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Post by rainangel on Oct 31, 2024 12:04:39 GMT
I am not an American, so pumpkin pie has never been something I have ever tasted. But I've been curious for a while so last night I made my very first pumpkin pie  And I have some questions...
Remember, I have NEVER made, eaten or even seen a pumpkin pie before.
I have made plenty of cakes but never a pie. I think the pie crust was... wrong. I followed the recipe to the letter. It contained butter, flour and a little bit of water. I pre-cooked it for 10 minutes, and it ran down the edges. How do I prevent that? After baking the pie, the filling was firm and was seemed to be properly cooked. But the crust still seemed undercooked and somewhat raw. Why? Do you have a fail-proof crust recipe for me? With step by step instructions? Explain it to me like I'm five
The filling: I enjoyed the filling in this pie. But it tasted like raw gingerbread cookie-dough. Is that the general flavor of a pumpkin pie? I like the spiciness of it, but it was very Christmassy to me.
The spices I used were cinnamon, nutmeg, ground ginger and an all-spice. Do you have a spice mixture you prefer for pumpkin pie?
I think the filling turned out fine, but the crust was a failure. And because I've never eaten this before, I am just not sure it is supposed to taste like gingerbread cookie-dough.
Any advice, tips or pumpkin pie secrets to share?
I froze half the filling I made, so I would like to make another pie but with a better crust.
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Post by compeateropeator on Oct 31, 2024 12:16:54 GMT
Sorry you didnāt get great results for your first time. The pie itself is easy to make, the crust is where everyone goes š¬. My best recipe is to buy premade pie crust.
Also you definitely (IMO) need to blind bake the pie crust first and then bake with the pie filling. So I am not sure that I can help but good luck and hope that you get some good tips. I love pumpkin pie, it is one of my favorites (although I do replace some of the sugar with maple syrup, because I am a maple person š).
ETA - the filling should be like a custard. Not solid but not really jiggly either. It is pumpkin tasting with cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger flavors. Some people use some cloves but I hates cloves so I donāt use that spice at all.
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Post by revirdsuba99 on Oct 31, 2024 13:20:07 GMT
As to the crust
Yes, pre bake. There is no top crust, although some people put a few decorative/cut out pieces of left over crust on top.
Pie crust is light and flakey. More like pastry.
But.... The crust should only be handled at the bear minimum. The less you handle it the better.
I can still hear my grandmother saying it!!
In reality pumpkin pie is the only pie I like or eat...
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Post by brenda89 on Oct 31, 2024 13:27:43 GMT
Pillsbury pie crust are my go to!! Taste like homemade, but you open the package and unroll it into the pan. So easy!!
I'm not a fan of straight up pumpkin pie, I found a recipe that includes sweetened condensed milk and I like it.
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sueg
Prolific Pea
Posts: 8,571
Location: Munich
Apr 12, 2016 12:51:01 GMT
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Post by sueg on Oct 31, 2024 13:34:03 GMT
rainangel - if I am correct, you live somewhere in Europe? One thing I was told when my pastry cases didnāt work out with my regular recipe after I moved to Germany, is that butter is different here and that makes a difference when making pastry. compeateropeator, brenda89 - pre-made pie crusts are not a thing here. I can buy some ready made pastry, but Iād have no idea if what I was buying is the ārightā pastry for a pumpkin pie. Definitely canāt get Pilsbury here!
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Post by brenda89 on Oct 31, 2024 13:37:46 GMT
Ok, my bad. She said she's not American, but never said where she lived. So I had no idea.
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Post by crazy4scraps on Oct 31, 2024 13:38:27 GMT
Iām not a fan of pumpkin pie primarily due to the texture (I donāt like any kind of custardy pies). But I make it often for my family and they say itās good. My recipe calls for pumpkin pie spice which is a blend of ground cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves and allspice. I usually add extra cinnamon though. Pumpkin pie should be just slightly jiggly in the center and a knife inserted 1ā from the edge should come out clean when itās properly baked. The pie will fully set once it cools.
