Sweet Potato Pie with Fonio Crust
November 17, 2021 by Amethyst Ganaway
Sweet potatoes are used a lot in cooking throughout the African diaspora, and one of my favorite ways to eat them as a Southerner is in a sweet potato pie. Warm spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice wafting through the air brings cozy, holiday, family vibes. If you don’t have a secret family recipe passed down to you (we can’t all be so lucky!), you can impress your guests (and yourself) this year with this easy canned sweet potato pie with a gluten-free fonio crust. It’s easy to make for even the most novice baker and good enough to eat year round.
Ingredients
- 1 cup Yolélé fonio, cooked according to package and cooled
- 1 ½ cups oat flour
- 1 cup almond flour
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 6 tablespoons butter, cubed and chilled
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 pound dry beans or pie weights (to blind bake the crust)
- 1 ½ cups canned sweet potatoes or 2 to 3 roasted, peeled, and puréed medium sweet potatoes
- ½ cup white sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 4 tablespoons (½ stick) butter, softened
- ¼ cup evaporated milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground allspice
- ½ teaspoon lemon zest
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 large eggs, beaten well
Preparation
- 01 .
Add the flours, sugar, salt, and butter to a bowl. Rub your hands together quickly, letting the butter and dry ingredients come together in between. Continue rubbing until the mixture resembles sand (this method is also known as “sanding”).
- 02 .
Add egg, cooked and cooled fonio, and vanilla to butter mixture and gently knead until dough is formed. Roll into a ball and wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
- 03 .
Preheat the oven to 350℉. Unwrap dough. Tearing off large hunks, mold it into a 9” pie dish. Distribute evenly, making sure the crust is about ½-inch thick. You may have leftover dough depending on the exact size of your dish.
- 04 .
Cover the crust with parchment paper and add dried beans or pie weights. Bake for 30 minutes, or until dough is fully set and a toothpick comes out clean. Remove and let fully cool at room temperature, about 15 minutes.
- 05 .
In a large bowl or stand mixer, mix all of the filling ingredients together, add the beaten eggs last and mix well to incorporate.
- 06 .
Pour the filling into the crust and smooth the top. Carefully place into the oven and bake until the center has set and a toothpick comes out clean in the middle, about 1 hour. Let fully cool (about 2 hours) on the counter uncovered before slicing and serving. Serve with whipped cream and/or vanilla ice cream.
