This is it: the mother of all fall/winter desserts, the queen of the table at any self-respecting Thanksgiving…the pumpkin pie. For the ultimate flex, make your pumpkin pie completely from scratch.
This pie grew alongside the tradition of Thanksgiving, and by the 1700s had cemented its place in American food. Even better, the pumpkin pie was the dessert of choice for many abolitionists, and even became a sort of symbol of the culture of the movement (Abraham Lincoln was the president who made Thanksgiving a national holiday, after all).
Tips for Making Pumpkin Pie
Make no bones about it – a pumpkin pie completely from scratch constitutes a considerable undertaking. Pureeing the pumpkin, chilling the crust, baking the filling, and whipping up fresh cream all take time. In addition, you can learn to feel the rhythm of pie making, but you cannot refute certain scientific baking principles.
Time Management
Though making a pumpkin pie from scratch takes time, if you break it into its composite steps, you can easily fit it around a Thanksgiving meal. Pumpkin purée can be refrigerated for up to two weeks. Pie crust can be chilled in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours. A baked pie can be refrigerated for up to a week, and stored at room temperature for 2 days without sacrificing freshness. Only fresh whipped cream must be made right before consuming. Luckily, if you have a stand mixer, you can set the cream to whip while you prepare your group for pie consumption.
Suggested schedule for making a pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving:
- Monday: Gather your ingredients.
- Tuesday: Roast and purée your pie pumpkin. Make the pie crust and put it in the fridge to chill.
- Wednesday: Make the pie filling and bake the pie. Store at room temperature, covered.
- Thursday (Thanksgiving): Whip your cream just before serving.
Tips for Making Crust
I think a light, flaky crust pairs best with the thick custard filling of the pie so I recommend an all-butter crust brushed with a milk wash. The milk wash will give the pie a polished look while also keeping it from browning too fast in the oven. If you like a slightly softer crust, replace 2 tablespoons of the butter with vegetable shortening.
However you choose to make the crust, one principle stands above all: everything should be cold. As a hands-on baker, I prefer blending the crust by hand. Grating frozen butter into the flour ensures the butter stays nice and cold during the mixing process. However, many people prefer to combine the ingredients step by step in a food processor before kneading and rolling by hand.
In addition to the temperature, take care not to overmix the dough at any stage. As you mix and knead dough, the gluten protein in the flour gets stronger and stronger. While that’s not a problem for a robust, chewy bread, for a crunchy, delicate pie crust, keep a light touch.
Tips for Making Whipped Cream
Fresh, fluffy, sweet whipped cream is one of life’s great joys. It’s shockingly easy to make, especially with a stand mixer. Unlike finicky meringues, whipped cream only must be whipped to the consistency you like. Feel free to stop your mixer to test the texture as you go and get a feel for how quickly it whips. Like the crust, you must not overmix! Once your whipped cream turns grainy and starts to separate you have to start over with fresh liquid cream. That diddle can’t be undid.
Pumpkin Pie from Scratch Recipe
Pumpkin Pie from Scratch
Equipment
- 3 large mixing bowls
- 1 Small mixing bowl
- Rolling Pin
- Cheese Grater
- Rolling mat (optional)
- Measuring cups & spoons
- 2 rubber spatula
- whisk
- Pastry brush
- electric mixer (optional, but helpful)
Ingredients
For the Crust
- 2 ½ c flour preferably cold
- 1 c butter frozen
- ½ c water or vodka very cold
- 1 tsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp salt
For the Filling
- 2 c fresh pumpkin purée
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ c whole milk
- 4 egg yolks
- ⅔ c lightly packed dark brown sugar
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 ¼ tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp 1/2 tsp allspice
- ½ tsp 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- ¼ tsp 1/4 tsp cloves
- 2 tbsp 2 Tbs heavy cream cream
For the Whipped Cream
- 1 quart heavy whipping cream
- 3 tbsp confectioner’s (powdered) sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla extract (optional)
Instructions
For the Crust
- For time management, you can make this crust a day before.
- Wash your hands. Making pastry is a very hands-on experience.
- Whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt into a large mixing bowl.
- Using the side of a cheese grater with larger holes, grate the frozen butter into the flour. Use the wrapper of the butter or a piece of parchment paper to hold it, both to protect your skin from being grated and also to keep the butter from melting in your hands.
- Stir frequently to keep the butter from clumping. Do not overmix the butter; it should be about the consistency of oatmeal flakes.
- Once the butter is fully incorporated, shape the mix into a loose dome in the center of the bowl. Begin dribbling the water or vodka along the side, and mix into the flour and butter using your hand like a scoop to keep it together. Mix in one direction. Do this until the dough has just begun to come together.
- Prepare a lightly floured surface. Scoop up the loose pastry, and transfer to the flour surface. Using the heel of your hand (not your palm), smear one side of the dough away from you about 6 inches. Scoop it back together, rotate a quarter turn, and do the same to the next side of the dough. Do this until the dough just resembles a fully formed crust (about 5 or 6 times). This technique is called “fraisage” and it’s the final step to fully blending your pastry. Tip: don’t overly blend your pastry! The butter will keep the crust together well, and too much kneading at this stage will activate the gluten in the flour too much and make the dough tough.
- Once your pastry is blended, knead it gently into a smooth ball and cover it with an airtight wrap. Let it rest in the fridge for at least 12 hours. If you’re in a time crunch: put it in the freezer for 2 hours. However, you will need to beat the dough into submission to make it pliable enough to handle when it comes out of the freezer.
- After your crust has chilled, sprinkle flour over a squeaky-clean counter or rolling mat.
- Begin rolling out your dough by rolling the pin into the pastry away from you, then lifting your dough, turning it 90 degrees and repeating. Sprinkle flour as needed to keep the dough from sticking. Roll the dough out this way until it’s about 1/8 inch thick and generally circular. The high butter content makes this dough very springy, so it may snap back into place several times.
- Transfer the dough onto a 9 inch pie tin or plate and gently press on it to form it to the bottom. Use sharp kitchen scissors to cut off the excess crust around the edge, and decorate the edges to your liking.
- Put the crust in its pie plate back in the fridge to stay chilled while you prepare the custard portion of the pie.
For the Custard/Pie Filling
- Preheat your oven to 375℉.
- In a large mixing bowl,
- Beat together all ingredients except the spices, salt, and heavy cream with an electric mixer, whisk, or rotary beater until smooth and fully combined.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the spices and salt.
- Add the spice mixture to the filling, and mix in completely.
- Pour the mixture into your prepared pie shell.
- Brush the crust lightly with the whole milk or cream. To protect the crust even more, wrap a sheet of aluminum foil or a crust protector around the crust only (not the filling).
- Bake for 50-55 minutes, until the outer 4 inches is set and no longer jiggly (the middle of the pie should continue to set as it cools).
- Set aside to cool while you make the whipped cream.
For the Whipped Cream
- Put you mixing bowl in the freezer so it's nice and cold.
- Beat the cream, sugar, and vanilla in a cold mixing bowl on medium speed until it forms your desired consistency.Tip: Keep an eye on your cream. If it starts to curdle or separate, you've over-mixed and you'll need to start over.
- Plop onto your cooled pumpkin pie in Leslie Knope-esque proportions.
Nutrition
And there you have it! Start to finish, the full steps for a pumpkin pie. If reading this made you want to run to Kroger for a bakery pie and some cool whip, I don’t blame you. However, if you like quiet, grounding hours in the kitchen, then a pumpkin pie from scratch is a worthwhile endeavor.
Did you make this recipe? Drop your feedback!
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