This is the recipe Iāve used for pie crust for years and years without fail. It can easily be halved if needed but I always make the full recipe and freeze* whatever I donāt immediately need. The original recipe said it makes six, but I use it with a 9ā deep dish pie pan so I only divide it into four and find that works well for me. For pumpkin pie I always prebake it for 8-10 minutes in a 350Ā° F oven, if you crimp the edges well around the rim of the pie pan and dock the crust with a fork prior to baking it will shrink less.
*I always roll out the dough right after mixing it to my desired thickness between two pieces of parchment or plastic wrap, then roll it up and freeze it like that in a large ziplock freezer bag. I find that makes it thaw out so much quicker when I need it and itās ready to go like a store bought refrigerated crust. I used to freeze it in a disc but it takes so much longer to thaw out before you can roll it out which was a hassle. I use this crust for all kinds of pies including chicken pot pie, itās very versatile.
Cream Cheese Pie Crust
(1) 8 ounce pkg cream cheese, softened
(2) cups butter, softened
(6) cups all purpose flour
pinch of salt
Cream together the cream cheese, butter and salt in a large mixing bowl until evenly blended. Mix in the flour until a dough forms, divide into four balls. Use immediately or wrap tightly and freeze until needed.
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dawnnikol
Prolific Pea
'A life without books is a life not lived.' Jay Kristoff
Posts: 8,555
Sept 21, 2015 18:39:25 GMT
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Post by dawnnikol on Oct 31, 2024 14:24:34 GMT
My best recipe is to buy premade pie crust. This is what I usually do. I love pumpkin pie! Looks like I'll be trying this though: *I always roll out the dough right after mixing it to my desired thickness between two pieces of parchment or plastic wrap, then roll it up and freeze it like that in a large ziplock freezer bag. I find that makes it thaw out so much quicker when I need it and itās ready to go like a store bought refrigerated crust. I used to freeze it in a disc but it takes so much longer to thaw out before you can roll it out which was a hassle. I use this crust for all kinds of pies including chicken pot pie, itās very versatile. Cream Cheese Pie Crust (1) 8 ounce pkg cream cheese, softened (2) cups butter, softened (6) cups all purpose flour pinch of salt Cream together the cream cheese, butter and salt in a large mixing bowl until evenly blended. Mix in the flour until a dough forms, divide into four balls. Use immediately or wrap tightly and freeze until needed. ^.^ |
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Post by ~summer~ on Oct 31, 2024 14:37:23 GMT
What do you mean the crust āranā down the edges? Crust shouldnāt be runny. Can you clarify what happened?
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Post by crazy4scraps on Oct 31, 2024 14:48:16 GMT
What do you mean the crust āranā down the edges? Crust shouldnāt be runny. Can you clarify what happened? Iām guessing it shrunk and slid down the side. That happens sometimes, usually with a single crust pie when itās blind baked with nothing in it. I try to crimp the edges tight around the top of the pan and also dock it with a fork on the bottom and sides so it hopefully doesnāt puff up and / or shrink too much during that prebake phase. |
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Post by Merge on Oct 31, 2024 14:54:57 GMT
What sort of pastry crust is used for pies outside the U.S.? Whatever your normal pie pastry recipe is should work fine.
