Brown Sugar Pie
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). In a saucepan, combine flour and sugar. Stir in milk, butter, salt, and vanilla. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes to a boil. Pour into an unbaked pie shell. Bake at 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) for 5 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and continue baking for 25 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). In a saucepan, combine flour and sugar. Stir in milk, butter, salt, and vanilla. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes to a boil. Pour into an unbaked pie shell. Bake at 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) for 5 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and continue baking for 25 minutes.
- Carbohydrate 67.9069362935335 g
- Cholesterol 42.7935875065405 mg
- Fat 12.9909483983252 g
- Fiber 0.159307294528478 g
- Protein 7.17418756277437 g
- Saturated Fat 8.01322174739987 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (163g)
- Sodium 231.393995882768 mg
- Sugar 67.747628999005 g
- Trans Fat 0.791170983514105 g
- Calories 409 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
- In a saucepan, combine flour and sugar. Stir in milk, butter, salt and vanilla. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil. Pour into an unbaked pie shell.
- Bake at 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) for 5 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and continue baking for 25 minutes.
Allowing the flour and brown sugar mixture to sit without constant motion creates scorching on the bottom of the pan before the starches can hydrate properly. Whisking continuously over medium heat ensures that the flour distributes evenly throughout the evaporated milk and melted butter. Evaporated milk contains less than sixty percent of the water found in fresh milk, which provides a concentrated protein base that thickens predictably when heated on the stove. This pre-cooking phase gelatinizes the starch granules, giving the filling enough structural integrity to hold its shape once poured into the unbaked crust.
Sucrose and molasses in the brown sugar interact with the dairy proteins through Maillard reactions during the baking process, developing deep caramel notes. Starting the bake at 400 degrees F for five minutes shocks the crust pastry with high heat, setting the fat layers before they melt out completely. Dropping the thermostat to 350 degrees F for the remaining twenty-five minutes prevents the sugars from burning while the center finishes setting to a firm, sliceable consistency. Using a heavy-bottomed aluminum saucepan prevents hot spots that typically ruin sugar-based custards during the initial stovetop thickening stage.
Bakers needing to avoid dairy can substitute full-fat canned coconut milk at a one-to-one ratio for the evaporated milk, though the resulting pie will carry a distinct coconut aroma. Gluten-free flour blends containing xanthan gum work adequately as a thickening agent, provided they are whisked thoroughly to prevent grittiness in the finished filling. Because this pie contains dairy and eggs, storing it covered in the refrigerator for up to four days maintains food safety, though the crust texture degrades slightly past forty-eight hours.
Chilling the baked pie thoroughly before slicing yields clean wedges because the starches require time to retrograde and firm completely at cold temperatures. Cutting into a warm pie releases steam that breaks the fragile gel matrix, turning what should be a neat slice into a runny puddle on the plate. Serving the dessert chilled or at room temperature highlights the molasses notes without masking the subtle vanilla undertones added at the beginning of preparation.
