Pumpkin Pie
Grandma's pumpkin pie filling recipe is a winner every time! With just the right amount of spice, this pie belongs on the Thanksgiving table every year!
Ingredients
Crust Ingredients
- 1 cup flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup shortening
- 3-4 Tablespoons cold milk
Filling Ingredients
- 3 eggs beaten slightly
- ½ cup sugar granulated
- ½ cup brown sugar packed
- 1 Tablespoon flour all-purpose
- ½ teaspoon salt iodized table salt
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin spice from The Spice House; (OR as Grandma's original recipe calls for: ½ teaspoon nutmeg, ½ teaspoon allspice, 1 teaspoon cinnamon)
- 1½ cups mashed pumpkin cooked or canned (I use a full 15 oz can)
- 1½ cups evaporated milk, heated
Instructions
Crust Preparation
- Combine the flour and salt.
- Cut the shortening into the flour mixture using a fork or a pastry cutter until the pieces are the size of peas.
- Add the cold milk one tablespoon at a time; stir gently until the dough starts to come together. Combine into a dough ball with hands. Be careful not to over-work the dough, as the gluten will become too developed and the crust will be tough instead of flaky.
- You may shape the dough into a disc, then wrap in plastic film and refrigerate for up to two days.
- When ready to shape the crust, roll out the dough into a 12-14" circular shape on a floured surface, depending on the depth of your pie dish.
- Transfer the dough to the pie plate by rolling it over the rolling pin and placing it on the edge of the pie dish, then unrolling the dough.
- Fold the outer edges of the dough under to make a nice thick edge, then shape as desired. We usually do a zig-zag crust for pumpkin pie. Set in a cool area while making the filling.If your pie dish is glass, don't refrigerate it. Putting cold glass directly into a hot oven can cause the glass to shatter.
Filling Preparation
- Move the oven rack to the lower 1/3 of the oven to promote a fully baked bottom crust. Preheat the oven to 425℉.
- Add the sugar, brown sugar, flour, salt, and spices to the beaten eggs and mix just until incorporated.
- Blend the pumpkin into the egg mixture. Add the milk and mix until combined.
- Pour the filling into the pastry-lined pan.
- Bake the pie in the lower 1/3 of the oven at 425℉ for 10 minutes, then turn the oven to 350℉ and continue baking for 50 minutes.
- Let cool before serving. Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
Notes
This pie crust recipe isn't the one Grandma uses, but just a basic pie crust recipe that I use for most pies. As with most recipes, each person adjusts it to fit their own approach. I've also added the suggestion to bake in the lower 1/3 of the oven.
I love the Pumpkin Spice from The Spice House. I usually buy the glass jar the first time I buy a particular spice from them. For refills, I buy the flatpacks that ship for free.
I like using a no-mess pie crust dough rolling bag. Mine is 14" in diameter. Here is a good option. It eliminates the mess of flour on the counter, and it helps me roll the dough into a good circle. It also allows me to transfer it to the pie dish easily by putting the dish on top of it face-down and then turning the whole thing over.
Two of the main things that can make a pumpkin pie crack are overbaking and cooling too quickly. The pie will continue baking with residual heat after you turn off the oven, so expect the center to still be wobbly at the end of the baking period. Allowing the pie to cool slowly inside the oven with the door cracked open can help it cool more slowly to prevent cracking. This can take four or more hours, but it is worth the wait - a fully cooled pie will slice nicer. Another common issue is a soggy crust. Bake in the lower 1/3 of the oven to promote a fully baked bottom crust. See this link from King Arthur Baking and this link from Epicurious for more info.
We always bake our pies a day or two before Thanksgiving to give plenty of time for the pies to cool, and to spread out the baking load over a few days.