
    • If you have some experience in putting together a pie dough, you know to try to not over blend and that pieces of butter in the flour mixture is a good thing! Less handling of the dough is the best for flaky crust!
    • There should be some small and larger pieces of butter, which keeps the dough flaky.
    • After adding the starter the dough will come together differently than when using cold water. The texture will be more on the clumped side than crumby.
    • Use your hands to test dough and see if you need to add any ice water to the dough to bring it together. You could add a bit of ice water by the teaspoon.

    overhead image of sourdough discard apple galette

    PIN For later!

    overhead image of apple galette

    This recipe helps take the fear out of baking a pie dough! I promise if you try this dough you will never be afraid to attempt a pie again! As I mentioned before, you could sub ice water for the sourdough starter or use the live culture yogurt if you want a little tang in the dough. What's great about this recipe is that after it has rested in the fridge, you just have to roll out your big circle of dough and and add your filling. My circle is never perfect and that is totally fine! Since you're folding over the edges, it is rustic and it is beautiful! A totally humble version of an apple pie that everyone adores!

    I'm slightly obsessed with apple pies, there are so many more to share here with all of you...I will be back with a complete list in this post! But for now, enjoy this amazing apple galette! Don't fret if you do not have a sourdough starter on hand. You could totally use ice-water or yogurt with live cultures!!

    Originally published November 19, 2019 and republished on September 18, 2021.

    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate this Recipe
    5 from 8 votes

    Sourdough Discard Apple Galette

    This Sourdough Apple Galette is the perfect recipe to use up sourdough starter discard. A very slight tang in a super flaky crust that is bursting with apples. The perfect no-fuss dessert for the holidays!
    Prep Time40 mins
    Cook Time30 mins
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American, Italian
    Keyword: apple pie, apples, Thanksgiving dessert
    Servings: 6 servings
    Author: Lora

    Ingredients

    • FILLING
    • 5 apples sliced 1/4 inch thick peeled and cored
    • juice of 1 lemon
    • 1/3 cup of granulated sugar
    • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
    • DOUGH
    • 1 cup all-purpose flour
    • 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour or use all-purpose
    • 1 tsp salt
    • 1 tbsp. sugar
    • 3/4 cup 1 1/2 sticks unsalted Earth Balance vegan butter stick (or butter), cut into small cubes dice
    • 3 Tbsp chilled vegetable shortening
    • 1/4 cup liquid sourdough starter *chilled or sub with iced water-depending on the consistency of your sourdough starter. Adjust according to it’s texture.
    • EGG WASH
    • 1 large egg
    • 1 tablespoon water
    • TOPPING
    • 2 Tablespoons apricot jam
    • 2 tablespoons turbinado sugar

    Instructions

    • FILLING
    • Add the all apple filling ingredients to a small bowl; set aside.
    • DOUGH
    • Food Processor Method: Put flour, salt and sugar in bowl of machine. Pulse a couple of times. Add butter and vegetable shortening into flour. Process a few seconds until mixture resembles coarse meal.
    • The whole process takes 20 to 30 seconds. (I had originally added 1/4 cup sourdough starter. Check to see if dough is wet enough. If necessary, add 1-2 more tablespoons of starter (or ice water). When I put on my counter to pat into discs, I noticed it needed a little more sourdough starter and added about 1 to 2 more tbsp.
    • Pat the dough into two disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and keep in refrigerator for ant least a half an hour.
    • BAKE
    • Lightly flour a pastry board, marble counter, or kitchen counter. Roll one disc between parchment paper or plastic wrap (or 1/2 and 1/2 like I usually do). It should be about 1/4-inch thick about 15 inches round. Roll pastry in one direction only, turning pastry continually to prevent it from sticking to the surface.
    • When ready to bake, heat the oven to 350 F. I like to roll it out on parchment paper and then I just transfer the dough on top of the parchment paper to a baking tray. Or you could fold the dough into quarters, and then transfer to your baking sheet lined with parchment paper. If you folded the dough to transfer to baking tray, unfold the dough, and then add the apple mixture to the middle of the dough, leaving about 3 inches of dough around the apples. I try to line up the apples one next to the other. It really makes it so much prettier when it’s baked. It’s also fine to leave it in mound in the middle. Begin to fold over the dough toward the middle of the apples with loose pleats.
    • In a small bowl, whisk the egg with the water. Brush the dough border with the egg mixture. Carefully spoon on the sugar. If you get it all around the parchment paper, it will start to smell like burned sugar. Melt the jam in a small skillet and then brush it on the apples. You could also brush the jam on the apples after it’s baked. Either way, it’s fabulous!
    • Bake at 350F for about 30 minutes. You want your crust to be a nice, golden color. Not too brown and crunchy.

    Notes

    The second dough disk could stay wrapped in the freezer for up to 3 months.
    You could make a second galette for Thanksgiving with a different fruit filling.
    All images and text  ©Savoring Italy.  Please do not use my images without prior permission. If using my posts in collections and features, please link back to this post for the recipe.
     

