If you want to make the perfect pumpkin pie for your family and friends then this is the recipe that you should use. It is easy to follow and results in a wonderful dessert for any celebration.
Unsalted Butter (chilled and cubed) – 1 Cup/230g/16 Tablespoons
Water (cold) – 0.5 Cup/120ml (more as needed)
Pumpkin Pie
Pumpkin Puree – 2 Cups/450g/15oz
Eggs (large) – 3
Brown Sugar (light or dark) – 1.25 Cups/250g
Cornstarch – 1 Tablespoon/8g
Salt – 0.5 Teaspoon
Ground Cinnamon – 1.5 Teaspoon
Ground Ginger – 0.5 Teaspoon
Nutmeg (freshly grated or ground) – 0.25 Teaspoon
Ground Cloves – 0.12 Teaspoon
Ground Black Pepper – 0.12 Teaspoon
Heavy Cream – 1 Cup/240ml
Milk – 0.25 Cup/60ml
Egg wash – 1 large egg beaten with 1 Tablespoon of milk
Method
Sugared Cranberries
Add the water and one cup of sugar to a saucepan and bring it to the boil. Use a whisk to dissolve the sugar into the water. Take the pan off the heat and let it cool for 5 minutes.
In the meantime, place the cranberries in a large bowl. Pour the syrup mixture over the top. Cover the bowl with cling film and leave them in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours.
Drain the syrup from the cranberries. You will notice that it will have thickened. Toss the cranberries in the remaining cup of sugar, making sure that they are evenly coated.
Tip the sugared cranberries onto a tray lined with parchment paper. Leave them at room temperature or in the refrigerator for 2 hours. You can then use them as a decoration for your pie and eat the extras as a snack or in your porridge. They will last up to 3 days if stored in an airtight container in your refrigerator.
Pastry
Add the flour, sugar and salt into a large bowl. Mix the ingredients together, then add the cubed butter.
Mix the cubed butter into the dry ingredients. You can do this with your fingers (this is called rubbing), or you can put all of the ingredients in a food processor and blend them until the butter is mixed in. The mixture should be quite fine.
Gradually add the cold water to the mixture approximately 2 tablespoons or 30ml at a time. Mix the water in, then add some more. Do this until the ingredients come together to form large clumps that can be shaped into a ball. The dough should feel a little bit sticky, but not be too wet. You don’t have to use all of the water if you don’t need to, and you can add a little more if your dough feels too dry.
Lightly flour a clean, flat surface, and dust your hands in a little flour. Place the dough on the surface and use your hands to fold it over itself several times until the flour is incorporated. Form the dough into a ball and split it into four equal parts. Shape each part into a rough disc about 1 inch thick and wrap each disc in cling film.
Chill the discs of pastry in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before rolling it out. You can keep the dough in the refrigerator for up to 5 days before using it. Roll out the dough using a rolling pin, starting from the center and going outwards in all directions. Use equal pressure to ensure that the thickness of the pastry is consistent, and turn the dough with your hands after each roll. It will be easier if you dust the surface with flour before rolling out the dough, and you can also lightly flour your hands. This will prevent the pastry from sticking.
For this recipe, you need to roll the pastry out into a 12 inch wide disc. You should also roll out another disc and cut out some decorative shapes such as leaves to place on top of the pie.
Pumpkin Pie
Preheat the oven 375 degrees fahrenheit. In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, the eggs, and the brown sugar until they make a smooth mixture. Next, add the cornstarch, cinnamon, salt, ginger, nutmeg, pepper, cloves, cream and milk. You can use a hand whisk or an electric whisk, as long as you make sure that all of the ingredients are thoroughly mixed together.
Place your disc of rolled out pastry into a greased pie dish that is 9 inches wide. Guide the pastry up the sides of the dish gently with your fingers. Use a sharp knife to cut off any excess pastry from the rim of the dish, then crimp the edges of the pastry for decoration. You could also create flutes with your fingers if you prefer.
At this point you have the option to brush an egg wash over the pastry. This will give the pastry a nice shiny glaze, making it appear more appetizing. Place a piece of parchment paper over the pastry. Fill the dish with pastry weights or dried peas making sure that they are evenly distributed, then blind bake the pastry for 10 minutes.
Remove the pastry from the oven, then carefully take out the pastry weights and the parchment paper. Pour the pie filling into the warm pie crust about 3 quarters of the way up the pastry. You might have a little bit of pie filling left over, but it is important not to overfill the pie. You can use the extra filling to make a few mini pies with the pastry leftover from cutting out your decorative pieces.
To make pastry leaves or shapes to decorate the pie, cut out the shapes from the rolled out dough. Place them on a tray lined with parchment paper, then brush them with egg wash. Bake them in the oven for about 10 minutes until they are golden and cooked through.
Bake the pie in the oven for around 55 to 60 minutes in total. After the first 25 minutes of cooking, cover the pie with aluminum foil to prevent it from burning or turning too brown. Check the pie after 50 minutes, then every 5 minutes until it is done. The center of the pie should be almost set but not quite. If you gently shake the pie dish the filling should wobble a little.
When the pie is cooked, transfer it to a wire rack and let it cool. This will take up to 3 hours. Once the pie is cool you can decorate it with your pastry shapes and sugared cranberries, and serve it with whipped cream.
Summary
This is the best recipe for pumpkin pie that you will ever make. It has the perfect balance of flavors and the pastry is perfectly flaky. The sugared cranberries are a lovely way to finish off the pie.
There’s nothing better than sitting down after a long, stressful day with a good craft or hobby - right?
Hi, my name is Helena Forsite and I am a self-proclaimed crafter. I love everything to do with DIYs, baking, crafting, and more!
When I was younger, fresh out of college, I developed a pretty strong anxiety disorder. I found it difficult to go to work, socialize with friends, or even get out of the house at all.
