Buttermilk Pie

My friend Sweet Jenny requested my Buttermilk Pie recipe, and I am happy to oblige!  Buttermilk Pie has been my go-to dish for holidays since I was in college.  Inexpensive ingredients, no fancy baking techniques needed, super delicious, etc.  The only thing I have changed over the years is the amount of sugar.  I used to make it with 1 1/2 cups of sugar, but I have decreased it a little to 1 1/3 cups (mainly because I have become a bit more sensitive to sweets).  Feel free to play around with the recipe some.  You can reduce the sugar to just one cup, or do the full 1 1/2 cups, depending on the severity of your sweet tooth.  Some may want to add in some nutmeg or cinnamon, and some like a squeeze of lemon.  I'm a purist though; I stick with the basics.  

INGREDIENTS

1 1/3 cups White Sugar

1/2 cup Butter, Melted 
3 Large Eggs
1 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
3 tbsp All Purpose Flour

Pinch of Salt

1 Cup Full Fat Buttermilk
Optional:  1 tbsp lemon juice 
1 frozen Deep Dish Pie Crust

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees

2. In a large mixing bowl, beat the sugar with the melted butter (make sure butter has cooled some and is not hot!).  Next beat in the eggs.  Once well mixed, stir in the vanilla.  

3.  Add in the salt and flour, and then pour in the buttermilk (and the lemon juice if using), and beat until smooth.  

4. Pour the batter into the pie crust. It might be helpful to put the pie crust on a baking pan, because it can be hard to keep the pie steady!

5. Reduce the temperature to 350 and bake for 50-60 minutes.  If your crust is cooking faster than the batter (like mine always does), cut a hole in some aluminum foil and put over your pie, so the crust is covered for the last 15-20 minutes of the baking time.

6. When you take out the pie, do the wobble test--if it only wobbles a little, it is done. If it is really wobbly, put it back in, but check on it every 5-10 minutes. Don't worry about a little wobble; the pie will continue to cook even after it's removed from the oven

7. Let it cool for 30 minutes before putting it in the fridge. I personally think buttermilk pie tastes better after it has sat for a day.  I also like to eat it cold, but some may prefer it warm. Regardless, it should be stored in the fridge.