If roast turkey is America's signature Thanksgiving entrée, then surely pumpkin pie is that holiday's must-have dessert. Pumpkins are native to the New World and the Pilgrims made good use of them in those early lean years around what is now Plymouth, Massachusetts. In fact, the first Thanksgiving dinner, in 1621, featured pumpkin pudding baked in a hollowed-out pumpkin shell—the precursor of today's pie.

Since pumpkin is such a rich, earthy flavor, we enjoy making this deep-gold pie in a crust to match: one made from whole wheat and oats, with a touch of cinnamon.

Yield: One 9-inch pie, 8 to 10 servings
Baking temperature: 425°F, then 350°F
Baking time: 50 minutes

Crust
2/3 cup (2 ¼ ounces) old-fashioned or quick-cooking rolled oats, ground for 30 seconds in a food processor
1/3 cup (1 ¼ ounces) traditional whole wheat flour
1/3 cup (1 3/8 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons (1 ounce) firmly packed light or dark brown sugar
¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons (¾ stick, 3 ounces) cold unsalted butter
3 to 4 tablespoons (1 ½ to 2 ounces) cold milk or half-and-half

Filling
1 ¾ cups (15-ounce can) canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
3 large eggs
1 cup (8 ounces) half-and-half
¾ cup (9 ounces) honey
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons dark or spiced rum (optional)

To make the crust: Whisk together the oats, flours, sugar, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl. Cut the butter into small cubes and work it into the dry ingredients using your fingers, a pastry blender or fork, or a mixer until the dough is unevenly crumbly. Sprinkle in the milk (or half-and-half), continuing to mix until the dough is cohesive. Grab a handful; if it holds together willingly and doesn't seem at all dry or crumbly, you've added enough liquid.

Shape the dough into a disk. Roll on its edge along a floured work surface, as though the disk were a wheel, to smooth the edges out. Pat the disk till it's about 1 inch thick, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight or for up to 3 days.

About 30 minutes before you're ready to assemble the pie, remove the dough from the refrigerator. Allow it to warm a bit and become flexible, 15 to 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 425°F.

Flour your work surface, and roll the dough into a 12-inch circle. It may crack a bit around the edge; that's OK. Just patch the crust once it's in the pan. Transfer the dough to a regular (not deep-dish) 9-inch pie pan that's at least 1 ¼ inches deep. Trim and crimp the edges, making a tall crimp. Place the crust in the refrigerator to chill while you prepare the filling.

To make the filling:
Mix together all the filling ingredients in a large bowl until smooth.

To assemble and bake the pie: Remove the crust from the refrigerator. Pour in the filling. Cover the edge of the crust with a crust shield or foil. Place the pie on the bottom rack of your oven, and bake it for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F, move the pie to the middle rack, and bake until the temperature at the center is at least 170°F, and a knife inserted 1 inch from the edge comes out moist but clean, 35 minutes more. Remove the pie from the oven and cool to room temperature (or chill) before serving. Serve with whipped cream, if desired.

Nutrition information per serving (1 slice, 1/10 pie, 138g): 11g whole grains, 285 cal, 13g fat, 5g protein, 16g complex carbohydrates, 24g sugar, 3g dietary fiber, 94mg cholesterol, 198mg sodium, 217mg potassium, 444RE vitamin A, 2mg vitamin C, 2mg iron, 65mg calcium, 123mg phosphorus.

Variation:
Pumpkin Praline Pie
Praline filling:
1/3 cup (1 ¼ ounces) finely chopped pecans
1/3 cup (2 ½ ounces) firmly packed light or dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons (1 ounce) unsalted butter, melted
Mix together the nuts, sugar and butter in a small bowl. Sprinkle the praline layer in the bottom of the crust before pouring in the pumpkin filling. Bake as directed above.

Copyright © 2006 by King Arthur Flour. All rights reserved