Preheat the oven to 350°F convection or 375°F conventional. If using homemade pie crust, 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. This allows the gluten to relax and the butter to resolidify.

Press one pie crust dough into the bottom and sides of your pie plate. Flute the edges as desired. 

Crumple a piece of parchment paper and line the inside of the chilled crust. Fill with pie weights, beans or rice. I find beans work best.

Bake crust for 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.

Microwave the dulce de leche in a microwave-safe bowl until it’s easy to stir and drips off the spoon. This will help the dulce de leche (which is really thick straight from the can) to incorporate into the pumpkin pie filling.

In a medium bowl, whisk all ingredients (except pie crust) together until combined. Make sure there are no streaks of egg white and the filling is smooth.

Pour into a parbaked shell. Bake in a preheated oven for 35-40 minutes or until set on the edges and jiggles slightly in the center. The pumpkin pie filling will puff and will move as one unit like Jello or cheesecake. Try not to poke the pie with a knife or cake tester to test for doneness. Poking makes it crack as it cools.

The pumpkin pie will set perfectly and not crack if allowed to cool completely prior to cutting. Serve at room temperature or refrigerated.