The kitchen at Palestine, Texas’s Oxbow Bakery may be small, but mother-and-son team Becky and David Wolfe make about 400 pies around Thanksgiving alone. David estimates that 60% of their business comes from out of town–and even from outside of Texas. “A lady from Houston just grabbed me and hugged me with tears in her eyes,” says Becky. “She said she hadn’t had pie like this since her mother passed.” This pecan pie is one of their—and our Test Kitchens’—favorites. Whether you're setting up a buffet table of multiple pies this Thanksgiving or looking for the best pecan pie to be the showstopper, this recipe is perfect.
By David and Becky Wolfe, Oxbow Bakery Ingredients Piecrust
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup plus 1 to 2 Tbsp. ice water, if needed
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
10 tablespoons vegetable shortening
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Filling
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup plus 2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
1 cup plus 2 Tbsp. light corn syrup
4 extra-large eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/8 teaspoon salt
2 cups chopped pecans
Directions Instructions Checklist
Step 1Prepare the Piecrust: Place salt and 1⁄4 cup of the water in a glass measuring cup. Stir to dissolve salt; chill 30 minutes.
Step 2Place flour in a large bowl. Cut in shortening, using a pastry blender, until crumbly. Drizzle cold salted water over flour mixture. Toss lightly with a fork until dough comes together, adding 1 to 2 tablespoons ice water, if needed.
Step 3Form dough into a disk. Wrap with plastic wrap, and chill 30 minutes.
Step 4Preheat oven to 425°F. Roll dough disk into a 14-inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Carefully transfer to a 9 1⁄2-inch deep-dish pie plate, and press into bottom and up sides of pie plate. Trim Piecrust, leaving about 1 inch around edges; reserve dough scraps. Fold edges under and crimp. Bake in preheated oven just until crust is set, about 4 minutes. Let cool 2 to 3 minutes on a wire rack, and fill in any cracks with leftover dough scraps so there are no openings in any of the crust. Cool 30 minutes. Brush lightly with beaten egg. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F.
Step 5Prepare the Filling: Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium. Add sugar, and cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture starts bubbling, 3 to 4 minutes. Add corn syrup, and cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture starts bubbling, 3 to 4 minutes.
Step 6Remove from heat, and cool 5 minutes. Slowly whisk about 1 cup hot mixture into beaten eggs; slowly whisk beaten egg mixture back into hot sugar mixture, and whisk until thoroughly incorporated. Whisk in vanilla and salt. Stir in pecans.
Step 7Pour Filling into cooled crust. Bake at 350°F until pie is cooked through and set in the middle, 40 to 45 minutes. Cover edges with aluminum foil after 30 to 35 minutes to prevent overbrowning. (The center will rise a little at the end but will settle when cooled.) Let cool completely (about 2 hours) before slicing.