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sueg
Prolific Pea
Posts: 8,571
Location: Munich
Apr 12, 2016 12:51:01 GMT
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Post by sueg on Oct 31, 2024 15:27:33 GMT
What sort of pastry crust is used for pies outside the U.S.? Whatever your normal pie pastry recipe is should work fine. First - pies are not universal. I can't think of anything in German cuisine I'd call a pie. The closest would be a quiche, and that uses a savoury, not sweet crust. Second - in some countries (Australia, NZ and the UK among them) pies are often savoury, not sweet. The pastry I'd use to make a traditional Aussie meat pie, or a British pork pie are 1) totally different from each other and 2) not what I'd use for a fruit pie. Different flavours, different textures. |
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Post by compeateropeator on Oct 31, 2024 15:35:25 GMT
What sort of pastry crust is used for pies outside the U.S.? Whatever your normal pie pastry recipe is should work fine. First - pies are not universal. I can't think of anything in German cuisine I'd call a pie. The closest would be a quiche, and that uses a savoury, not sweet crust. Second - in some countries (Australia, NZ and the UK among them) pies are often savoury, not sweet. The pastry I'd use to make a traditional Aussie meat pie, or a British pork pie are 1) totally different from each other and 2) not what I'd use for a fruit pie. Different flavours, different textures. I love hearing these differences. For me a pie crust is just a crust of shortening/lard, flour, etc. I use the same pie crust for most sweet and savory pies. We make the basic pie/pastry crust for things like a quiche, a chicken pot pie, tourtiere (meat pie), a pumpkin pie, apple or berry pies, etc. some do have a top pie crust and some just have a bottom. The only sweet pie crust that I would use is a graham cracker or crushed cookie type crust for a pudding pie or cheese cake like pie. |
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huskergal
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,439 
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Post by huskergal on Oct 31, 2024 15:46:14 GMT
Put the pie pan with the crust in it in the freezer for about 20 minutes before you add your pie filling and bake.
I always make my own crust.
I find the premade crusts always slide down the pan on me. Freezing the crust for a bit helps me.
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Post by Darcy Collins on Oct 31, 2024 16:44:59 GMT
What sort of pastry crust is used for pies outside the U.S.? Whatever your normal pie pastry recipe is should work fine. First - pies are not universal. I can't think of anything in German cuisine I'd call a pie. The closest would be a quiche, and that uses a savoury, not sweet crust. Second - in some countries (Australia, NZ and the UK among them) pies are often savoury, not sweet. The pastry I'd use to make a traditional Aussie meat pie, or a British pork pie are 1) totally different from each other and 2) not what I'd use for a fruit pie. Different flavours, different textures. But the crust isn't sweet - I'm genuinely confused here. I would use the same crust for a pot pie as a pumpkin pie as the sweetness is in the filling not the crust. It's just flour and butter with a bit of water. |
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miascraps
Full Member
Posts: 379
Jun 26, 2014 15:37:58 GMT
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Post by miascraps on Oct 31, 2024 17:02:47 GMT
Pumpkin pie is my all time fav. Yes it does take on a gingerbread flavour due to the spices added. But itās a pie that you can top with lots of whipping cream  . And I love ginger type cookies too! Pie crust is a hit or miss adventure. I always make my own. Comes out different every time. Donāt give up on making your own. |
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styxgirl
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,970
Jun 27, 2014 4:51:44 GMT
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Post by styxgirl on Oct 31, 2024 19:48:18 GMT
How cool you made you first pumpkin pie! Yes, the crust is the trickiest part. Just don't over mix it! And, here is the proper way to eat pumpkin pie!  This is a good recipe if you have a food processor, that makes it easy! Easy Pie Crust recipe with video(The video is the LAST one on the page ... the others are advertisements. LOL) |
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Post by bc2ca on Oct 31, 2024 20:14:48 GMT
Second - in some countries (Australia, NZ and the UK among them) pies are often savoury, not sweet. The pastry I'd use to make a traditional Aussie meat pie, or a British pork pie are 1) totally different from each other and 2) not what I'd use for a fruit pie. Different flavours, different textures. Like Darcy Collins , I am confused by this as I make the same crust for both sweet and savory pies. A sweet pie crust could have 1 tsp granulated sugar, but I honestly don't bother. Are you putting spices in your savory pie crusts? Joy of Cooking recipe is my go-to. (2 1/2 cups flour, 1 tsp sugar, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 lb cold butter, 1/4 c shortening, 1/3 c ice water). Mix first three indgredients, but in cold butter with a pastry knife (or 2 forks) until pea like texture forms, cut in shortening and slowly add water until forms a ball. You may not need all the ice water. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before rolling. rainangel , it sounds like your butter and water may not have been cold enough if the pastry melted down the side of the pan. I also never use a processor or electric blender as the pastry overmixes so quickly. Your filling flavor sounds fine. For me, gingerbread anything has ginger as the most prominent flavor and pumpkin pie (or pumpkin spice anything) has cinnamon as the primary flavor. |
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Post by littlemama on Oct 31, 2024 20:20:55 GMT
I use the same crust for a chicken pot pie as I do for a pumpkin pie- it isnt sweet.
