Pumpkin Slab Pie Recipe - Pumpkin Pie - Savory Simple (2024)

FAQs

Does pumpkin pie crust need to be pre baked? ›

Too many pumpkin pies have soggy crusts that never fully brown. To avoid this, recipes often call for blind baking your crust. That is, baking the empty crust before the filling is added. This gives the crust time to firm up and brown, time it typically doesn't get if the faster cooking filling is added first.

For better pumpkin pie, refrigerate the filling overnight

To that end, we've found that refrigerating pumpkin pie filling overnight before using it not only enhances the spices' flavors, but also mellows them. Any “sharp edges” disappear, and you're left with a smooth meld of complementary flavors.

A majority of the time it's because the pie was not cooked long enough and/or not at the right temperature. Other things can contribute to runny filling is too much milk, not enough egg or depending on the recipe, thickener like cornstarch.

If your recipe doesn't have instructions and you're wondering how long to pre bake the pie, here's what I do: I pre bake the prepped pie crust at 350°F. If the crust is homemade from scratch, I pre bake for 35 minutes. If the crust is store-bought, I pre bake for 30 minutes.

Line the crust with foil, parchment, or a paper coffee filter. Fill it about two-thirds full with dried beans, uncooked rice (or other uncooked grain berries), pie weights, or granulated sugar. Bake the crust in a preheated 375°F oven for 20 minutes, set on a baking stone or steel if you have one.

Pre-baking is a must if you're looking for a flaky pie crust. It's especially helpful for recipes with a wet center. Recipes for most tarts, pies, and quiches call for pre-baking to ensure that the final product doesn't end up soggy.

Think of blind baking—partially (par-baking) or fully baking a pie crust—as a head start for your crust. This extra step is especially important when it comes to custard pies like pumpkin.

Pumpkin pie is a great make-ahead dessert to cross off your Thanksgiving to-do list. You can prepare and bake the pie up to two days in advance, and it will still taste great on the big day. Just make sure you store the pie in the refrigerator—not on the kitchen counter—until you are ready to serve it.

Why this happens: The pie was underbaked, or the oven temperature wasn't high enough. This is another problem that can occur when you haven't baked a pumpkin pie long enough, or if the oven temperature wasn't high enough.

Can you put an undercooked pumpkin pie back in the oven? ›

Note that if your test determines an undercooked pumpkin pie, return it to the oven and bake a few minutes longer before testing it again.

If you are making a pie where the filling bakes with the crust, like a fruit pie, then no, do not poke holes, as the liquid filling will leak and you won't get a properly baked crust. How do you crimp your pie crust after blind baking the bottom crust? The raw top crust just would not meld to the baked edges.

There are a few instances, actually. You need a par-baked or fully baked crust if you're making quiche, no-bake pie, custard pie, cream pie, pudding pie, or simply want an extra-crisp pie crust. If you're making a pie that doesn't require a baked filling, you still need a baked crust.

If the frozen crust says to bake as recipe directs and the recipe says to pre bake then yes, you should pre bake it.

Some recipes like quiches recommend partially cooked pie shells because the baking time wouldn't be long enough to fully cook the dough otherwise. Pre-baking a crust can ensure that your pie or tart crust will be fully baked and browned, and not soggy.

While you are still perfecting your rolling technique, you can just chill the dough after you roll it. The colder the dough is when it goes in the oven the flakier the crust will be, so the cold dough is not only essential for easier rolling but also to create a flakier crust with less shrinking.