Page 320 - Pie Squared

at once and process just until a shaggy dough forms, only a minute
or so.

Empty the dough, floury bits, and loose flour from the processor
work bowl onto the counter. Use a bench scraper to gather the
dough, pressing along the sides and patting the top gently, lifting and
folding the dough over and patting it down, and evening the sides

with the bench scraper. Continue to fold and pat 4 or 5 times, until a
cohesive mass emerges. Press it out to a ½-inch thickness using
your fingertips or a well-floured rolling pin.
Cut out 24 biscuits with a 1½-inch round cutter, or use the bench

scraper to cut one-and-a-half-inch square biscuits. Discard the
scraps.
Spoon the sausage gravy over the cracker crust, smooth, and top
with the biscuits. Slide into the oven (on top of the steel, stone, or

baking sheet if using) and bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the
biscuits are good and brown.
As soon as the pie comes out of the oven, generously brush the
tops of the biscuits with the melted butter. Serve the pie hot.

Techniques: Cracker Crumb Crusts (here), Blind Baking (here), Baby
Biscuits (here)

Swaps:

Try it with a blind-baked (see here) Leaf Lard Crust (here).

Add a big pinch of crushed red pepper to the gravy with the milk.

Trade out the breakfast sausage for Italian mild sausage and
substitute white wine for the coffee.

For lofty, flaky biscuits, White Lily flour is the best choice, but all-
purpose flour may be substituted.