10 Mistakes That Are Ruining Your Pumpkin Pie
Whether you're preparing for Thanksgiving dinner, entering a fall baking contest, or just whipping up a tasty dessert, you want to make sure that your pumpkin pie comes out of the oven looking and tasting incredible. Homemade pumpkin pie can taste much better than what you can get from the frozen section at the grocery store — that is, unless you end up making one or more of the most common pumpkin pie mistakes.
Making one of these mistakes could leave you with a runny filling, a soggy or chewy crust, a bland or over-seasoned pie, or disappointed dinner guests who were looking forward to a delicious dessert. If you want to make sure that each pumpkin pie you make turns out beautifully, read on to learn how to avoid some of these disastrous mistakes. You'll be glad you did when you're getting compliments from family and friends about how amazing your pie is this year.
1. Not properly mixing or chilling the dough
While you can use a store-bought crust, a homemade one will make the pie taste so much better — unless you make some mistakes when preparing the dough. The first common mistake people make is overworking the dough, which leads to a tough crust. This is because the gluten found in the flour will have the opportunity to start developing. For this reason, it is best to work the dough using your hands — not a stand mixer or food processor. When you use your hands, you can monitor the dough more closely.
The next big mistake people make with their pumpkin pie dough is rolling it out immediately after they finish baking it. Instead, give the dough about an hour to chill in the fridge. When you let the dough chill, the fat (butter) in the dough will harden. This helps ensure that the crust won't lose its shape when you bake it in the oven and helps give it a flaky texture.
2. Not pre-baking the pie crust
When you make a pumpkin pie, when do you add the filling to the crust? If you've been adding it right after you rolled out the crust and put it in your pie pan, then you've been making a mistake that can lead to a soggy pumpkin pie. Because the pumpkin filling is so moist, you'll have to take a few extra precautions to ensure your pie comes up with a flaky crust.
The secret to achieving this goal is to pre-bake the pie crust. Sometimes called blind baking, this will allow the crust to dry out some before the filling is added to it. This way, the bottom of the pie crust will still hold its shape once everything has finished baking. Plus, the pumpkin filling will cook faster than the crust itself, so baking it for about 30 minutes on its own will ensure everything is properly cooked and ready to enjoy.
3. Forgetting the egg wash for the crust
Here's yet another mistake related to making the pie crust: forgetting to brush it with an egg wash. Without an egg wash, the finished crust won't have that beautiful golden brown color that everyone associates with pumpkin pie. Beyond making your pie more aesthetically pleasing, an egg wash can also play an important role in binding ingredients. For example, if you want to braid the crust along the edges or add festive leaf cut-outs, the egg wash can help keep these different components stuck in place.
There are a few ways to prepare egg wash for your pie crust. Whisking the egg (white and yolk) with a splash of water will add a little shine to the finished product. If you want the crust to be a deeper golden brown, try whisking just the egg yolk and brushing it over the dough. Conversely, if you want a lighter-colored crust, whisk and use only the egg white.
4. Not seasoning the crust or filling properly
Seasoning your pie properly — both the filling and the crust — is essential. Many pie crust recipes don't include any seasonings, which may leave the pie tasting a bit boring. If you want to spice things up (literally), try adding a few seasonings to your dough to help it complement the pumpkin filling. Consider trying a little bit of cinnamon, nutmeg, or ginger to help the pie stand out above the rest.
One of the mistakes that will have the greatest impact on the flavor profile of your pie is not properly seasoning the filling. There are many spices that offer a nice complement to pumpkin, including cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, clove, and ginger. However, while you can choose from any of them, you don't want to toss all of them into the filling. Otherwise, you'll end up with an overly-seasoned pie that isn't going to taste right. Instead, try adding just a few of these spice options, such as cinnamon and nutmeg or allspice and ginger, and see how they really bring out the best flavors.
5. Adding too many eggs to the filing
It is important to closely read your recipe and make sure that you add the correct number of eggs when preparing the filling. Adding too many eggs — even just one extra — can have a negative impact on the batter's consistency by thinning it out too much. When the batter has the extra egg in it, it will also soufflé, or rise. After it rises, however, the filling will collapse, leaving cracks all over the surface of the pie.
While you don't want to add an extra egg, it is also important not to forget about the eggs altogether. Pumpkin purée may feel like it has the right consistency on its own and that an egg isn't actually necessary, but that just isn't the case. Without the correct number, the purée will turn soupy. The eggs play an important role in binding all of the filling ingredients together, and without them, the filling won't set properly.
