Sweet Potato Pie

Crust Recipe

Dough

310 grams (2.5 cups) of Carolina Ground Type 75 pastry flour

255 grams (1.25 cups) of cold, cubed butter

115 grams (1/2 cup) of very cold water

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon of sugar

Egg wash:

2 egg yolks & 2 Tablespoons heavy cream

Coarse sugar

The night before cube your butter into pea-sized pieces. Place in the freezer. Weigh out your flour, toss in the salt and sugar, and place in the fridge. Weigh out your water and place in the fridge to chill. 

The following day get out your flour, water, and butter. The butter will be quite cold, if not frozen. Gently break apart any large clumps that have formed and add the cold butter to the flour. Toss together. Drizzle in the water a tablespoon or so at a time. Mix together either by hand or in a food processor. (If using a food processor be careful not to over mix.) As the dough comes together it will be quite shaggy. Add more water to the mixture as needed, going slowly. Combine until there are no dry spots and you can still see visible pieces of butter. Divide the dough into two pieces. Gently press each into a disk. Wrap and let chill for 45 minutes.

Lightly dust your work surface. Pull out one of the discs of dough from refrigeration. Imagine a middle line running through the center of your dough. Roll the dough outward from this "equator" in both directions, rolling away from you towards the top of your work surface and from the middle roll towards yourself. Keep the dough moving, turning the dough 90 degrees with each pass.

If your dough begins to stick at any time, gently pick it up, scrape your work surface, and dust with fresh flour. If your dough warms up at any point while rolling it, gently lift it onto a floured sheet pan and refrigerate it for a bit. It is important that the butter stays cold throughout the whole process to ensure a light and flaky crust.

Continue to turn the dough 90 degrees and repeat until you've reached a thickness of 1/8 inch.

Transfer the pie dough to a pie tin, pressing into the bottom and sides of the tin, eliminating any air, and then trimming the dough and tucking any excess dough under itself so it’s flush with the pie rim. Flute or fork to decorate.

Using the tines of a fork, dock your pie dough. Apply egg wash to both the bottom and the rim, and dust the rim with coarse sugar. Place is the refrigerator while preparing pie filling.

Sweet Potato Pie Filling

You will need one, 9”, prepared pie crust

 Filling:

3 Cups Roasted, Peeled & Mashed Sweet Potatoes

1/3 Cup Coconut Milk

¼ Cup Brown Sugar

2 Large Eggs

1 tablespoon melted butter

1 tablespoon maple syrup

1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon ginger

½ teaspoon cloves

Ahead of time:

Prepare one pie crust per directions. Refrigerate while you make the filling.

*Roast, peel and mash 2 to 3 large sweet potatoes.

Preheat oven to 375°F.

 The filling can be mixed simply in a large bowl with a wooden spoon, or in a food processor. Mixing with a spoon gives a more rustic, textured structure, while doing it in the food processor imparts a smooth and dense quality.

Combine the sweet potato mash, coconut milk, melted butter and maple syrup. Combine. Add to this the brown sugar and various spices. Combine. Lastly, add the eggs one at a time, careful to incorporate them fully without over-mixing. Pour the filling into your chilled and ready pie crust.  

*If you’d like to make a decorated double crust, pull your second disc of dough from the refrigerator and let it warm up just enough so you can begin rolling out, repeating the above steps until the desired thickness (1/8th- 1/4”). For a basic double crust, lay the pie dough square over the center, going over the outside edge, tucking the crust underneath itself. Flute or fork to decorate. If you’d prefer decorative leaves, here’s a fun resource . Brush top with egg wash and sprinkle with coarse sugar.

For single crust**: bake at 375°F for 45 minutes, or until done. (The filling should be slightly puffy and golden brown)

For double crust: Preheat oven to 425°F with oven rack positioned in the center of the oven. Place pie on a baking sheet and transfer to a hot oven. Bake for 15 minutes and then reduce heat to 375°F and continue baking for another 30-40 minutes, checking occasionally to be sure the crust does not get too dark before the pie is ready. If this begins to happen, cover the pie with tin foil.

Let the pie set before slicing, approx. 1 hr. Great with vanilla ice cream!

 *To roast sweet potatoes place on a rimmed baking sheet, covered with parchment, and prick with the tines of a kitchen fork several times. Bake for about an hour at 350 degrees. Remove the potatoes from the oven and let cool for 15 minutes. Peel off the skins and place the “meat” in a bowl. Mash with a fork.

** For single crust, one can opt to blind-bake (or prebake) your pie crust.