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Pumpkin Custard Pie

A smooth, spiced pumpkin custard baked in a flaky crust, with salted caramel sauce to pour over each slice. Pull it when the center still wobbles; it sets as it cools.

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Pumpkin Custard Pie

What it's made of

CrustAll-Butter Flaky Pie Dough FillingPumpkin Custard Pie Filling Sauce to serveSalted Caramel Sauce
Makes 8 servings Active 1 hr 15 minChill or rest 4 hr 0 minParts 3
Contains milk, wheat, egg (check labels)

Each part is a full recipe as written; the Dessert Builder scales them to fit this pie and merges the shopping list. Open it with the button above to adjust servings or swap any part.

Ingredients

All-Butter Flaky Pie DoughCrust · makes 8 slices

  • 1.25 cupsall-purpose flour (160.0 g)
  • 1.0 tbspgranulated sugar (12.0 g)
  • 0.5 tspfine sea salt (3.0 g)
  • 0.5 cupcold unsalted butter, cut in 1/2-inch cubes (113.0 g)
  • 4.0 tbspice water, as needed (60.0 ml)
  • 1.0 tsppure vanilla extract (5.0 ml)

Pumpkin Custard Pie FillingFilling · makes 8 servings

  • 1.5 cupswhole milk (360.0 ml)
  • 1.0 cupheavy cream (240.0 ml)
  • 0.75 cuppumpkin puree (184.0 g)
  • 1.5 tsppumpkin pie spice
  • 2.0 tspVanillaGoods pure vanilla extract (10.0 ml)
  • 5.0 large egg yolks (90.0 g)
  • 0.667 cupgranulated sugar (133.0 g)
  • 0.333 cupcornstarch (43.0 g)
  • 0.25 tspfine sea salt
  • 2.0 tbspunsalted butter, cut into pieces (28.0 g)
  • 1.0 fully baked 9-inch pie crust, cooled

Salted Caramel SauceSauce to serve · makes 8 servings

  • 1.0 cupgranulated sugar (200.0 g)
  • 0.25 cupwater (60.0 ml)
  • 0.667 cupheavy cream, warmed (160.0 ml)
  • 3.0 tbspunsalted butter (43.0 g)
  • 1.0 tspflaky sea salt
  • 1.0 tspVanillaGoods pure vanilla extract (5.0 ml)

Method

1. All-Butter Flaky Pie Doughfull recipe

  1. Whisk the flour, sugar and salt in a wide bowl. Add the cold fat and cut it in with a pastry blender or your fingertips until the largest pieces are the size of peas, with some smaller flakes.
  2. Stir the vanilla into the ice water. Sprinkle most of it over the flour and toss with a fork until the dough holds together when squeezed; add the rest a teaspoon at a time only if it stays dry.
  3. Press the dough into a disk, wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour so the flour hydrates and the fat firms.
  4. Roll on a floured surface into a 12-inch circle, turning it a quarter turn after every pass. Fit it into a 9-inch pie plate without stretching, fold the overhang under and crimp the edge.
  5. Chill the shaped crust 20 minutes before filling; cold dough holds its edge in the oven.

2. Pumpkin Custard Pie Fillingfull recipe

  1. In a medium saucepan, heat the milk and cream with the pumpkin pie spice over medium heat until steaming, about 5 minutes.
  2. In a heatproof bowl, whisk the egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch, and salt until smooth.
  3. Slowly whisk about half of the hot milk mixture into the yolks, then whisk everything back into the saucepan.
  4. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the filling is very thick and bubbles steadily. Keep whisking for 1 minute more so it sets firmly and reaches at least 160°F.
  5. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter, pumpkin puree, and vanilla until smooth. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve if you see any lumps.
  6. Pour the filling into the crust and smooth the top.
  7. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface and refrigerate until cold and firm enough to slice, at least 4 hours or overnight.

3. Salted Caramel Saucefull recipe

  1. Cook the sugar and water in a saucepan over medium heat, swirling but not stirring, until deep amber, 8 to 10 minutes.
  2. Remove from the heat and carefully whisk in the warm cream (it bubbles up hard), then the butter.
  3. Stir in the salt and vanilla and cool until thick but pourable.

4. Put it together

  1. Make the All-Butter Flaky Pie Dough and chill it in the pie plate while you make the filling.
  2. Make the Pumpkin Custard Pie Filling.
  3. Cool on a rack until set, at least 3 hours for fruit pies and overnight in the fridge for cream pies.
  4. Serve with the Salted Caramel Sauce.