Mom’s Flat Apple Pie

This Mom’s Flat Apple Pie (often known as a French apple tart, galette, or slab apple pie) is the ultimate rustic comfort food. Unlike a deep-dish pie, it is rolled out flat on a baking sheet, giving you the perfect ratio of buttery, flaky pastry crust to tender, spiced apples in every single bite.

Ingredients

• The Flaky Pastry Crust:
  • 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp granulated sugar
  • ½ cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
  • 4 to 6 tbsp ice-cold water
• The Spiced Apple Filling:
  • 3 to 4 large baking apples (such as Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, or Braeburn), peeled, cored, and sliced thin
  • 2 tbsp granulated sugar (plus 1 tbsp for sprinkling)
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice (prevents browning and adds brightness)
  • 1 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into tiny bits
  • Optional glaze: 2 tbsp apricot jam or melted butter mixed with a splash of milk for brushing the crust
• The Finish:
  • 1 tbsp coarse sugar (like turbinado/Demerara) for a crunchy bakery crust edge

Instructions

1. Make the Pastry Dough

• In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and 1 tablespoon of sugar.
• Add the cold, cubed butter. Using your fingers or a pastry blender, quickly cut the butter into the flour until it resembles coarse meal with some pea-sized chunks of butter remaining.
• Drizzle in the ice water 1 tablespoon at a time, gently tossing with a fork until the dough holds together when pinched.
• Shape the dough into a flat disk, wrap it in plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

2. Prep the Oven and Apples

• Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C) and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
• In a medium bowl, toss the sliced apples with 2 tablespoons of sugar, cinnamon, and fresh lemon juice until every slice is coated.

3. Roll Out the Flat Crust

• On a lightly floured surface, roll out your chilled dough into a large rough circle or rectangle (about 1/8-inch thick).
• Carefully transfer the rolled dough onto your prepared parchment-lined baking sheet.

4. Arrange the Apples

• Arrange the spiced apple slices in the center of the dough in a neat overlapping pattern or a rustic mound, leaving a 2-to-3-inch border of bare dough all around the edges.
• Dot the top of the apples with the tiny bits of butter.

5. Fold and Pleat

• Fold the bare edges of the dough up and over the outer rim of the apples, pleating the dough as you go. The center of the apples will remain open and exposed (this is the charm of a flat pie or galette!).

6. Finish and Bake

• Brush the folded pastry edges lightly with milk or melted butter, and sprinkle generously with the coarse turbinado sugar for that bakery-style crunch.
• Bake at 400°F for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the crust is deeply golden brown and crisp, and the apples are tender and bubbling.

7. Cool and Serve

• Let the pie cool on the baking sheet for 15 minutes.
• Optional touch: Warm up the apricot jam in the microwave for 10 seconds and brush it gently over the warm apples for a gorgeous glossy shine. Slice into wedges and serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!

Pro-Tips for Success

• Keep the Butter Cold: Making sure your butter stays cold while mixing the dough creates pockets of steam in the oven, resulting in an exceptionally flaky, melt-in-your-mouth crust.
• Slice Uniformly: Try to slice your apples to an even thickness (about 1/4 inch) so they bake through at the exact same rate and soften perfectly.