It’s officially pie season! With a multitude of holidays coming up at the end of the year it’s time for us to hone our pie making skills to impress friends and family at the dessert table. We’re starting off easy with a classic pecan pie, but not without a few Brod-ifications. We’ve subbed in about 65% fresh milled Whole Grain Rye flour into our crust to give it a distinct flavour and texture, the remaining flour being fresh milled Prairie Hard Red for structure. In our filling we use a mix of butter, eggs, brown sugar, cinnamon, and honey. We’ve added a splash of rye whisky for a little kick, hence the name Rye-Rye Honey Pecan Pie.
Recipe
Crust
+ 210g fresh milled whole grain rye flour
+ 110g fresh milled sifted prairie hard red
+ 2 tsp sugar
+ 1 tsp salt
+ 230g cold unsalted butter, diced
+ 120mL ice water
Filling
+ 3 whole eggs
+ 1 cup honey
+ 100g dark brown sugar
+ 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
+ 60g melted butter
+ 1/2 tsp cinnamon
+ pinch of salt
+ a splash of rye whisk
Method
- Prepare your crust. Place your flours, sugar, and salt in a large bowl or in a food processor. Mix/pulse it a few times to combine all the dry ingredients together. It is best to mix your pie dough with a fork or pastry cutter if using a bowl.
- Add your butter cubes a few at a time, mixing/pulsing between additions. Once all the butter is added it should be pea-sized and evenly distributed within the flour.
- Start adding your ice water 2 tbsp at a time, mixing/pulsing between tbsps. You may not need all your water depending on a few factors like moisture in the air, flour hydration levels, etc. Add water until your dough comes together.
- Once the dough looks thoroughly hydrated, dump it onto your work surface and form it into a ball. Divide the dough into two halves (this recipe makes 2 pie crusts).
- Enclose the dough halves in plastic wrap and roll them into 1 inch discs with a rolling pin. Refrigerate the dough for at least 1 to 2 hours before use.
- Once the dough has rested, roll out one half of the dough into a circle big enough to overlap your pie dish (we used a standard 9-inch glass dish). Make sure to be generous with flour on both sides so the dough doesn’t stick to your work surface. It is best to roll from the centre out instead of back and forth. If the dough cracks just push it back together with your fingers.
- Place the dough into the pie dish, focus on pushing the sides into the dish before the bottom. This will help prevent any air pockets while baking or tears when assembling the pie.
- Trim any overhang so that there is about 3/4 of an inch left over. Fold this excess in on itself to create a thick outer crust. You can crimp the dough with a fork or with your fingers.
- Chill your crust for at least 30 minutes before baking to prevent shrinkage in the oven.
- Pre-heat the oven to 350F
- While the crust chills, assemble your filling. In a large bowl whisk together eggs, honey, brown sugar, vanilla, salt and cinnamon. Stream in your melted butter and whisk to combine. Make sure it has cooled a bit so it doesn’t cook the eggs.
- Fold in your pecans until they’re fully coated in the mixture.
- Remove your crust from the fridge and pour in your filling.
- Place the pie on the middle rack of your oven and set a timer for 25 minutes. After the first timer, rotate the pie and bake for an additional 25 minutes. Keep an eye on it towards the end of the second bake, depending on your oven it make take less or more time to bake. It may be necessary to tent the pie with aluminum foil if the edges are getting too dark.
- If you’re unsure if the pie is baked you can give it a gentle shake – only the middle should move. Another option is to take the internal temperature in the middle of the pie, it should be 200F.
- Let the pie cool at least 30 minutes or overnight before serving. Serve with whipped cream or on it’s own!
