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Baking secrets: Dark brown sugar, bold spices make pumpkin pie great

When it comes to Thanksgiving, the dessert spotlight traditionally shines on homemade pies. Before fear of a crust disaster takes hold, I offer novice bakers and seasoned veterans some tips for pie making success.

Before you reach for that flour canister, let's talk about fat, specifically butter and shortening. Many pastry professionals tout all butter crust for superior flavor, but those cold butter pieces make for a challenging rollout. I recommend a mix of butter and shortening to deliver taste and easy rolling.

Long before gluten became a dietary concern, this protein wreaked havoc in pastry kitchens. Stir water into flour and stretchy gluten strands cause the dough to toughen and shrink while baking. Professionals often recommend a light hand with liquids in pastry crusts, but I'm not in that corner.

For me, in a great pie crust tenderness trumps flakiness. Gluten develops from over working the flour mixture in a struggle to make dough cohesive enough to roll. More water is part of the solution as an overly crumbly mixture never comes together into an easy-to-handle dough. Working together butter and shortening coat the flour and create a protective barrier against gluten development when the cold water hits and that means a tender crust. Using a food processor quickly and evenly distribute the fats without heat from your hands. Once water enters the picture, the dough ball should feel slightly damp.

As important to a great pie is applying the appropriate baking technique to a particular pie filling. For pumpkin pie, most of the filling ingredients are liquid with only eggs as the thickener. To prevent a soggy bottom crust, take a two-stage approach: freeze the shell for a short bit, then pre-bake it to firm it up.

For a creamy and bold pumpkin filling, dark brown sugar brings molasses flavor with less sweetness. Lots of harvest spices perk up the bland squash base with a touch of liquor to infuse background notes. Cooking the filling before baking gives the oven a jump on thickening the custard.

Today's recipes include extended crust instructions so you can dazzle guests with The Great Pumpkin Pie on your Thanksgiving table.

Annie Overboe, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, lives in Oakbrook Terrace. Write to her at food@dailyherald.com.

The Great Pumpkin Pie

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