This spicy apple galette with coffee glaze has a chai-spiced crust that’s rustic and fragrant. The apple filling is balanced with acidity, spice, and gentle sweetness. A smooth coffee glaze is literally the icing on top. Apple galettes are an easy and impressive-looking fall dessert I love to serve warm, topped with vanilla ice cream.
Best Apples For Spicy Apple Galette
Ok, this may seem biased because a) I’ve done past work with them, and b) they’re grown here in my home province of Nova Scotia, but I love SweeTango apples for baking this spicy apple galette.
A hybrid of Zestar and Honeycrisp apples, SweeTangos are crisp, sweet, and tangy. They don’t brown as soon as you peel them, and are great for snacking. That being said, they’re primarily available in the Maritime provinces of Canada, and Quebec. Other apples I like for baking apple galettes are Honeycrisp, Golden Delicious, Northern Spy, and Gala.
Making Pie Dough With Spelt Flour
If you have never made pie dough from scratch, don’t be afraid! The process of making basic pie crust is actually quite simple, and galettes are one of the easiest pie-style desserts out there. I love using whole wheat flour, spelt flour, and other whole grain flours in my baking whenever possible. Use spelt flour at a straight 1:1 substitute for all-purpose flour.
Homemade Chai Spice
In a season filled with pumpkin everything, I often find myself turning to homemade chai spice instead. It’s easy to make, and adds complexity and depth to this spicy apple galette recipe. I also use it to make chai-spiced rice krispie squares, toffee apple upside down cake, and chai-spiced biscuits for strawberry shortcake.
Traditional chai spice is made with black pepper, however, I prefer mine with white pepper and extra cardamom. If you like a blend with more ginger, check out Leanne’s recipe for vegan chai spice cake with orange cardamom frosting.
Chai-Spiced Spelt Pie Dough Step-By-Step
Some people use a food processor to make pie dough; I prefer using my stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Here is a breakdown of how to make chai-spiced spelt pie dough, step-by-step:
- Make a batch of homemade chai spice.
- Mix spelt flour, sugar, chai spice, and salt on low with the paddle attachment of a stand mixer.
- Add small pieces of cold butter until the paddle breaks them up into coarse, sandy bits.
- Pour one egg yolk into the flour mixture and let the paddle continue to mix for one minute.
- Add in ice water by the tablespoon until everything comes together as a smooth dough. You will know your pie dough is ready when it pulls away clean from the inside of the mixing bowl.
- Form your dough into a disc, wrap it in plastic wrap, and chill in the fridge for at least 45 minutes.
How To Make A Simple Powdered Sugar Glaze
I’ve made icing sugar glazes so many times, and the one thing I’ve learned is you must add your liquid in small increments. Adding liquid in small dribbles allows you to:
- Get your icing consistency accurate from the start. Some desserts require runny glaze, while others demand a thicker consistency. Adding liquid to your glaze by the teaspoon gives you full control from the start rather than trying to “fix” it after the fact with extra icing sugar or extra liquid.
- Test the flavour as you go. Adding liquid to icing glazes in small amounts allows you to quickly achieve, and maintain, the flavour you want.
Make This Spicy Apple Galette Vegan
It’s easy to make this recipe vegan. Simply:
- Substitute vegan butter for regular butter in the dough and the apple filling.
- Omit the egg yolk from the dough and add extra ice water as needed to form a smooth dough.
- Skip the brushed egg on the crust.
- Substitute plant-based milk in the coffee glaze.
Looking For More Apple Recipes? Try:
Overnight Crockpot Apple Butter
Spicy Apple Galette With Coffee Glaze
Ingredients
- 2 cups spelt flour
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar divided
- 2 teaspoons homemade chai spice
- 3/4 teaspoon salt divided
- 1/2 cup butter cold, cut into small pieces
- 1 egg yolk
- 3-4 tablespoons ice water
- 3-4 medium-large apples (around 1 lb) peeled, cored, cut into 1/8-inch slices
- 1/4 cup brown sugar packed
- 2 tablespoons butter melted
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar sifted
- 1/2 teaspoon instant espresso powder
- 2-3 teaspoons 35% heavy cream
- 1 egg lightly beaten
- Coarse sugar optional
Instructions
- Make The Chai-Spiced Spelt Pie Dough – Mix spelt flour, 1/4 cup sugar, chai spice, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt on low in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.
- Add cold butter to mixing bowl and continue to run mixer on low until the flour-butter mixture is coarse and sandy.
- Dribble in ice water, one tablespoon at a time, until the dough becomes smooth and pulls away cleanly from the bottom and sides of the mixing bowl. *If your dough seems like it's ALMOST together but not quite there, switch to dribbling in water by the TEASPOON until the dough becomes smooth*
- Remove dough from mixing bowl and shape with your hands into a flat disc. Wrap dough in plastic wrap, and chill in the fridge for at least 45 minutes.
- Make The Apple Filling – Toss apple slices, remaining 1/4 cup white sugar, brown sugar, melted butter, cornstarch, lemon juice, cinnamon, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt together in a large bowl. Set aside.
- Assemble The Spicy Apple Galette – Preheat oven to 350ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. *Use a round baking sheet or pizza pan if you have one*
- Remove dough from fridge and unwrap. Gently roll into a 14 to 16-inch circle shape, about 1/8-inch thick, with a rolling pin. If your rolled circle is uneven, simply trim some of the edges away to make it more uniform in shape. Transfer the rolled dough to the prepared parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Spread out the apple filling evenly around the middle section of the rolled out dough leaving a 2-inch border of dough around the outside edges. Gently fold the exposed pie crust border in towards the middle, and slightly over, the apple filling, all the way around the entire circle, leaving the apple slices in the centre exposed.
- Brush the outside edge of the pie crust with lightly beaten egg. Sprinkle with coarse sugar (optional) and bake one hour until the crust is golden brown. Remove galette from oven and set on rack.
- Make The Coffee Glaze – In a small bowl, mix together sifted icing sugar and instant espresso powder. Add 35% heavy cream by the teaspoon, mixing well in between each addition, until you have a consistency you like. Drizzle over warm or cooled galette, and serve with ice cream.
Ok, firstly, as always I’m jealous of your photography skills! Secondly, I’m jealous you got to make and eat this galette.! It sounds so yummy, now I just need to find a suitable apple over here. My family would devour this!
Ha, thanks Matt! It’s so weird for me to now think of myself as a “food blogger” when I spent years insisting, “No, I’m a food photographer”. I’m envious of your blogging skills! The galette was delish, but keep in mind the coffee glaze can keep little ones awake. lol
I love an apple galette, and you have really made it special with the chai spice (yum) and that coffee glaze. Delicious.
I am loving everything about this galette, from the chai-spiced crust to the coffee glaze. Talk about an upgrade from the usual apple pie! SweeTangos occasionally pop up here in Ontario…. if I can manage to track some down, I am totally going to celebrate my victory with one of these galettes. 🙂
Ooooh this looks incredible – my tummy actually grumbled as soon as I looked at it. And I am just loving that coffee glaze! Can’t wait to try my hand at spelt dough 🙂