Breton Apple Galette with Salted Butter Caramel

Combine the buckwheat flour, plain flour, 80 g caster sugar, and 3 g fine sea salt in a large bowl. Rub in the 120 g cold cubed butter with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs with some pea-sized pieces remaining. Add the beaten egg and mix until the dough just comes together — do not overwork.

Shape the dough into a flat disc, wrap in beeswax wrap or cling film, and refrigerate for a minimum of 8 hours, ideally overnight.

Toss the sliced apples with 1 tbsp caster sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla extract; set aside while you prepare the caramel.

Make the dry caramel: scatter the 150 g caster sugar in an even layer across a heavy-based saucepan over medium heat. Cook without stirring until the edges begin to melt, then gently swirl the pan until all the sugar has dissolved and turned a deep amber — the colour of dark honey — approximately 8–10 minutes. Watch carefully; it will progress from blonde to burnt quickly.

Remove the pan from heat and carefully pour in the warmed double cream in a slow, steady stream, whisking constantly — the mixture will bubble vigorously. Return to low heat and whisk until smooth.

Add the 60 g salted butter cubes one at a time, whisking each in fully before adding the next. Stir in 1 tsp fleur de sel and the crème fraîche, then pour into a bowl and set aside to cool to room temperature.

Melt the remaining 20 g butter in a wide frying pan over medium-high heat until foaming. Add the apple slices in a single layer and cook undisturbed until golden on the underside, about 3–4 minutes.

Flip the apple slices and cook the second side until just tender but still holding their shape, about 2–3 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.

Preheat the oven to 190°C fan (210°C conventional). Remove the rested dough from the refrigerator and allow it to sit at room temperature for 10 minutes.

On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a rough circle approximately 30 cm in diameter and 4 mm thick. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Spread three-quarters of the cooled salted butter caramel over the dough, leaving a 3 cm border clear around the edge. Arrange the cooked apple slices over the caramel in overlapping concentric circles.

Fold the pastry border up and over the edge of the filling, pleating as you go to form a rustic rim. Mix the egg yolk with the milk and brush it generously over the folded border.

Bake for 28–32 minutes until the border is deeply golden and the pastry base sounds hollow when tapped on the underside.

Remove from the oven, drizzle the remaining caramel over the apples while both are still warm, and finish with a pinch of fleur de sel. Allow to rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.