Little House on the Prairie Old Fashioned Pumpkin Pie Recipe | Little House on the Prairie (2024)

FAQs

What happened to cause the pumpkin pie to weep after it was baked? ›

Why Is My Pumpkin Pie Weeping? Another common problem that occurs when baking pumpkin pie is when you notice water on the top of the pie or leaking out from the filling. Why this happens: Either the pie was overbaked, or it was placed in the fridge before cooling completely.

Often, blind-baking solves this problem. If you're making a single crust custard-filled pie, like a pumpkin pie, bake the pie dough first before adding filling to allow some of the moisture in the crust to evaporate. You can also totally blind-bake fruit pies.

A still-warm pie doesn't hold its shape well when served, and that may explain why your perfectly baked pie turned into a mushy mess on a plate. During the pie's cooling period, between 1 and 2 hours at room temperature, the filling continues to bake and firm up.

The first version of pumpkinpie originated when British colonists sliced off the top of the pumpkin, removed its seeds, and filled the hollow with milk, spices, and honey. Baked in hot ashes, the end result was a sort of pudding rather than a pie.

Homemade Pumpkin Pie Ingredients

For the filling: cooked pumpkin, evaporated milk, eggs, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, salt.

Signs Your Pumpkin Pie is Overcooked

While a wobbly, runny pie is a telltale sign that a pumpkin pie is undercooked, an overcooked pumpkin pie is a bit harder to spot. When you've overcooked a pumpkin pie, you may see: The filling separating from the crust.

Those cracks you see in your pie are the result of overcooked eggs, eggs that have tightened up so much, in an uneven way, that they've created fissures in the filling. Usually you'll notice cracks around the edge of the pie first, which makes sense; the edges cook more quickly than the interior.

But don't dock it (docking is aerating the crust before baking by poking it with the tines of a fork). This will cause the custard to seep out into the bottom crust, defeating that whole "flaky" thing you were going for. The test kitchen's vessel of choice for pie is a 9" glass Pyrex pan.

For a guaranteed browned bottom, prebake the pie crust.

Choose the Right Rack in the Oven

Which rack you use in the oven can help ensure a crisp crust. Baking the pie on a lower rack will concentrate heat on the bottom of the pie and help the crust crisp.

What happens if you put too much evaporated milk in a pumpkin pie? ›

Pies with too much evaporated milk formed blisters on top.

Though the interior of the filling had a great, creamy texture. The flavor was ever-so-slightly muted and had a hint of milkiness to it.

As the name suggests, sweetened condensed milk makes the pie sweeter and gives it a denser, creamier texture. Evaporated milk, on the other hand, yields a lighter, airier result. Evaporated milk isn't sweetened either, which is why you can't simply swap one thickener for the other.

Derby pie is a chocolate and walnut open-faced custard pie baked in a (pre-baked) pie shell. The pie was created in the Melrose Inn of Prospect, Kentucky, United States, by George Kern with the help of his parents, Walter and Leaudra. It is often associated with the Kentucky Derby.

Pilgrims liked pumpkins. According to accounts, they used to hollow them out, fill them with milk and honey to make a custard, and then roast the orange orbs in hot ashes. But when it came to making pies, the Pilgrims were essentially out of luck.

Libby's, the quintessential canned pumpkin brand, uses a proprietary strain of the Dickinson pumpkin variety in their product, which is also often called a Dickinson squash. On Libby's website, it states that their product is 100 percent pumpkin.

They are the same product. Both canned pumpkin puree and pie filling are useful, shelf-stable ingredients that can help speed up your kitchen prep time. Just remember that puree is unsweetened, while pie filling contains sugar and spices. This will help you choose the right pumpkin product for your recipes.

Canned pumpkin and pumpkin puree are the same thing, and you'll often see the terms used interchangeably in recipes and cookbooks. Unlike pumpkin pie mix, canned pumpkin does not have any spices, sugars, or other additives. In many cases, the only ingredient is pumpkin.

If one or the other is overcooked, water beads will form and weep. Egg whites can also weep if they are over-beaten or are from old eggs. Refrigeration (unfortunately) speeds up the process of weeping—oops!

Overcooking your pie will also lead to a soggy bottom crust. A pumpkin pie filling is an egg-based custard, and, like all egg custards, it will weep liquid if those eggs become overcooked (think: the watery pool that builds up underneath overcooked scrambled eggs).

Why did my pie leak? ›

Your pie's filling leaks because of the cracks in the crust, also resulting in a burnt pecan pie. Moreover, if you are using a ready-made crust, then it might come with holes in it. Whether you have made your own crust or purchased one, here are some methods that can save your dessert.