Pro Tips!
- Room temperature ingredients. To ensure the eggs cook properly make sure all of the ingredients are at room temperature.
- Par-bake the pie crust. I recommend you par-bake your homemade pie crust for a crisp and flaky shell. No soggy bottom!
- Pie Sheild. I recommend adding a pie shield to the crust around 20-25 minutes into the baking. If the crust has some brown coloring prior to baking the filling, you can loosely tent some tin foil over those areas.
- Weigh all of your ingredients! I can't stress this enough, but make sure to weigh all of your ingredients on a food scale for complete accuracy.
- Avoid pie cracks. Bake the pie on the bottom rack at a low temperature of 325°F. Once the pie is fully baked, turn off the oven and crack the door. Let the pie sit in the oven for 30 minutes, and then transfer the pie to a wire rack to continue cooling for 2 hours. This will allow the pie to come to room temperature slowly, avoiding any cracks in the custard.
- Bake the pie on a baking sheet. To easily pull the pie in and out of the oven, bake both the crust and pie with filling on a baking sheet.
- Bake on the bottom rack. This will help the pie and pie crust to be baked more evenly and the filling will be less likely to crack.
- Clump-free coconut milk. It is normal for coconut milk to separate, and for the the cream to clump which affects the filling. To avoid this, shake the can vigorously before opening, then pour the can over a mesh strainer into a bowl, to help strain any coconut clumps. Additionally, make sure to measure the amount on a food scale for an accurate amount.
- Don't forget to lower the temperature! The pie crust is par-baked at 425°F but the the custard is baked at 325°F. Don't forget to lower the oven temperature prior to baking the filling.
- How do I know when my pumpkin pie is done baking? A fully baked pumpkin pie will have slightly puffed edges and the center should jiggle just slightly, similar to Jell-O if you nudge the pan. The internal temperature of the pumpkin pie should be at least 180°F at its coolest point.
Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free Pie Crust
The original recipe was published with a dairy-free crust recipe made in a food processor, that I would like to keep available for those who need a dairy-free option. Below you will find the full recipe and instructions.
Ingredients
-
- 1 ¼ cup (170 grams) gluten-free flour, (Bob Mills 1 to 1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar, or (coconut sugar, to keep refined sugar-free)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 8 tablespoons (113 grams) of dairy-free butter, (Earth Balance sticks)
- 1 large egg
- 1-2 tablespoons ice cold water, (15-30 grams) if the dough is too dry
Instructions
1. Chill the butter. Cube the butter, and place the cubes onto a small plate, in the freezer for 15 minutes.
2. Mix the dry ingredients. To a food processor add the gluten-free flour, sugar, and salt. Pulse or whisk together a few times to blend the mix.
3. Add the cold butter. Add the cubed butter to the flour mixture and toss to coat. Pulse a few times until you get chunks no bigger than the size of walnut halves. This will create flaky layers. You want the butter chunks no bigger than the size of walnuts. Anything larger you can quickly break apart with your hands but make sure to not handle the butter too much. Every piece of butter should be coated in flour.
4. Add the egg. Add the cold egg and pulse again until combined. The dough should start to hold together if you smash it together with your fingers. If the dough is still too crumbly add 1-2 tablespoons of ice-cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, as needed. You want the dough to be slightly moistened, without visibly dry parts of flour. It should also not be overly wet or sticky.
5. Shape the dough. Using a spatula, spoon the mixture into a bowl. Smash it together with your hands to form a ball. Shape the ball of dough, then wrap the disk in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 45-60 minutes. If you refrigerate the dough longer than 1 hour, let the dough sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before rolling.
6. Roll the pie crust. Place a piece of parchment paper on your work surface and sprinkle with flour as well as the rolling pin. Roll the dough until it is large enough to fit your pie plate at ¼ inch thickness. Place the pie plate on top of the dough, upside down, and carefully flip the pie dish over. Remove the parchment paper and gently ease the dough into the bottom and sides of the pan. Trim any excess edges with scissors and shape the edges as desired.
7. Freeze the crust. Place in the freezer for 30 minutes to firm.
8. Parbake: Follow instructions for parbaking.