HOW TO MAKE PIE CRUST FOR PUMPKIN PIE RECIPES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425° F. To make pie crust, add flour, cinnamon, ginger, sugar, salt and cloves to bowl of a food processor fitted with dough blade. Pulse to combine.
• Cut cold butter into cubes and add to food processor. Pulse until mixture has pea-sized clumps of butter throughout.
• Pour 4 tablespoons cold water over mixture and pulse until dough begins to come together. Be careful not to overmix at this point. Dump dough onto a clean, floured work surface.
• Gather mixture into a ball. Drizzle with more cold water if needed, being careful to add just enough water to make a shaggy dough. Pat into a disc and roll into a 12-inch circle. Transfer dough to a 9-inch pie plate.
• To make the filling, whisk together the sugar, cinnamon, salt, ginger and cloves in a small bowl.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and pumpkin. Stir in the sugar spice mixture. Gradually stir in the evaporated milk until fully combined.
• Pour filling into prepared pie crust. Bake at 425° F for 15 minutes.
• Reduce heat to 375° F and continue baking for 45 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 2 hours before serving.

Steps:

• Make the dough by hand. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt. Using your fingers, work the butter into the dry ingredients until it resembles yellow corn meal mixed with bean-sized bits of butter. (If the flour/butter mixture gets warm, refrigerate it for 10 minutes before proceeding.) Add the egg and stir the dough together with a fork or by hand in the bowl. If the dough is dry, sprinkle up to a tablespoon more of cold water over the mixture. 
• Alternatively, make the dough in a food processor. With the machine fitted with the metal blade, pulse the flour, sugar, and salt until combined. Add the butter and pulse until it resembles yellow corn meal mixed with bean-sized bits of butter, about 10 times. Add the egg and pulse 1 to 2 times; don't let the dough form into a ball in the machine. (If the dough is very dry add up to a tablespoon more of cold water.) Remove the bowl from the machine, remove the blade, and bring the dough together by hand. 
• Form the dough into a disk, wrap with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, at least 1 hour. 
• On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough with a rolling pin into a 12-inch circle about 1/8-inch thick. Transfer the dough to a 9-inch pie pan and trim the edges, leaving about an extra inch hanging over the edge. Tuck the overhanging dough underneath itself to form a thick edge that is even with the rim. Flute the edge as desired. Freeze the pie shell for 30 minutes. 
• Set separate racks in the center and lower third of oven and preheat to 400 degrees F. Put a piece of parchment paper or foil over the pie shell and fill with dried beans or pie weights. Bake on a baking sheet on the center rack until the dough is set, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and lift sides of the parchment paper to remove the beans. Continue baking until the pie shell is lightly golden brown, about 10 more minutes. Cool on a rack. 
• Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. 
• While the pie shell is cooling make the filling. In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, brown sugar, eggs, half-and-half, spices, and salt until smooth. Return the pie shell to the baking sheet and pour in the filling. 
• Bake on the lower oven rack until the edges of the filling are set but the center is still slightly loose, about 50 to 60 minutes. (If the edges get very dark, cover them with aluminum foil.) Cool on a rack. Serve room temperature or slightly warm.