Sweet Potato Pie

SOURCE: DOLESTER MILES FOR GARDEN AND GUN MAGAZINE

INGREDIENTS

For the crust:

• 1 stick (113g) very cold unsalted butter, cut into small ½” cubes
• 150g Ground Up All Purpose or Pastry Flour
• ¼ tsp fine sea salt
• ¼ cup (60g) ice water (+ a few tablespoons as needed) 

For the filling:

• 3 medium sweet potatoes (scrubbed clean)
• 2 large eggs
• 3⁄4 cup sugar
• 1⁄2 tsp. ground ginger
• 1⁄2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. nutmeg
• 1⁄2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 3⁄4 cup whole milk, at room temp
• 1 tsp. orange zest
• 1 stick butter, melted

INSTRUCTIONS

For the crust:

1. Mix flour and salt in a large bowl. Add the butter cubes and toss to combine, then use a pastry cutter or fork to cut and crumble the butter pieces into the flour until the butter pieces are about pea-sized or lentil-sized and the flour/butter mixture looks pebbly. Add the water and mix with a fork, hydrating the flour-butter mixture, until it begins to hold together. Fresh, stone-milled flour is thirsty, so you may need to add a bit more water, but do it sparingly, one tablespoon at a time, only until the dough is moist and no dry flour remains.
2. Dump this mixture onto your kitchen counter and bring it together with your hands in a gentle kneading action. Fold the dough over itself a few times, but don’t overmix it. You should still be able to see chunks of marbled butter in the dough. Bring the dough together and form into a disc. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (or up to 3 days) before rolling.
3. When ready to roll, lightly flour your work surface, your rolling pin and both sides of the chilled dough disc. Remove the dough from the fridge. Bang it a few times with your rolling pin to soften it up, and then begin to roll it into a circle. Roll from the middle outwards towards the ends, rotating the dough as you go, making sure it is not sticking to your counter. You can use a dough scraper to free up any sticky bits. Roll the dough into roughly an 11” circle.
4. Fit the dough into your pie tin, gently pressing it to the bottom and sides, leaving about ½” overhang all around. Roll the edges under and seal with a fork or finger crimp. Return to the refrigerator until ready to fill. 

For the filling and pie:

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. Bake sweet potatoes for at least 30 minutes or until fork tender. Allow to cool. Peel.
3. Place peeled sweet potatoes in the bowl of food processor and process until completely smooth. Add the remaining ingredients and process to a slightly whipped, light consistency.
4. Raise oven temperature to 425°F.
5. Pour filling into the chilled crust and bake for 15 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 350°F and bake for an additional 30-40 minutes, until the filling is puffed and looks set (a little wobble is fine, it will firm up as it cools. iAllow the pie to cool completely before slicing.