Nothing says Holidays like a good ole slice of pumpkin pie! Right? It’s a Fall come true dream…From the crisp and flaky texture of the pie crust to the creamy and exquisite filling. Who’s ready to make a pie not one way, but two?
Print RecipePie Crust 101
Alright guys we have been around since 2019 and thought long and hard about introducing pie crust into our arena. Like it’s a process that creates some time, love, and dedication. And after much much much trial and error, we nailed it!
To start off today’s class we will say patience is power.
Few tips for Pie Crust Success
- Make the pie dough and pie filling ahead of time. It’ll make the process much easier when it is actually pie time!
- Use cold butter, like kept in the freezer for like a minimum of 30 minutes kinda cold. Also, break down the butter into small pieces, this trick will allow the flaky layers to occur within the pie crust.
- Vodka is the secret weapon. It helps limit the gluten development (which will prevent the dough from becoming shortcake/biscuit like). If you’re not a fan of alcohol, which by the way you cannot taste. Feel free to substitute it with apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, or distilled vinegar.
- Chill the pie crust before baking.
- Be sure to par-bake the pie crust. Partially baking the pie crust before adding the pie filling or other custard like fillings will prevent the bottom of the pie crust from becoming complete mush. When par-baking we highly recommend the use of pie weights. During our experimentation we found that using beans and rice was not successful.
- Cool it down (cue music). Similar to cheesecake the pumpkin pie will have a slight jiggle in the center. So either remove the pie from the pan or turn off the oven and leave the door open. Either way allow the pie to cool down!
Pumpkin Pie or Brûléed Pumpkin Pie?
Okay on to the second best thing…the filling! But real quick, I thought we could talk about sweet potato pie and pumpkin pie.
Some individuals have only experienced one of these pies. To be honest besides the main ingredient being either pumpkin or potato, both of these pies could easily resemble one another. With that being said, if you’re not a huge fan of pumpkin pie, simply replace it with sweet potatoes. Although, by switching out the main ingredient, more steps will be required for the sweet potatoes i.e., peeling, cooking, and straining. Just saying..
The filling for this pie is pretty basic and straight forward, thanks to help of Libby’s Pumpkin Puree. Now the real question of the day is do you want regular pumpkin pie or brûléed?
Pumpkin pie is a true classic! And we only suggest turning up the heat and making a sugared layer topping if you’re tired of the same ole thing.
Interested in more recipes? Check out the links below:
- Rainbow Layered Cake
- Chocolate Pound Cake
- Apple Cider Bundt Cake
- Pumpkin Spice Latte Waffles
- Vegan Pumpkin Soup
Pumpkin Pie
Equipment
- Cheese grater
- 9 inch pie pan
- Kitchen torch
Ingredients
Pie Crust
- ½ cup Unsalted butter chilled
- 1½ cup All purpose flour
- ¼ tsp Sea salt
- 1 tbsp. Vodka chilled
- 1½ tbsp. Granulated sugar
- 4 tbsp. Ice cold water add more if needed
Pie Filling
- 3 Whole eggs room temperature and beaten
- ⅓ cup Granulated sugar
- ½ cup Dark brown sugar
- ¼ cup Unsalted butter melted
- ½ tsp Kosher salt
- 2 tsp Vanilla extract
- 15 oz. Pumpkin puree (1 can)
- 1¼ cup Heavy cream or Condensed milk
- 1 tsp Vanilla bean paste
- 2 tsp Ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp Ground ginger
- ½ tsp Ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp Ground cloves
- 1 tsp. Pumpkin pie spice extract optional
Instructions
For Pie Dough:
- Place the unsalted butter and all purpose flour in the freezer for a minimum of 30 minutes.
- Add the one tablespoon of chilled vodka into the ice cold water. Stir well.
- In a large bowl whisk together sugar, salt, and all purpose flour.
- Using a cheese grater shred the unsalted butter into the flour mixture. Work it in roughly with your fingers, but don't try to be too thorough. The mixture should appear uneven with a sand-like texture.
- Add 3 tablespoons of ice cold water/vodka and toss to combine.
- Toss additional water if necessary to make a chunky mixture. The pie dough will not easily hold together if squeezed (may appear a bite dry).
- Transfer the dough into plastic wrap. Wrap up the pie dough and create a 1" thick disk. Refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours or overnight.
Filling & Assembly
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pie dough into a 12" circle. Transfer to the pie pan and gently press the dough to fit. Prick the bottom of the dough with a fork. Trim off 1" of any excess pie crust around the edges of the pan. Tuck overhang under the dough and design the crust as desired.
- Freeze the pie dough 10 to 15 minutes. Line the pan with parchment paper and fill with pie weights. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until pie crust appears pale brown. Remove the parchment paper and weights.
- Reduce the heat to 325 degrees F.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, beaten eggs, sugar, salt, vanilla extract, heavy cream, vanilla bean paste, pumpkin pie spice extract, ground cloves, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, and ground nutmeg until smooth.
- Pour the pumpkin filling into par-baked pie crust. Baking until the filling appears slightly jiggly in the center approximately 50-60 minutes.
- Transfer the pie dish to a cooling rack. Let the pie cool. Enjoy!
- Optional: Right before serving, sprinkle the pie with 1-2 tbsp. of granulated sugar. Using a kitchen torch, brûlée until the sugar melts and appears dark brown. Enjoy!