6. Over- or under-baking the pie
No one wants to be served a piece of burnt pumpkin pie. Similarly, nobody wants to bite into a piece of under-cooked pie with a raw-tasting crust or soupy filling. However, if you're not an experienced baker, you might have a difficult time determining exactly when your pie is ready to be taken out of the oven.
To determine whether the pie is fully cooked, you'll need to take a close look at the filling. It should look firm where it meets the pie crust and should jiggle slightly toward the center. It should not, however, look overly wet or liquidy. If it does, then you'll definitely want to give it some more time to finish cooking.
Don't go by looks alone, though. If you think the pie is done, confirm by poking the center with a thin knife. When you remove the knife, check to see if there is any pumpkin filling on it. If it looks clean, then the pie is probably ready to take out of the oven. Every recipe is slightly different, so check the cooking time for the one you're making. However, don't rely solely on what it says, be sure to check on the progress yourself to avoid under- or over-baking it.
7. Not taking extra measures when baking two pies at the same time
There may be times when you need to make multiple pumpkin pies, such as if you're hosting a large group for Thanksgiving. However, you can't simply put both pies in the oven and assume that they're going to turn out okay. The temperature inside a conventional oven is not always the same in different sections. The air along the top of the oven is likely to be hotter than the air found along the bottom. If you have two pie pans stacked on different racks, this means that they'll end up baking at a different rate. One can block the flow of the air to the other.
If you need to bake two pieces at the same time, place them both on the same oven rack to help ensure that they are being exposed to even temperatures. You should also stagger them to help facilitate better airflow throughout the oven. Place one towards the front of the rack and one towards the back. After the baking time is about halfway complete, switch the pie pans and rotate each one about halfway for more even baking.
When baking two pies, you may also have to increase the total cook time for a few minutes. It is also possible that one pie will still end up baking faster than the other, so be sure to closely monitor the progress of both pans. If you want to avoid all of these extra precautions while still being able to bake two pumpkin pies at the same time, consider getting a convection oven. These models have an extra heating element and a fan that work together to provide a much more consistent temperature throughout the entire oven.
8. Not serving it with whipped cream
While you could technically slice your pumpkin pie, put it on plates, and give it to your guests to eat just like that, you'd be missing a key ingredient that will enhance the flavor: whipped cream. After all, what is pumpkin pie without this creamy topping? The sweetness of the whipped cream serves as an ideal complement to the pumpkin and the spices. Consider letting each guest add the whipped cream to their slice — some people prefer just a touch of it, while others like a lot.
A standard creamy whipped cream recipe is always a safe bet with pumpkin pie, but it isn't the only option out there. If you want to get a little fancy and pick up on some of the flavors in the pie, consider trying something a little different. For example, bourbon-maple whipped cream or vanilla whipped cream would taste amazing on pumpkin pie.
9. Leaving the pie at room temperature for more than two hours
It is important to pay attention to how long your pumpkin pie is sitting out at room temperature. Beyond the fact that many people think it tastes best when cold, leaving it sitting out at room temperature for so long is breaking food safety rules. As the United States Department of Agriculture explains, when perishable food is left out of the fridge for more than two hours, salmonella, staphylococcus, and other bacteria can grow much more rapidly, making it more likely for someone to get food poisoning by eating the item.
When the pumpkin pie warms up a bit after being left out, its temperature will fall within the "Danger Zone." In this range of temperatures greater than 40 degrees Fahrenheit and less than 140 degrees Fahrenheit, bacteria may double every 20 minutes. If you're not serving the pie right away, leave it in the refrigerator. When you take it out to serve, be sure to watch the clock and put it away promptly to avoid contaminating it with bacteria.
10. Not storing it properly
We just noted the importance of refrigerating pumpkin pie within two hours. However, if you want to preserve the beauty of your freshly-baked pie before serving it, you should take extra care when refrigerating it. If you simply cover the top with a piece of foil or plastic wrap, you're running the risk of messing up its beautifully-smooth top.
Instead, make a tent for the pie that will keep it covered and protected against odors in the fridge without scuffing the surface. To do this, you can use a shower cap and a piece of bamboo skewer. Place the bamboo skewer in the center of the pie to serve as the pole to hold up the tent. Then, wrap the shower cap around the pie pan. The center of it will sit on the "pole" keeping it from rubbing against the surface of the pie. A final note about storage: Always allow the pie to cool fully before refrigerating it. If it is still warm, the hot steam coming off of it can form condensation on the underside of the shower cap, which could drop down onto the pie itself.