Pumpkin pie stands as a quintessentially American fall dish. When my thoughts turn to fall, pumpkin pie is right near the top of the list. Even more so when I think of thanksgiving because it is the closest holiday to the pumpkin harvest where people gather together in large groups. Whenever Thanksgiving comes around, I need pumpkin pie. Maybe with some ice cream. Or whipped cream.
A Brief History:
Historically, pumpkins were introduced to Europeans during their initial visits to America and were promptly transported back to England. The sweet, irresistible flavor of this squash variety compelled it to be shared across the Atlantic.
People tend to think that all pumpkins can be used to make pumpkin pie. This is not true for a traditional sweet pie. You need those smaller ones that are about eight inches wide at most. Beyond that they start to lose their sweetness. Many grocery stores will sell these pumpkins separate with a sticker on them saying “pie pumpkins”. Those are obviously the ones to get for your pies if you are choosing to make them utterly from scratch.
Recipe Notes:
However, the recipe I have below is not made from fresh pumpkins. It is made from canned pumpkin. I know, that’s not the way I normally cook. I am normally very against using things from a can, but there are a few exceptions. Pumpkin from a can is good. It just is and that’s okay.
Out of all of the many options available today, I go with a classic. Libby’s canned pumpkin. Classics are classic for a reason. They are tested many times over and always work. Also it tastes great. Multiple test kitchens have done side by side tests of different canned pumpkin brands. Try these links to Bon Appetit, Americas Test Kitchen, and Milk Street.
The spice:
So, every great pumpkin pie needs a great pumpkin spice blend. I call mine a fall spice because I use it for both pumpkins and apples. But you can also use a premade spice mix. They’re everywhere. A classic favorite is the one made by McCormick. But I highly suggest making your own. It’s SUPER easy and you’ll feel better when you make your own. It’s just another accomplishment and skill to add to your growing arsenal of cooking knowledge.
The crust:
Also, every great classic pie needs a great classic crust. This pie uses a simple butter crust. It’s a very easy crust to make and can be used for almost any other pie you would like to make. It can also be played with to make for a nice savory hand pie by replacing the flour with bread flour and swapping the butter out for shortening or lard. Never said it was healthy by the way. Just delicious.
Pumpkin Pie Recipe:
For the crust:
So, we start with the butter crust. First preheat your oven to 400°f. Grab a medium sized metal bowl and add your flour, salt, and sugar to it and using a fork mix the ingredients together.
Now remove your butter from the fridge and cut it into small cubes. It really does not have to be done neatly or precise, just make small pieces. Add the butter to the flour mixture and using your hands, start to crumble the butter into the mixture.
Continue to smush the butter into the flour until it resembles a bunch of tiny pebbles in flour. Take your very cold water and pour half into the mixture. Start working the dough with your hands until all of the water has disappeared into the dough. Add the rest of your water and continue to mix until you are left with a nice dough ball. You can use the dough ball to clean your hands and the bowl of excess dough bits.
Cool that dough:
Next wrap your dough ball in plastic wrap or parchment paper and let it cool in the fridge for 10 minutes.
After the ten minutes has passed, lightly flour a work surface and place your dough ball onto it. Using a lightly floured rolling pin, slowly work your dough out to a large circle that is about 1/4 inch thick and 12 inches in diameter. When that is done, place your rolling pin at the edge of the circle and roll up your dough around it. This makes it so much easier for transfer.
Grab a 9 inch pie dish and unroll your dough over it so that it is centered. You can lift the edges once it is on the dish to make tucking the dough into the dish easier.
To make for a nicer crust at the edges, we need to tuck the excess dough that hangs over the edges under itself to make a higher crust. Now you can crimp the edges to make them look fancy or old fashioned, or you can just press them with a fork. Honestly this just does down to preference.
If you have pie weights, that’s great. If you do not, like me, you can just get some dried beans. What we are doing with these is weighing down the center so that it does not bubble up during the pre baking. So place some parchment paper in the middle of your dish over the dough and weigh down that center however you want.
Now place the dish into your oven and bake for 15 minutes or until the dough has just browned slightly.
Starting the pumpkin pie filling:
While we we wait for the crust to bake, we will get our filling together. Get a medium sized bowl and place your brown sugar, salt, and pumpkin spice into it. Only pack the brown sugar when measuring in a measuring cup. Whisk the ingredients together.
Next add your can of pumpkin purée. Whisk until fully combined then add your condensed milk and repeat. Crack your room temperature eggs into the bowl and whisk them until you now have what looks and smells like pumpkin pie soup.
We need to now be checking on our pie crust if our timer hasn’t already gone off. Once you see a bit of browning, remove it from the oven and let it cool.
Once the crust is out, place a pot with about 2 inches of water on the stove and bring it up to a boil. As soon as the water is boiling, place your metal bowl of pie filling on the top of it and start whisking.
