The filling in my pumpkin pie always eventually seeps liquid after cooling and causes the crust to become soggy.

There must be a way to prevent this. I follow the directions directly from the solid packed pumpkin can.

I wonder if some flour mixed into the filling would help? If so, how much would be needed? Or is there something else I should do?

Adianne
  • Posted by: Adianne
  • November 23, 2014
  • 8935 views
  • 6 Comments

6 Comments

AntoniaJames November 24, 2014
So many great ideas here in this thread.

I found this comprehensive tutorial to be quite helpful: https://food52.com/blog/11776-how-to-make-custard-pies-a-recipe-for-maple-chess-pie ;o)
 
Elizabeth W. November 24, 2014
Take ginger cookies and pecans, grind them in a food processor, then place the mixture on the bottom and sides of crust before filling. This is from The Pie and Pastry Bible and Rose's Pumpkin Pie. Works every time.
 
hardlikearmour November 23, 2014
Sunset magazine Nov 2014 had a recipe for Kabocha Squash Pie with a gingersnap layer between the custard and the crust. They took 12 hard, 2-inch gingersnaps and blitzed them in the food processor. They added 2 T melted butter and a pinch of salt and pulsed. The mixture gets pressed into the bottom of the crust, then chilled. The did not blind bake. I'm guessing the gingersnap layer would help to absorb the moisture from the custard.
 
boulangere November 23, 2014
My mother was the pie queen. She learned the art at the hands of a neighboring farm wife in Michigan, where she grew up. For her pumpkin pie, she lined the pie plate, then sprinkled a generous layer of brown sugar over the bottom, followed by chopped, toasted pecans. Then she poured in the filling. I will never, ever, forget the first time I tasted that pie. And how we begged here each year to repeat it.

To "set" your pie's bottom crust, set the filled pie in a 425 degree oven for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 375. Pumpkin pie is a custard, which means that it is set by the coagulation of egg protein. It is done when you can bump the edge of the pie plate with your fingers (in an oven mit), and the filling should "jiggle like Jello, not wiggle like a wave."

Happy Thanksgiving.
 
boulangere November 23, 2014
Similar to hla's response, the brown sugar in my mother's method will also bind excess water, as sugar of any color has a great affinity for water. The pecans? For flavor.
 
Emily W. November 23, 2014
No one likes a soggy pumpkin pie! One thing you can do is try blind baking your crust. If bind baking isnt your thing, try adding a moisture barrier such as a thin layer of melted chocolate, then increase the temperature in the oven by 25 degrees for the first 15 minutes of baking then continue baking as directed in the recipe. Adding flour could help too. Ive never tried this method, but if I did, i would probably start with 1/4 cup. Check out this link to learn more about blind baking https://food52.com/blog/8995-all-about-blind-baking
 
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