02 Nov A light, fluffy pumpkin pie with a spelt crust
An American tradition, reimagined
My partner is half-American, so at this time of year, he always dreams of pumpkin pie. It’s not something I make often, as it wasn’t something I was brought up with. It’s not part of my tradition at time of year, unlike the Polish pumpkin breakfast soup with dumplings. However, being part of a mixed family, I believe it’s important to at least give homage to all the traditions, whether they be Eastern (Polish, Baltics and beyond) from my side, or Western (England, America and Guatamala/Mexico) on his, or even Middle Eastern (that’s another story). And we had carved three pumpkins for Halloween. Even though you don’t get to use all the flesh from the inside when you’re carving, we managed to scrape enough out of them to make the coveted pumpkin pie.
My version of pumpkin pie
I find many pumpkin pies are thick and rich, but I wanted to make one that was fluffy and light. Therefore, I beat the egg whites to soft peaks before folding them into the filling. The crust is made with spelt and coconut sugar for a nutty, caramel flavour and gut benefits. It’s a rare thing when all members of our family love a recipe equally and finish everything that’s on their plates. This pumpkin pie was that rare and wonderful thing, so I am sharing it with you.
A recipe for fluffy pumpkin pie with a spelt crust
A light, fluffy pumpkin pie with a spelt crust
Course: DessertCuisine: American6
servings20
minutes45
minutesMy own, lighter version of the American classic: pumpkin pie
Ingredients
75g spelt flour
75g plain flour
75g salted butter, cold
60g coconut sugar, blitzed to icing sugar
1 egg yolk
1-2 tablespoons cold water
- Filling
350g pumpkin flesh
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp allspice
1 tsp vanilla extract
50g salted butter
3 tablespoons condensed milk
1 egg yolk
2 egg whites, beaten to soft peaks
Directions
- Put the pumpkin flesh in a saucepan, cover with boiling water and simmer for about 10min, Drain and transfer to a food processor or blender. Add the butter, so that it can melt.
- In a large bowl, whisk the flours together and add the cold butter. Rub between your fingertips until it resembles breadcrumbs, then add the coconut sugar, egg yolk and a tablespoon of water and start to bring together into a dough. If it feels dry, add another tablespoon of water. Once it becomes a smooth dough, cover with a damp tea towel and place in the fridge for about 20min.
- Once the pumpkin has cooled down a bit, add the spices, vanilla extract and the condensed milk to the blender and blitz to a puree. Finally, whisk in the egg yolk. You can cover this and place it in the fridge you get the dough ready.
- On a floured surface, roll the dough out to the shape of your baking dish. Grease your dish and press the pastry into it evenly. Bake at 180 degrees C for 10-12min, then remove from the oven and allow to cool a bit. Heat the oven to 200 degrees C.
- Fold the beaten egg whites into the pumpkin puree until well combined.
- Pour the pumpkin filling into the pastry lined dish and bake for 10min at 200, then turn the heat down to 180 degrees C and bake for a further 25min.