How to Make Pumpkin Pie (Classic Thanksgiving Recipe)

Pull one chilled disc of pie dough from the fridge. It should feel firm but bend slightly when you press the edge - too hard and it'll crack, too soft and it'll stick to everything.

Dust your work surface generously with flour and set the disc in the middle. Roll from the center outward in long, even strokes, rotating the dough a quarter-turn every few rolls so it stretches into an even circle rather than an oval. Aim for a 12-inch round - bigger than your pie pan, so you'll have overhang to crimp later. If it sticks, slide a bench scraper under the edge and add more flour.

Lay the rolling pin across one edge of the dough circle. Loosely wrap the dough around the pin, lifting it free of the work surface in one piece. The pin carries the weight so the dough doesn't stretch or tear.

Position the pin over the far edge of a 9-inch glass pie pan and unroll the dough so it falls into place across the pan. Lift the edges gently with your fingertips and let the dough settle down into the corners by gravity - don't press it in from the top, or you'll stretch it and it will shrink back during baking.

Trim any uneven overhang to a roughly 1-inch border with kitchen scissors, then fold that overhang under so it sits on top of the rim of the pan. You want a thick double layer of dough all the way around - that's what gives the crimped edge its height.

To crimp, put two fingers from one hand on the outside of the rim and one finger from the other hand on the inside. Press the inside finger between the two outside fingers to push the dough into a V-shaped flute. Move around the rim about an inch at a time. It takes less than a minute and turns a rustic pie into something that looks bakery-made.

This step is non-negotiable. Cover the crimped pan with plastic wrap and freeze it for 30 minutes (or refrigerate for one full hour). A warm crust slumps and the crimped edges lose their shape in the oven. A properly chilled crust feels rock-firm when you tap it.

While the crust chills, preheat the oven to 425 F. Tear a sheet of parchment paper into a rough circle that overhangs the pan, then crumple it up tight and smooth it back out. The wrinkles let it mold to the contours of the crust without lifting the weights. Pour in about a pound and a half of dried beans (or ceramic pie weights), filling the cavity three-quarters of the way up.

Bake the weighted crust at 425 F for 17 minutes - just until the crimped edges start to turn light golden brown. Carefully lift the parchment with the beans straight up and out (watch for steam), and set the beans aside in a heatproof bowl to cool.

The base will be pale and may be bubbling up slightly. Poke the bottom all over with a fork - 15 to 20 dock holes - so any trapped steam can escape. Brush the entire base with a thin coat of raw egg white. This seals the crust against the wet filling so it stays crisp instead of going soggy underneath. Slide the pan back into the 425 F oven for another 5 minutes, until the base is dry and faintly tanned. Cool the crust completely before adding filling.

In a large mixing bowl, scrape in the full 15-ounce can of Libby's pumpkin puree. Crack in one whole large egg, then add three additional egg yolks (save the whites for an omelet or for the egg-white wash on your next crust). The extra yolks are what give this pie its custard-like silky texture - skip them and you get a flat, dense filling instead.

Add 1/2 cup of packed light brown sugar (squeeze any clumps between your fingers first), 1/4 cup of granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice, 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon of fine salt, and 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract. Whisk until the color is uniform deep orange and you don't see streaks of egg or sugar.

Pour in a 12-ounce can of Carnation evaporated milk. It must be at room temperature - cold milk straight from the fridge can cause the filling to seize and crack in the oven. Whisk slowly to incorporate. Aim to break up any large air bubbles as you go; bubbles in the filling become cracks on the surface of the baked pie.

Pour the filling slowly into the cooled blind-baked crust. Stop pouring when it sits about a quarter inch below the lip of the crust. Filling too high spills over the crimped edges and burns onto the pan. If you have a little extra, pour it into a small ramekin and bake it alongside as a crust-free custard.

Slide the filled pie carefully onto the center rack and bake at 350 F for 55 to 60 minutes. You're done when the edges look fully set but the center 2-inch circle still wobbles slightly when you bump the pan. The center will firm up as the pie cools - if it's already firm in the oven, you've gone too long and the filling will crack.

Lift the pie out onto a wire cooling rack and leave it for at least 2 to 3 hours at room temperature, or chill it overnight in the fridge. Cutting into a warm pumpkin pie collapses the slice - the custard needs time to set up fully. Cover loosely with foil if you're refrigerating overnight to prevent the surface from drying.

Pour 1 cup of cold heavy whipping cream into a chilled mixing bowl. Beat on medium speed with an electric hand mixer until soft peaks form - the cream should hold a shape but the tips flop over when you lift the beaters. Add 3 tablespoons of granulated sugar, 1/2 tablespoon of golden rum, and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract.

Continue beating on medium-high until you reach medium-stiff peaks - the cream holds its shape cleanly when you pipe it. Don't overbeat or it turns grainy. Spoon the cream into a large pastry bag fitted with an open star tip. Pipe a fat rosette over the entire pie or, for prettier individual plating, pipe one on each slice as you serve. Slice and serve.