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A galette is shaped on a sheet pan; a tart uses a pan to support its sides. Both need pastry that stays cool during handling and a filling that does not overwhelm the base with liquid. Their preparation overlaps, but their baking sequence may differ: a galette usually bakes fully assembled, while a tart shell may need baking before it is filled.

Choose the format before making dough

Use a galette for a shallow layer of sliced apples, pears, or other fruit that can cook while the crust browns. The folded border contains the filling, but it is not a watertight bowl. Deep piles of juicy fruit are difficult to bake evenly in this format.

Choose a tart pan when you need defined sides, neat portions, or a separately prepared filling. A custard tart, a fresh-fruit tart with pastry cream, and a baked apple tart need different shell treatments. Follow the filling recipe rather than assuming every tart should enter the oven fully assembled.

For either shape, begin with a pastry recipe sized for the intended diameter. Stretching a small dough portion to cover a larger pan produces thin spots that leak or overbrown.

Get the pastry ready for its filling

Make and rest the dough according to its recipe, then roll it to an even thickness. Keep it cool but flexible enough to bend without cracking. A flaky pie-style dough suits many galettes; a sweet, crumbly tart dough may be designed to press into a pan rather than fold around fruit.

Transfer a galette round to parchment on a rimmed sheet pan before adding anything heavy. Ease tart dough into its pan without stretching the corners, then chill as directed. Prepare the fruit while the pastry rests so neither waits unnecessarily once assembly starts.

Prepare fruit before assembly

Cut fruit into pieces that can soften during the crust's baking time. Thin, even apple slices cook more predictably than a mixture of thick wedges and tiny chips. Pat washed berries dry before using them.

Combine fruit with the recipe's sugar and thickener close to assembly time. Sugar draws out juice as fruit stands. If your recipe intentionally macerates and drains the fruit, follow that step; otherwise, avoid leaving a sugary bowl waiting while you roll the dough.

Use the specified thickener amount for that fruit and quantity. Extra cornstarch can make a filling pasty, while too little may leave a pool beneath the crust. Frozen fruit also requires a recipe-specific approach rather than an automatic fresh-fruit swap.

Build a shallow, secure galette

Leave roughly a 2-inch border around a galette's filling, then fold it inward in overlapping sections. Press cracks closed without crushing the folds. Apply egg wash only where directed and avoid puddles on the parchment.

Arrange sliced fruit in a shallow, even layer rather than a mound. Leave the central filling exposed and avoid thick stacks of pastry at the pleats; those stacks may remain doughy after the exposed edges brown. Brush loose flour from surfaces that need to stick together.

If the filling quantity leaves no room for a border, set some aside rather than stretching the pastry. A cracked fold near the base is an escape route for juice, so patch it before baking. Use the sheet pan's rim to contain incidental leaks, not to compensate for an overfilled galette.

Match tart assembly to the filling

A fruit tart that bakes with its filling may call for a raw or partially baked shell. Follow that sequence: a fully browned shell can overbake while raw apple slices soften. Keep the filling below the pastry rim so bubbling juices do not spill between the crust and pan.

A fresh-fruit tart with pastry cream needs a fully baked, cooled shell. Keep prepared pastry cream refrigerated until assembly, then add it and the fruit to the cooled shell close to serving. Do not leave the cream on the counter while waiting for pastry to cool. A recipe may include a thin chocolate barrier or glaze; these are filling-specific steps, not requirements for every tart.

When blind baking is required, use the recipe's liner, weights, and timing instructions. Set a removable-bottom tart pan on a sheet pan before moving it. Lifting underneath its loose base can push the shell out unexpectedly.

Finish without sacrificing the bottom

For galettes and tarts baked with fruit, bake until the pastry is well colored and the fruit is tender. A starch-thickened fruit filling should bubble in the center, not merely at one edge. Shield a darkening border if the middle needs longer. Let the finished bake cool enough for its juices to settle before cutting; refrigerate custard or pastry-cream versions promptly. FDA's egg-safety guidance applies to these perishable fillings; a crisp shell does not make them suitable for room-temperature storage.

For a cooled galette, slide a wide spatula underneath before transferring it from the parchment. Release a tart's outer ring only when the shell is firm enough to support itself, and keep its base supported while serving. Neat slices depend on a settled filling and a baked bottom more than a perfectly decorative edge.