Papa's Golden Pecan Pie from Pie All The Time
Thanksgiving is just around the corner, friends! I can hardly believe it. This year has just flown. Between moving a few times, getting COVID (yep :/ ), and my book coming out (YAY!), it has been an eventful year. In honor of Thanksgiving and pie season, I am delighted to share a very special recipe from my new book, Pie All The Time: Papa’s Golden Pecan Pie. It’s a classic pecan pie, dedicated to my grandpa Dale (papa) as it was his absolute favorite, but with a few of my own little updates. I don’t love corn syrup as it’s just kinda cloyingly sweet without bringing much flavor to the equation so I’ve swapped in one of my favorite ingredients: golden syrup! It’s a by-product of cane sugar and has an almost caramelized flavor that adds a delicious depth of flavor to the pie. We’re also adding a little bourbon to cut through all the richness and add a bit of warmth. And last but not least, the crust is a buckwheat crust. The slight bitter edge and earthiness from the buckwheat crust serves to bring a bit of balance with the rich and sweet filling. It’s so good.
I hope you enjoy and have a wonderful Thanksgiving! If you make this recipe, I’d love to see it so be sure to tag me on Instagram! And I have tons of other pies perfect for Thanksgiving in Pie All The Time like Cranberry Curd Tart, Salted Caramel Pumpkin Tart, Caramelized Honey and Ginger Pear Pie, and Apple Cheddar Galette if you’d like to order your own copy as well! And if you already purchased a copy, THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart. Truly, it means so much. And if you’d consider it, I would be so, so appreciative if you would be so kind as take a few minutes to leave a review of the book wherever you purchased! Positive reviews really help the book and me!
Papa’s Golden Pecan Pie
makes 1 (9-inch [23-cm]) pie
BUCKWHEAT DOUGH
makes enough for 1 large galette, a recipe of hand pies or a double-crust pie
2 large egg yolks
2 tsp (10 ml) apple cider vinegar
4–6 tbsp (60–90 ml) ice water, or more, divided
2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
3/4 cup (102 g) buckwheat flour
1 tsp sea salt
1 cup (224 g) unsalted butter, cold and cut into -inch (1.3-cm) cubes
FOR THE PIE
Crust
1/2 recipe Buckwheat Dough
Filling
3 large eggs, room temperature
3/4 cup (195 g) dark brown sugar
1 cup (240 ml) golden syrup, such as Lyle’s
6 tbsp (84 g) butter, melted and cooled
2 tbsp (30 ml) bourbon
1 tbsp (15 ml) vanilla bean paste
1 tsp sea salt
2 cups (244 g) toasted pecan halves, roughly chopped
For Serving
whipped cream or ice cream
Make The Dough
Note that you’ll only need half of the dough but I recommend freezing the other half for a rainy day! In a small bowl, mix together the egg yolks, vinegar and 4 tablespoons (60 ml) of the ice water, and set it aside. In a large bowl, combine the all-purpose and buckwheat flour and salt. Add the butter pieces, and toss to coat them in the flour mixture. Using your hands, pinch the pieces of butter between your thumbs and pointer fingers to flatten them into thin shards. Continue until all the butter has been flattened, working quickly to prevent the butter from getting too warm. Drizzle the egg mixture over the flour mixture, and toss the mixture with your hands to incorporate the ingredients. Drizzle over the last 1 to 2 tablespoons (15 to 30 ml) of ice water as needed, a little at a time, just until the dough comes together and is no longer dry and crumbly. You may not need all of the remaining 2 tablespoons (30 ml), depending on the humidity of the day, or you may need even a bit more. You want to add just enough water for the dough to feel firmly held together and smooth rather than dry and crumbly, but not so much that it’s soft, wet and sticky to the touch. Pat the dough out into a rough rectangle about an inch (2.5-cm) thick. Slice the rectangle into quarters, and stack the pieces on top of one another. Gently pat out the dough with your hands into a rectangle about an inch (2.5 cm) thick. Repeat the cutting and stacking once more. This process is going to give us all those flaky layers. Divide the dough in half and pat into two discs. Wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and chill it in the fridge at least 2 hours or, ideally, overnight. Allow the dough to sit at room temperature for a few minutes to soften slightly before rolling it out.
Assemble and Bake The Pie
For the crust, on a well-floured surface, roll the dough out to a ¼- to ⅛-inch (6- to 3-mm) thick round about 12 inches (30 cm) in diameter. Transfer the dough to a 9-inch (23-cm) pie pan and position it so that it’s centered with about an inch (2.5 cm) of dough hanging over the sides. Tuck the excess dough underneath itself. Crimp the edges by pinching dough between your thumb and index finger and press the dough between those fingers with your other thumb, pressing down slightly to adhere the edge of dough to the pan. Repeat around the whole edge. Freeze the crust for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C), and line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Meanwhile, for the filling, in a medium bowl whisk the eggs, brown sugar, golden syrup, butter, bourbon, vanilla bean paste and salt to combine the ingredients. Fold in the pecans. Pour the filling into the crust.
Bake the pie on the prepared baking sheet for 65 to 75 minutes, until the top is set but the center has the slightest wobble when you shake the pan. If the crust is getting too dark before the filling is cooked through, lightly wrap it in foil. Cool the pie completely before slicing it, at least 2 hours. Serve the pie with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
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