Silky smooth, rich and light. Pumpkin pie is one of those classic pie recipes, that when made right, is just a pure delight. In this recipe, Ill show you how to make the crust and pumpkin pie and show you just how easy it is to make, plus all the tips and tricks to make sure it comes out perfect!Butter Pie Crust340g - 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour1 tbsp sugar1 tsp cinnamon1 tsp sea salt225g - 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled and diced60ml - 1/4 cup iced water1 tbsp apple cider vinegar or vodkaPumpkin Pie Filling425g - 15oz canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mixture)3 large eggs1 tbsp corn starch1 tsp ground cinnamon1/2 tsp ground ginger1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg1/2 tsp salt1/2 cup brown sugar1/4 cup white sugar1 tsp vanilla extract354ml - 1 1/3 cup / 12oz evaporated milkButter Pie CrustBegin by adding the flour, sugar, cinnamon and salt to the bowl of a food processor. Blitz about 5 times to combine the ingredients. You can make this butter pie crust recipe by hand. Ive left instructions in the notes. Once the dry ingredients are combined, take your well chilled butter out of the fridge and add to the food processor. Blitz 20 times. You will end up with small lentil sized pieces of butter.Combine the water and vodka or vinegar together and use a teaspoon to mix together until well combined. Pour the chilled water mixture into the food processor while blitzing and blitz another 5-6 times until small clumps dough form.Pour the mixture out onto a clean workbench and use the palm of your hand to bring together to form a disc. This recipe will make enough dough for two 9-inch pie crust or one 9-inch pie crust with a lid on top. Cut the dough into two pieces and form into smaller discs. Then cover both with plastic wrap and set aside in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes. Rolling out your doughPreheat your oven to 160C / 325F. Once your dough has rested in the fridge for 30 minutes, take it out of the fridge and unwrap it. Allow it to rest at room temperature for 5 minutes. Sprinkle a little flour on your work bench and your rolling pin and roll the dough out. Continue flipping the dough over and around as you roll it out to ensure its all once even thickness. You want to roll it to about a 1/4-inch thickness and 12 inches in diameter.Sprinkle your rolling pin with a little flour and carefully drape the pastry dough over it to help you transfer it over your pie or pie dish.Carefully lift the edges and allow them to naturally fall into the edge and bottom of your tin. Do not stretch the dough to the bottom, it will cause your pie crust to shrink as it bakes. Cut off or fold the excess pie dough at the top leaving just a little bit of excess to go above the height of your pie dish. There are lots of different ways to finish off the top of your pie dish. You could create a crinkle effect using a fork or you could your thumb on one hand and your forefinger and thumb on your other to pinch into each other as you go around the top of the pie shell. You want to chill your pie for 30 minutes in the fridge before baking.Blind baking your pieWere going to be blind baking this pie in order to prevent the wet pumpkin mixture from making the pie shell soggy. In order to prevent your pie crust from bubbling up and causing an uneven bottom while baking you need to blind bake your pie crust first. This involves adding weights in the pie crust and baking it for a little bit before baking it without. Place some baking paper on the inside of your pie crust. Fill it with baking beads or dried beans like red beans or chickpeas. Bake for 30 minutes. Take the pie crust out of the oven and carefully lift the baking paper filled with the pie beads out of the pie dish. Place them in a large bowl to cool completely before your store them away. Prick the bottom of your pie using a fork ,that will help prevent your pie crust from bubbling up as it bakes, and place back in the oven for 15 minutes until golden.To help seal the pie crust and prevent it from going soggy when you add your pumpkin mixture, Use a pastry brush to brush with egg white. Allow to cool completely at room temperature.Pumpkin Pie FillingAdd the pumpkin puree into a large mixing bowl, along with the eggs, vanilla extract, corn starch, salt, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and the sugars. Use a whisk to combine. Take care not to over-mix your mixture otherwise your pumpkin pie filling can crack as it cools. Pour the evaporated milk into the pumpkin mixture whisking as you do so until the mixture is evenly mixed.Pour it into your room temperature pie crust and place on a baking tray to bake for 50-55 minutes. Carefully take out of the oven and allow to cool at room temperature. Do not place in the fridge to cool as it will cause your pumpkin pie to crack.Slice up and serve with freshly whipped cream!
