The Best Pecan Pie

Preheat oven to 350°F convection or 375°F conventional. If using homemade pie dough, roll out one portion of pie dough on a lightly floured surface until about 1/8th inch thick. Chill 30 minutes flat on a baking sheet.

Place chilled dough on top of a 9 inch pie dish or tin. Allow to warm up just enough to be workable. Lift up the edges and allow it to settle on the bottom. Gently press the sides to fit the dish allowing the edges to overhang the dish. Start on one side and roll the edges under towards the dish. Roll until you reach the dish then gently press it down on the dish to seal. Repeat with the rest of the crust.

Flute the edges by pressing one knuckle on the outside and two knuckles around it from the inside of the crust. Chill for 10-30 minutes depending on how warm it got.

Line the inside of the chilled crust with parchment. Fill with pie weights, beans or rice. I find beans work best. Bake crust 15-20 minutes and then remove the weights and parchment. I remove the parchment and weights when the crust has just begun to brown and doesn’t look raw anymore. If you remove it too soon, the crust will still slide down the sides of the dish particularly if you are using a ceramic dish.

Reduce oven temperature to 275℉ once crust is baked.

In a medium, heat-proof bowl positioned over a simmering double boiler, melt the butter. Remove the bowl from the heat and stir in the sugar and salt until they are completely absorbed into the butter. It will look like an emulsified bread batter.

Whisk in eggs, then the corn syrup and vanilla until smooth.

Return the bowl to the double boiler and stir until a thermometer reads 130°F or the mixture is shiny and hot to the touch. Remove from the heat and stir in pecans. Remember that this step is optional. If you skip, pre-cooking the filling, then your final bake time will be closer to 1 ¼ hours.

Pour pecan mixture into the partially baked crust. Bake until the filling looks set but yields like Jell-O when gently pressed with the back of the spoon or your fingers.

Let pie cool complete on a wire rack before cutting.