Spelt salted honey pie is a custard pie baked in a spelt crust, set with honey, browned butter, and a finishing sprinkle of flaky salt. The filling stays soft and just set, not runny, with a faint caramel edge from the browned butter.
The crust uses light spelt flour instead of all-purpose. It rolls out the same way but bakes slightly more golden and holds a nuttier flavor once it cools.
This pie needs a long cool-down before slicing. Skip that step and the filling runs instead of holding a clean cut.
It works well as a make-ahead dessert for a weekend table. Bake it a day ahead, chill it overnight, and let it come back toward room temperature before serving.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Spelt crust adds a nutty flavor without changing the method
- Browned butter gives the filling a caramel-like depth
- Bakes a day ahead and holds its slice in the fridge
- Only one bowl needed for the filling itself
Ingredient Notes
- Light spelt flour: Gives the crust a light color and a slightly nutty flavor. Whole spelt flour works too but makes the dough denser and a bit harder to roll thin.
- Honey: Use a mild honey like clover so the browned butter flavor still comes through. Dark honey like buckwheat will taste stronger and more bitter once baked.
- Heavy cream: Keeps the filling soft instead of dense. Half-and-half works in a pinch but the filling sets slightly firmer.
- Apple cider vinegar: Cuts the sweetness in the filling and keeps the dough tender in the crust. Lemon juice can replace it in the filling but skip it in the dough.
- Flaky sea salt: Added inside the filling and again on top after baking. This is what makes it a salted honey pie, not just a honey pie.
Homemade Spelt Salted Honey Pie with Browned Butter
Description
This version swaps standard flour for light spelt in the crust and folds browned butter into the honey filling for a deeper finish. The center bakes to a soft set, not a firm custard, so it holds a clean slice once fully cooled.
Ingredients
Spelt Crust
Salted Honey Filling
Instructions
Make the Spelt Crust
- Whisk the spelt flour, salt, and sugar in a bowl.
- Cut in the cold butter with a pastry cutter until the crumbs are pea-sized.
- Drizzle in the vinegar and ice water, tossing until the dough clumps together.
- Shape the dough into a disc, wrap it, and chill for 1 hour until firm.
- Roll the dough on a floured surface into a 12-inch circle and fit it into a 9-inch pie pan. Crimp the edges and chill for 30 minutes.
- Line the crust with parchment and pie weights. Blind bake at 190 C / 375 F for 15 minutes.
- Remove the weights and parchment, then bake 5 to 8 minutes more until the edges are light golden. Set aside while you make the filling.
Make the Salted Honey Filling
- Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat, swirling until it turns golden brown and smells nutty, about 4 to 5 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly.
- Whisk the honey, sugar, eggs, cream, spelt flour, vinegar, vanilla, and flaky salt together in a bowl until smooth.
- Whisk the browned butter into the filling until fully combined.
- Pour the filling into the warm baked crust.
- Bake at 175 C / 350 F for 35 minutes, until the edges are puffed and the center jiggles like set gelatin across a 2-inch spot, internal temp 175 F / 79 C.
- Cool the pie on a wire rack for 3 hours before slicing. Sprinkle with flaky salt just before serving.
Nutrition Facts
Servings 8
- Amount Per Serving
- Calories 460kcal
- % Daily Value *
- Total Fat 27g42%
- Saturated Fat 14g70%
- Cholesterol 95mg32%
- Sodium 380mg16%
- Potassium 90mg3%
- Total Carbohydrate 50g17%
- Dietary Fiber 1.5g6%
- Sugars 33g
- Protein 5g10%
- Vitamin A 450 IU
- Calcium 40 mg
- Iron 1.2 mg
- Vitamin D 20 IU
- Vitamin E 0.5 mg
- Vitamin K 1 mcg
- Thiamin 0.1 mg
- Riboflavin 0.1 mg
- Niacin 0.5 mg
- Vitamin B6 0.05 mg
- Folate 20 mcg
- Vitamin B12 0.2 mcg
- Phosphorus 80 mg
- Magnesium 15 mg
- Zinc 0.5 mg
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Note
Additional Notes
- Brown the butter just past golden and stop as soon as it smells nutty, not burnt.
- Blind bake the crust fully before adding filling or the bottom will stay pale and soft.
- Cool the pie a full 3 hours before slicing for the cleanest cuts.
- Cover crust edges with foil partway through if they brown too fast.
