Butter Pie - flour

Method

• Make the crust: In a bowl, mix the flour, salt and sugar.
• Add butter and gently toss with the dry ingredients until evenly coated.
• Using fingertips and thumbs, press each cube of butter into a thin leaf, and continue tossing in flour.
• When all butter is coated, add ice water one tablespoon at a time.
• Continue tossing gently until mixture starts to look ragged and just holds together when squeezed.
• Wrap loosely in plastic, waxed paper or parchment.
• Press dough down firmly into a disk.
• Refrigerate at least 30 minutes, or up to one day, before rolling.
• (Dough will keep frozen for up to a month).
• Heat oven to 350 degrees.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll chilled dough into a circle 12 inches in diameter and 1/4-inch thick.
• Transfer to a deep-dish 9-inch pie pan, lifting dough to let it settle into corners of pan; do not stretch it.
• Turn edges under to make a thick rim; flute the rim, pinching it into a zigzag pattern.
• Line crust with parchment or foil and cover bottom with pie weights, dried beans or raw rice.
• Bake in lower half of oven for 15 to 20 minutes, then remove weights and bake in upper half of oven 5 to 10 minutes, until just golden on edges.
• Meanwhile, make the filling: In a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter and brown sugar together at medium speed until sugar looks like wet sand.
• Add salt and vanilla extract.
• With mixer running, add eggs one at a time and beat until creamy and light, about a minute.
• Mix in cranberries, if using.
• Scrape filling into parbaked crust.
• Place pie on a sheet pan and bake in center of oven for 25 to 35 minutes, until top looks dry and browned.
• The filling will form a skin and puff slightly, then deflate as it cools and sets.
• Let cool at least one hour, then wrap and refrigerate until serving, at least one hour or overnight.
• Serve cold with very lightly sweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.