Pumpkin pie is a custard:
Pumpkin pie is a custard so we are now tempering it over boiling water to slowly cook and thicken the filling so that when it comes time to bake, it all comes out perfectly cooked. constantly whisk the filling for 5 minutes or until twice as thick over the heat making sure to scrape the sides of the bowl as you go so there are no cooked clumps.
Once done, remove from the heat and turn the water off.
Now remove the weights from your pie. We are now going to make an egg wash by taking one egg and a tablespoon of water and mixing them together in a small bowl. Using a brush or paper towel, lightly brush the pie crust until it is just lightly glazed with the wash. There will be egg wash left over. You could always put it in the fridge and use it in some eggs in the morning.
Put it together:
Finally we are combining it all. Dump your pie filling into your crust and tap the sides of the dish to make sure there are no bubbles. Make sure to scrape out all of that filling with a rubber/silicone spatula. Once you have made sure there are no bubbles, put that pie in the oven!
Bake at the same temperature as the crust at 400°f for 20 minutes or until it is just browning on top. If the crust starts to brown a bit too much, take some aluminum foil and cover it all around the edges to prevent more browning.
Once the 20 minutes is up, remove your pie and place somewhere to cool off. To make sure that your pie is done cooking, tap the sides of the dish. It should jiggle slightly at the center. If it wiggles instead of jiggles, place it back in the oven for another 5 to 10 minutes.
Once your pie is cooled, enjoy it!
Fall Flavors in Every Bite: The Ultimate Pumpkin Pie
Equipment
- Hands
- Pastry Brush or paper towel
- Aluminum foil (if needed to protect the crust from over-browning)
- Pie weights (for pre-baking the crust)
Ingredients
For the Butter Crust:
- 1 1/4 cups All-purpose flour (230g)
- 1/2 teaspoon salS
- 1 tablespoon Granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup Unsalted Butter, cold, cut into small cubes must be cold
- 1/4 cup Water, ice-cold
For the Filling:
For the Egg Wash:
- 1 large Egg
- 1 tablespoon Water
Instructions
Prepare the Butter Crust:
- Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C).
- In a medium-sized metal bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, salt, and granulated sugar using a fork.
- Add the cold, cubed butter to the flour mixture and use your hands to crumble the butter into the mixture until it resembles tiny pebbles.
- Pour half of the ice-cold water into the mixture and start working the dough with your hands until all the water is absorbed. Add the rest of the water and continue mixing until a dough ball forms. Use the dough to clean your hands and the bowl.
- Wrap the dough ball in plastic wrap or parchment paper and refrigerate for 10 minutes.
Roll Out the Crust:
- After the chilling period, lightly flour a work surface and place the dough ball on it.
- Using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll out the dough into a large circle about 1/4 inch thick and 12 inches in diameter.
- Roll the dough around the rolling pin for easier transfer.
- Unroll the dough into a 9-inch pie dish, centering it. Lift the edges to tuck the dough into the dish.
- Tuck the excess dough hanging over the edges under itself to create a higher crust. You can crimp the edges or press them with a fork according to your preference.
Pre-bake the Crust:
- Line the crust with parchment paper and fill the center with pie weights or dried beans to prevent bubbling.
- Place the pie dish in the preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes or until the crust lightly browns.
Prepare the Filling:
- In a medium-sized bowl, combine the packed brown sugar, salt, and pumpkin spice.
- Add the canned pumpkin puree and whisk until fully combined.
- Pour in the sweetened condensed milk and whisk to incorporate.
- Crack the room-temperature eggs into the mixture and whisk until the filling resembles pumpkin pie soup.
Temper the Filling:
- Fill a pot with about 2 inches of water and bring it to a boil.
- Place the metal bowl with the pie filling on top of the boiling water, whisking constantly.
- Continue whisking for about 5 minutes or until the filling thickens (about twice as thick) and there are no clumps.
Assemble and Bake:
- Remove the pre-baked pie crust from the oven and let it cool.
- Remove the weights from the pie crust.
- In a small bowl, prepare an egg wash by mixing one egg and a tablespoon of water.
- Lightly brush the egg wash over the pie crust until it's lightly glazed.
- Pour the prepared pie filling into the crust and tap the sides of the dish to remove air bubbles.
- Bake in the preheated oven at 400°F for 20 minutes or until the pie is lightly browned on top. If the crust starts to brown too much, cover the edges with aluminum foil.
- To check if the pie is done, tap the sides of the dish; it should jiggle slightly at the center. If it wiggles instead of jiggles, return it to the oven for another 5 to 10 minutes.
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One response to “The Ultimate Pumpkin Pie: Fall Flavors in Every Bite”
[…] like to call it fall spice because I use it in so many things. Sure it shows up in my pumpkin pie. But it is also in my apple scones as well as many other sweet treats or savory things that I like […]