Cinnamon Bun Pie

Directions

1. 1
   Heat the oven to 350F.
2. 2
   Punch down and flatten the proofed dough.
3. 3
   Take a pinch of flour and throw it across the surface of a smooth dry countertop as if you were skipping a rock on water, to lightly coat the counter.
4. 4
   Take another pinch of flour and lightly dust a rolling pin.
5. 5
   Use the rolling pin to flatten the punched-down circle of dough, then roll out the dough with the rolling pin or stretch the dough out by hand as if you were making a pizza from scratch.
6. 6
   Your end goal is to create a large circle that is approximately 11 inches in diameter.
7. 7
   Keep your 10-inch pie tin nearby for reference.
8. 8
   The 11-inch dough round should be 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick.
9. 9
   Gently place the dough in the pie tin.
10. 10
    Alternate between using your fingers and palms of your hands to press the dough firmly into place.
11. 11
    Put the pie tin on a sheet pan.
12. 12
    Use the back of a spoon to spread half of the brown butter in an even layer over the dough.
13. 13
    Use the back of another spoon (you dont want brown butter in your creamy white cheesecake layer!)
14. 14
    to spread half the liquid cheesecake in an even layer over the brown butter.
15. 15
    Spread the remaining brown butter in an even layer over the liquid cheesecake.
16. 16
    Scatter the brown sugar on top of the brown butter.
17. 17
    Tamp it down with the back of your hand to help keep it in place.
18. 18
    Then sprinkle evenly with the salt and cinnamon.
19. 19
    Now for the trickiest layer: the remaining liquid cheesecake.
20. 20
    Stay cool, and spread it as gently as you can to achieve the most even layer possible.
21. 21
    Sprinkle the streusel evenly on top of the cheesecake layer.
22. 22
    Use the back of your hand to secure the streusel.
23. 23
    Bake the pie for 40 minutes.
24. 24
    The crust will puff and brown, the liquid cheesecake will set firm, and the streusel topping will crunch up and brown.
25. 25
    After 40 minutes, gently shake the pan.
26. 26
    The center of the pie should be slightly jiggly.
27. 27
    The filling should be set toward the outer boundaries of the pie tin.
28. 28
    If some of the filling erupted onto the sheet pan below, dont worryconsider it a snack for later.
29. 29
    If necessary, bake for an additional 5 minutes, until the pie meets the description above.
30. 30
    Cool the pie on a wire rack.
31. 31
    To store, cool the pie completely and wrap well in plastic wrap.
32. 32
    In the fridge, the pie will keep fresh for 3 days (the crust gets stale quickly); in the freezer, it will keep for 1 month.
33. 33
    When you are ready to serve the pie, know that its best served warm!
34. 34
    Slice and microwave each slice on high for 30 seconds, or warm the whole pie in a 250F oven for 10 to 20 minutes, then slice and serve.
35. 35
    While I tried to have the recipes in this book build chapter-by-chapter on those that came before, sometimes that wasnt possible.
36. 36
    So jump ahead and read about the mother dough (page 218) before you get going on this pie.