That being said, I buy the premade crust because I dont care about the crust and would rather focus on the filling.
Also, the Costco pumpkin pie is as close to homemade as Ive ever had.
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Post by Merge on Oct 31, 2024 20:31:13 GMT
What sort of pastry crust is used for pies outside the U.S.? Whatever your normal pie pastry recipe is should work fine. First - pies are not universal. I can't think of anything in German cuisine I'd call a pie. The closest would be a quiche, and that uses a savoury, not sweet crust. Second - in some countries (Australia, NZ and the UK among them) pies are often savoury, not sweet. The pastry I'd use to make a traditional Aussie meat pie, or a British pork pie are 1) totally different from each other and 2) not what I'd use for a fruit pie. Different flavours, different textures. Interesting! I guess I thought pies were kind of like dumplings - every culture has their version. š As the others have said, we donāt generally differentiate the pastry between a sweet and a savory pie when making traditional crusts. So that seems to be where my confusion came from. Some people make a crust out of crushed graham crackers (mildly sweet biscuit) for certain pies and for cheesecake. But pastry is pretty much just pastry. |
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Post by peano on Nov 1, 2024 3:04:48 GMT
I wonder if it's the butter with higher butterfat used in Europe? I tried making cookies with it, and they were a greasy mess. I'm no pie crust expert though, so take it with a grain of salt.
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Post by rainangel on Nov 1, 2024 9:49:52 GMT
Thank you so much for all the replies! I have read every reply, and at least I don't seem to be the only one with some crust-issues! The suggestion about the butter here being different might be true. I am in Norway, so in Europe. I used a high quality, salted butter, but I don't know how that compares to butter in the US. I had it in the freezer for a while before cooking it, I pre-cooked it for 10 minutes before putting on the filling.... But still not a good crust... I can't remember seeing ready made pie crusts here, so I will have to make my own. I was actually wondering if I possibly could use a shortbread as a crust? I have made that plenty of times with great success. That is very sweet, but it might go well with the spicy filling. The Brits here should be very familiar with shortbread, do you think that would be a good pie crust? Again, thank you for all your replies. I knew I could count on the Peas for this |
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Post by rainangel on Nov 1, 2024 9:51:20 GMT
How cool you made you first pumpkin pie! Yes, the crust is the trickiest part. Just don't over mix it! And, here is the proper way to eat pumpkin pie! This is a good recipe if you have a food processor, that makes it easy! Easy Pie Crust recipe with video(The video is the LAST one on the page ... the others are advertisements. LOL) Thank you, I will try this! It is a little bit different than the recipe I used, but the same ingredients. I like her detailed instructions here! |
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Post by rainangel on Nov 1, 2024 9:53:06 GMT
rainangel - if I am correct, you live somewhere in Europe? One thing I was told when my pastry cases didnāt work out with my regular recipe after I moved to Germany, is that butter is different here and that makes a difference when making pastry. compeateropeator , brenda89 - pre-made pie crusts are not a thing here. I can buy some ready made pastry, but Iād have no idea if what I was buying is the ārightā pastry for a pumpkin pie. Definitely canāt get Pilsbury here! I'm in Norway, yes. I haven't found ready made pie crusts here either. I am starting to think the butter is a factor here. |
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Post by rainangel on Nov 1, 2024 9:55:48 GMT
Iām not a fan of pumpkin pie primarily due to the texture (I donāt like any kind of custardy pies). But I make it often for my family and they say itās good. My recipe calls for pumpkin pie spice which is a blend of ground cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves and allspice. I usually add extra cinnamon though. Pumpkin pie should be just slightly jiggly in the center and a knife inserted 1ā from the edge should come out clean when itās properly baked. The pie will fully set once it cools. This is the recipe Iāve used for pie crust for years and years without fail. It can easily be halved if needed but I always make the full recipe and freeze* whatever I donāt immediately need. The original recipe said it makes six, but I use it with a 9ā deep dish pie pan so I