October 22, 2026

Pumpkin pie

Written by Tess Lister

Pumpkin pie

Pumpkin pie

For the shortcrust pastry, you can use either our organic soft cake and pastry flour for a classic shortcrust, or you can also use our organic heritage T80 Resilience Blend. If you use  T80, skip the part where you sift the flour as it is a light brown flour, and you don’t want to sift out the bran particles which add flavour to the pastry.

You will need a small, culinary pumpkin for a sweet flavour in the purée. There is no need to drizzle the chunks of pumpkin in oil when you roast them, roasting them plain keeps the flavour simple and avoids adding any unnecessary liquid to the purée.

You will need a 24cm fluted tart tin.

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE SHORTCRUST

FOR THE FILLING

  • 1 culinary pumpkin, weighing approximately 1,100g whole (to make 400g pumpkin puree)
  • 120ml maple syrup
  • 170ml condensed milk
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 egg yolk
  • pinch of ground nutmeg
  • ¼ tsp ground vanilla bean
  • ½ tsp ground ginger
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon

METHOD

The Pumpkin Purée

Preheat your oven to 200°C. Slice the pumpkin into chunks, and scoop out the seeds. Place the chunks on a baking tray and cover with tin foil. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until soft and cooked through (some pumpkins take longer than others). When the pumpkin is cool enough to handle, peel off the skin. Place 400g of the cooked pumpkin in a blender, and blitz it to a smooth consistency.

(If your pumpkin is watery, place the purée in a sieve over a bowl and let the water drain away, while you assemble the rest of your ingredients. If your pumpkin is dry, you can add the maple syrup to the blender at this point, which is what I did with mine to help prevent the blades from sticking.)

The Shortcrust Pastry Case

Start by cutting your butter into small cubes of roughly 1cm using two knives to avoid touching it with your hands, and place it in a large mixing bowl.

Sift your flour and salt from a height into the bowl, to get the air into the ingredients. Gently rub the butter into the flours using your fingertips. A light touch here is important; lift up the flour as you do this and let it fall back into the bowl to create a lighter texture for the mix. You should end up with a breadcrumb-type consistency – don’t overwork it.  Sift in your icing sugar and combine.

Mix your egg yolk with 2 tablespoons of cold water, and sprinkle it evenly over the mixture. Use a blunt kitchen knife or palette knife to incorporate it as quickly as possible and bring the dough together.

Shape your dough into a disc and wrap it in cling film. Rest it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 220°C. On a lightly floured work surface use a rolling pin to ridge the dough and start to push it outwards before you roll it. Rotate at each quarter turn, and when it is big enough, roll it out into a circle shape, 2-3mm thick. Lay the pastry over the tin using your rolling pin to help lift it, and use your fingers to press it snugly into the grooves. Trim off any excess pastry. Prick the base of the pastry with a fork. Cover the base and sides of the case with baking parchment, and weigh it down with baking beans.

Blind bake the pastry case for 10 minutes, until pale golden with no wet patches of dough. Remove the parchment and beans. Bake for a further 10 minutes until just golden brown, then remove from the oven and set aside.

The Pumpkin Filling

Reduce your oven temperature to 170°C. Using an electric hand whisk, combine all the ingredients for the filling together with the pumpkin purée in a large mixing bowl.

Pour the filling into the pastry case, and smooth the top over with a spatula. Bake for 40 minutes – there should be a slight wobble in the centre, but the pie should be otherwise set.

Leave it to cool on a wire rack. Serve with cream or ice cream, or on its own.