Lots of people find the thought of cooking from scratch intimidating. It shouldn’t be that way. we live in a culture of cake mixes, muffin mixes, and pre-cut vegetables. Years of ads for pre-made foods have convinced us that it’s tedious to cook from scratch. Not so! The reality is that cooking from scratch is really easy. This Pumpkin Pie is no exception. In this post, we will teach you how to make this pumpkin pie recipe completely from scratch.
Choosing a pie pumpkin
There are a few helpful tips that you should know before going to the grocery store and choosing your pumpkin. The first thing is that p[ie pumpkins are not the same as carving pumpkins. Although carving pumpkins are edible, they are not very tasty. They tend to be stringy and have a strong, sometimes bitter flavour. Pie Pumpkins or Sugar pumpkins are smaller in size.
a good pie pumpkin has a good stiff stem. If the stem feels soft or is curling, keep looking.
A good pie pumpkin is heavy for its size. The heaviness means that it has a lot of inner flesh. If the pumpkin is very light, it could mean that it is getting old and drying out.
A good pie pumpkin should have clean skin with no blemishes or soft spots.
Preparing Pumpkin puree
There are a couple of ways to make pumpkin puree. You can bake it or stream it. We prefer the steaming method, as it is faster than the baking method.
For baking, you slice off the top and scoop out the inside seeds and strong bits. Cut in half. Place cut sides down on a baking tray, lined with parchment. on a baking sheet and bake in a 400-degree oven for about 45 minutes or until it is soft to the touch. Cool and scoop out contents and puree in a food processor.
For steaming Slice off the top of the pumpkin and scoop out the seeds and stringy bits. Place cut side down on a cutting board and slice off the skin. When fully peeled, cut into smaller chunks and place in a steamer basket. Steam until soft. Place pieces into a food processor and puree.
Kitchen supplies List
Ingredients List
- pumpkin puree
- evaporated milk
- milk
- cinnamon
- ground ginger
- pumpkin pie spice
- sugar
- flour
- salt
- unsalted butter
- heavy cream
- vanilla
Recipe for a single pie crust
Single Pie Crust
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup cold- unsalted butter ( shortening
- 3 Tbsp ice water
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour and salt.
- Cut cold butter or shortening into small cubes.
- With a pastry cutter (or fork), cut butter/shortening in the flour until the dough pieces are coarse crumbs, about the size of peas
- Sprinkle 1 Tbsp water over the crumble and gently toss, with fork.
- Repeat by tablespoons until the water is gone.
- Check your dough to see if it is ready or if it needs more water ( should be tacky and hold together)
- If it is crumbly and falling apart add a few drops more water. Do not over mix. ( You don't want the bits of butter to melt.)
- form it into a ball and cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
- Chill for 4 hours or overnight.
Time to Roll the dough
- lour your surface as well as your rolling pin. Roll from the center out working in all directions.
- Don't overwork it. It's best not to soften the butter too much.
- Roll until it is about a 12 inch round crust. Fold the finished crust over your rolling pin and place it onto the pie plate.
- Ease the crust into the pie plate.
- Pierce crust with a fork before baking
- Bake the crust for 10 minutes at 375° F
Leftover dough?
- Roll the pieces of left over dough out and cut into shapes to put on the top of the pie or use as a garnish on the served pieces with ice cream.
Recipe for Scratch-Made Pumpkin Pie
Festive Fall Pumpkin Pie
Ingredients
- 2 cups pumplin puree
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- pinch salt
- 2/3 cup evaporated milk
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 single pie crust
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- In a large mixing bowl add pumpkin puree, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, pumpkin pie spice and a pinch of salt. Stir well
- Add eggs and whisk until mixed thoroughly
- Stir in the evaporated milk andf then the regular milk.
- Mix thoroughly
- Pour filling into 9 inch pie shell.
- Cover srust edge with tin foil.
- Bake for 25 minutes and then remove the foil.
- Continue baking for anpther 25 minutes.
- Let cool and then chill in refrigerator.
Make the whipped cream
An important step in making the whipped cream is to chill the bowl. Put it in the freezer for 20-25 minutes before making it. Also, make sure that the cream is also cold.
When making whipped cream, you can expect the cream to double in size when it’s whipped. If you need 2 cups of whipped cream, 1 cup of heavy cream should yield 2 cups of whipped cream.
Be careful not to overbeat. I did this once and ended up with butter. You’ll only do it once. and you’ll never forget it again. Making whip cream only takes a few minutes. If using an upright stand mixer, don’t walk away.
Home made whipped cream
Ingredients
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 tbsp granulated or 1 tbsp powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a well chilled, medium sized mixing bowl, add cream,
- Using an upright mixer with teh whisk attachment or a hand mixer on medium speed, whip until soft peaks form.
- Continue beating, while adding vanilla and siugar.
- Stop beating when stiff peaks form.
Recipe Recap
Thanks for visiting Baker Street Living. Happy Baking!
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