It’s my first time to make a pie. I’ve been meaning to make a pie for a while now but it’s only now that I’ve got the time. I’d been hesitant also because I was not sure I could make it well. I looked for recipes on YouTube and found these two:

Pie crust recipe (Paula Haney)

Pie filling recipe (Food Wishes)

PIE CRUST

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tbsp. sugar
1 1/8 sticks (9 tbsp.) butter, cold (from the freezer)
5 tbsp. butter, cold (from the freezer)
1/2 c cold water
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

Method:

• Mix the flour, salt and sugar.
• Add the first part of the butter (9 tbsp.) to the flour. I mixed it using a whisk until the texture is sandy.
• Add the second part of the butter (5 tbsp.) to the flour and mix it.
• Combine half a cup of cold water and 1 tbsp. of apple cider vinegar. Put 5 tbsp. of this mixture to the flour and combine them. (This avoids the gluten from forming. I learned that too much gluten hardens the flour.)
• Knead the dough on the work surface until it comes together in a ball. I put it in the fridge while I did the filling.
• Butter and flour the pan, then transfer the dough into the pie plate.
• I baked the crust for a few minutes (about 15 minutes) before I put the filling because I wasn’t sure it would hold the filling.
• This recipe makes 2 pie crusts.

PIE FILLING:

Ingredients:
4 cups pumpkin puree, fresh
4 eggs
1/2-2 cups condensed milk
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. cinnamon
a pinch of five-spice
1 1/2 tsp. of grated fresh ginger
1/2 tsp. salt

Method:

• I baked the pumpkin in the oven for 50-60 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Then I scooped it out and mixed it with a whisk.
• I added milk, the eggs (2 whole eggs and 2 egg yolks) and the spices.
• I mixed them all together but I did not mix too much because I like the texture in the pie.
• I put the filling in the pie crust and baked it at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes then at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 30-35 minutes.