Pat-in-the-pan Pie Crust

Total Time: 1 hr 50 mins Preparation Time: 1 hr 15 mins Cook Time: 35 mins

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup cream cheese, softened (2 ounces by weight)
• 8 tablespoons butter, softened (1 stick)
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon table salt

Recipe

• 1 in a stand mixer (or a large bowl with an electric hand beater), cream together cream cheese and butter on medium-high for 2 minutes until fully combined. scrape down sides of bowl.
• 2 whisk together flour, sugar and salt. add to mixer bowl and stir on medium-low until until it resembles corn meal, then on medium-high until it all sticks together. remove 3 tbsp of dough and reserve.
• 3 flour workbench lightly. turn dough out onto floured board. knead lightly until well-combined. pat out into a 6" circle, and transfer to a greased 9" pie plate. using heel of hand, press dough out to sides of pan. using fingertips, push dough smooth and even, working it up the sides of the pan.
• 4 roll out reserved dough into a rope about 12" long (use a ruler!). cut into three 4" lengths, then roll each piece out to 8" long. lay the 3 ropes along the upper edge of the pie pan, pressing lightly into the dough already in the pan. flute the edge as you would a rolled crust. cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour. (dough can be held up to 2 days in the refrigerator, or 1 month in the freezer if double wrapped.).
• 5 prick the bottom of the dough all over with a fork (try not to go all the way through to the pan, or the filling might leak). bake in preheated 325°f oven for about 35 minutes until golden brown.