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Erin | Dinners,Dishes and Dessert says

      November 17, 2019 at 11:08 pm

      5 stars
      This Sourdough Discard Apple Galette is looks incredibly delicious!

      Reply
    2. annie says

      November 18, 2019 at 10:46 am

      5 stars
      This sounds wonderful!

      Reply
    3. jade manning says

      November 18, 2019 at 1:07 pm

      5 stars
      This would be the perfect sweet treat to serve my guests!! Looks so tasty yet professional!

      Reply
    4. Sara Welch says

      November 18, 2019 at 2:25 pm

      5 stars
      This is my kind of dessert! Looks amazing; definitely worthy of a restaurant!

      Reply
      • Lora says

        November 20, 2019 at 6:37 am

        Thank you, Sarah!!!

    5. Beth says

      November 19, 2019 at 12:56 am

      5 stars
      We love making galettes but yours is so beautiful! really love the sourdough crust!

      Reply
      • Lora says

        November 20, 2019 at 6:37 am

        Thank you, Beth! It really is so wonderful!

    6. Catalina says

      November 19, 2019 at 5:23 pm

      5 stars
      Oh my goodness! I want this galette right now!

      Reply
    7. Sheila says

      January 25, 2020 at 9:16 pm

      5 stars
      I made this today with sourdough discard and some old Opal and new Cosmic Crisp apples. It is fabulously delicious and looks like I’m a pro (which I’m not!). My husband just ate half of it in one sitting! He doesn’t normally like ‘sour’, so it’s amazing he likes this so much.
      I used maple syrup instead of white sugar with the apples. And had guava jam so used that for the fruit glaze. Also, used the whole dough batch for the one galette, instead of two discs; there was still a nice showing of apples. Shortfalls- i don’t see a cooking temp in the recipe and it took about 40 minutes to cook at a standard 350^f.

      Reply
      • Lora says

        January 26, 2020 at 8:48 am

        Hi Sheila, wow! Sounds absolutely amazing and am so happy you enjoyed the recipe!!! Thank you so much for letting me know! XX

    8. Alyssa says

      April 12, 2020 at 10:28 pm

      Can I make this recipe without vegetable shortening? If so, what do I use in place of vegetable shortening?

      Reply
      • Lora says

        April 13, 2020 at 5:44 am

        Hi Alyssa-you could use margarine if you have on hand or even butter. Happy Baking!

    9. Bernadette says

      June 14, 2020 at 4:28 pm

      5 stars
      This is the best recipe for using discard that I've found. Since the recipe is for 2 crusts, I made one peach and one strawberry/blueberry. Both were fantastic! Getting ready to make another batch to put in the freezer for quick desserts when needed.

      Reply
      • Lora says

        June 14, 2020 at 5:24 pm

        Hi Bernadette! Thank you! I'm really happy you enjoyed the recipe. Now you're inspiring me to try different fruit versions (love the peach idea for now with all the juicy and sweet peaches around!). Happy Baking!XX

    10. Lisa Espenshade says

      September 27, 2020 at 11:32 pm

      Love this recipe, and have made the crust for several different dishes, sweet and savory in the last couple of weeks. Question: best way to store (the tiny bit that hasn't been eaten up right away) overnight, so the crust doesn't get soggy? Thanks for your baking.
      Lisa

      Reply
      • Lora says

        September 29, 2020 at 6:31 am

        Hi Lisa-That is so nice that you enjoy it sweet and savory...thank you so much for letting me know! You could wrap tightly with plastic wrap and store in fridge for a couple days or put that wrapped piece in a zipped lock freezer bag. Freeze until you're ready to use (no more than 3 months...but I have read online... can't find the link, if you freeze for more than 2 weeks will lose its flavor).

    11. Ray says

      December 28, 2020 at 1:18 pm

      I'm a novice baker, and this is the first galette I've ever baked. It was fantastic! I had to resist from eating the whole thing. I used bacon fat/lard instead of shortening and it gave the crust this superb flakiness and flavor. I also had no apricot jam so I subbed with fig jam and brown sugar instead of turbinado. I'm drooling just thinking about it...me thinks I will make another one today. Question: is the filling ratio for making 2 galettes? I could only use half the amount per disk.

      Reply
      • Lora says

        December 28, 2020 at 11:09 pm

        Hi Ray-I'm really happy you enjoyed and that you used bacon fat/lard instead of shortening. And fig jam and brown sugar...WOW! Sounds incredible. I used that filling amount for 1 galette (you could freeze 2nd disk or you could use next day or day after with another filling). Happy Baking!

    12. Zahara says

      July 26, 2022 at 11:59 pm

      I can't use vegetable shortening, so can I replace that with more butter?

      Reply
      • Lora says

        July 29, 2022 at 8:37 am

        Yes, you could use more butter. Happy Baking!

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    Welcome to our Italian kitchen! We are Lora and Gabriella, the mother-daughter team behind Savoring Italy. With more than 30+ years of experience in the kitchen, Lora has had a great advantage – receiving guidance from both her husband who is an executive chef/restaurant owner and her mother who is a renowned private chef. 

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