only divide it into four and find that works well for me. For pumpkin pie I always prebake it for 8-10 minutes in a 350Ā° F oven, if you crimp the edges well around the rim of the pie pan and dock the crust with a fork prior to baking it will shrink less. *I always roll out the dough right after mixing it to my desired thickness between two pieces of parchment or plastic wrap, then roll it up and freeze it like that in a large ziplock freezer bag. I find that makes it thaw out so much quicker when I need it and itās ready to go like a store bought refrigerated crust. I used to freeze it in a disc but it takes so much longer to thaw out before you can roll it out which was a hassle. I use this crust for all kinds of pies including chicken pot pie, itās very versatile. Cream Cheese Pie Crust (1) 8 ounce pkg cream cheese, softened (2) cups butter, softened (6) cups all purpose flour pinch of salt Cream together the cream cheese, butter and salt in a large mixing bowl until evenly blended. Mix in the flour until a dough forms, divide into four balls. Use immediately or wrap tightly and freeze until needed. A cream cheese crust sounds interesting. I should definitely try this! Thank you! And thank you for the tips and tricks, I will follow them closely next time. |
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Post by rainangel on Nov 1, 2024 9:57:32 GMT
What do you mean the crust āranā down the edges? Crust shouldnāt be runny. Can you clarify what happened? Iām guessing it shrunk and slid down the side. That happens sometimes, usually with a single crust pie when itās blind baked with nothing in it. I try to crimp the edges tight around the top of the pan and also dock it with a fork on the bottom and sides so it hopefully doesnāt puff up and / or shrink too much during that prebake phase. Yes, it shrunk and ran down the sides. I had had it in the freezer and pre-baked it, but still... I will try crimping it next time. I didn't do that this time. Thank you! |
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Post by quinlove on Nov 1, 2024 14:40:44 GMT
Iāve never met a pumpkin pie I didnāt like. Cool Whip ( or whipping cream ) can fix anything ! š
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Post by Darcy Collins on Nov 1, 2024 14:55:24 GMT
Thank you so much for all the replies! I have read every reply, and at least I don't seem to be the only one with some crust-issues! The suggestion about the butter here being different might be true. I am in Norway, so in Europe. I used a high quality, salted butter, but I don't know how that compares to butter in the US. I had it in the freezer for a while before cooking it, I pre-cooked it for 10 minutes before putting on the filling.... But still not a good crust... I can't remember seeing ready made pie crusts here, so I will have to make my own. I was actually wondering if I possibly could use a shortbread as a crust? I have made that plenty of times with great success. That is very sweet, but it might go well with the spicy filling. The Brits here should be very familiar with shortbread, do you think that would be a good pie crust? Again, thank you for all your replies. I knew I could count on the Peas for this I'm not a Brit - but am very familiar with shortbread it is not even remotely related to pie crust -I didn't realize that Europeans didn't do pie crust - and honestly don't accept it as I've had a TON of pies in Europe. Take your pot pie recipe for the crust and put the pumpkin pie filling in it - it's actually not that complicated |
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Post by scrapcat on Nov 1, 2024 15:02:33 GMT
My parents are the best pie makers, I am still learning. It's cold butter, very little mixing (we use food processor), very little handling.. only small drops of water that you need to help it combine. Your climate may require more or less. It can almost be crumbly then put it in plastic wrap to chill, kind of push it together in the wrap. Enough time chilling and resting.
Regarding the blind bake, you need pie weight... can use parchment paper inside the crust with any type of dry beans to weigh it down, but they also sell pie weights.
I've been trying for years, it def takes practice. There is one crust I do that is cheating because it uses an egg, but that def helps it keep together.
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Post by ntsf on Nov 1, 2024 15:03:04 GMT
I never freeze or prebake my crust, but I do put the pie in a very hot oven (450 degrees F) for 15 min, then lower it to 350.
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. And I love ginger type cookies too! Pie crust is a hit or miss adventure. I always make my own. Comes out different every time. Donāt give up on making your own. 
