Ingredients:

  • 1 ¼ cups (150 g) All-Purpose Flour
  • 1 tsp (5 g) Granulated Sugar (for crust)
  • ½ tsp (3 g) Fine Sea Salt (for crust)
  • 8 tbsp (113 g) Cold Unsalted Butter, cut into ½-inch cubes
  • 3–5 tbsp (45–75 ml) Ice Water
  • 1 (15 oz / 425 g) can Canned Pumpkin Purée (100% pure)
  • ½ cup (100 g) Dark Brown Sugar, firmly packed
  • ¼ cup (50 g) Granulated Sugar (for filling)
  • 2 Large Eggs, lightly beaten
  • ½ cup (120 ml) Heavy Cream (Double Cream)
  • 1 tsp (5 ml) Molasses (or Treacle), optional
  • 1 tsp (5 ml) Dark Rum or Bourbon, optional
  • ½ tsp (3 g) Fine Sea Salt (for filling)
  • 1 ½ tsp (4 g) Ground Cinnamon
  • 1 tsp (2 g) Ground Ginger
  • ½ tsp (1 g) Ground Nutmeg
  • ¼ tsp (0.5 g) Ground Cloves

Instructions:

  1. Stage 1: Preparing the Flaky Crust. Pulse the flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor (or whisk in a bowl). Add the cold butter cubes and pulse 8–10 times until the mixture resembles coarse sand mixed with pea-sized pieces of butter.
  2. Drizzle in the ice water (start with 3 tbsp) and pulse until the dough just comes together into a shaggy ball. Do not overmix. Form the dough into a flat disc, wrap tightly, and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
  3. Stage 2: Blind Baking. Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Roll the chilled dough out to a 12-inch circle (30 cm) and transfer it gently into the pie plate. Trim the edges and crimp decoratively. Place the lined pie plate in the freezer for 15 minutes.
  4. Line the chilled crust with parchment paper, fill with pie weights, and blind-bake for 15 minutes. Carefully remove the weights and parchment paper. Return the crust to the oven for 5–8 minutes, until the base is dry and lightly golden. Crucially, reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (175°C) now.
  5. Stage 3: Mixing and Baking the Filling. In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin purée, both sugars, salt, and all spices until well combined.
  6. Add the lightly beaten eggs, heavy cream, molasses/treacle, and rum/bourbon. Whisk until the filling is smooth and uniform, but avoid incorporating too much air.
  7. Pour the filling into the warm, blind-baked crust. Carefully transfer the pie to the preheated 350°F (175°C) oven. Immediately place an aluminum foil ring or pie shield over the crust edges to prevent burning.
  8. Bake for 40–50 minutes. The pie is done when the edges look firm but the center 1-inch area still has a slight wobble, like very soft custard. Remove the pie from the oven and let it cool completely on a wire rack for 3–4 hours until the center is fully set before slicing.