Pumpkin Pie

This easy recipe for homemade pumpkin pie makes for the perfect winter night’s indulgence. One bite and you’ll be wondering why you’ve never made your own pumpkin pie at home. And then you’ll also realize how dangerously easy it is to make your own pumpkin pie.

Homemade Pie CrustPumpkin Pie recipe

Ingredients

  • 2 cups standard flour
  • 150g butter
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1 tbsp water

Method

  1. Sift the flour into a mixing bowl, and drop in the butter cut into small pieces
  2. Rub the butter into the flour with your fingertips until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
  3. Stir in the sugar followed by the egg yolks and the water if the mix seems too dry.
  4. Mix quickly to a stiff dough, using a round-bladed table knife, knead lightly until smooth then shape into a rectangular block, wrap well and chill for 1 hour before using.

Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients

  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 3 large eggs lightly beaten
  • 450ml pumpkin puree
  • 1 and 1/4 cups evaporated milk

Note: evaporated milk can easily be made at home. Take some regular milk (2.5 cups) and boil it down to get the quantity required for this recipe. The only real trick here is to make sure that you don’t burn the milk – it should be a little bit browned and have some warm caramel flavours. Use low to medium heat and stir frequently. If you have a dairy intolerance, evaporated milk can easily be substituted for soy or almond milk, however you will need to use just under a cup (around three quarters of the required quantity).

Method

To prepare the pie crust

  1. Preheat oven to 200°C
  2. Prepare the pie crust by rolling the dough out to 12-inches in diameter. Next, carefully transfer the dough to a 9-inch pie plate (make sure it’s at least 1 and 1/2 inches deep), gently fit it into the pie plate, trim any excess dough, and flute the edges. Line the pie dough with baking paper or foil, making sure to cover the bottom and fit it snuggly in the corners and up the sides, then fill with pie weights (dried beans or dry rice work well too).
  3. Bake the pie crust at 200°C for 12-15 minutes. Remove from the oven and remove the baking paper (or foil) and pie weights. Return the pie crust to the oven and bake for an additional 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

To prepare the filling

  1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, flour, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves until well combined. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, pumpkin puree and evaporated milk until well combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix together until fully combined.
  2. Pour the pumpkin pie filling into the partially baked pie crust. Return to the oven and bake at 200°C for 45-50 minutes, or until the center is almost set (it should be a little wobbly). Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack for 2-3 hours to cool completely. Cover tightly and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.