Milk Bar: Cinnamon Bun Pie
Milk Bar is the creation of baking wizard Christina Tosi. She, along with Momofuku owner David Chang, combined forces to create one of NYC’s most popular bakery in 2008. Tosi’s creative and whimsical style has created some of the most popular and delicious treats in New York City and across the U.S. and Canada. Her creations top the list for aesthetically pleasing and irresistibly delicious.
The Cinnamon Bun Pie is a delicious cheat day treat. It takes some time to construct but the end result is worth it. Our favorite part was the liquid cheesecake, which really sets off the flavors in the pie. We did mess up on our first attempt. The dough was a little dry because, once again, overcooked it. We were using an older oven and the center of the pie seemed to have a tough time cooking. As a result, the outer crust was a little crispy and dry. It was a complete user error. You can find this recipe in Milk Momofuku Milk Bar by Christina Tosi, foreword by David Chang.
Recipe
Ingredients
To make the Pie
- 1 recipe Mother Dough proofed (recipe follows)
- 3 tbsp flour — for dusting
- 1/4 cup brown butter
- 1 recipe liquid cheesecake recipe follows
- 1/4 cup brown sugar tightly packed
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 recipe cinnamon streusel recipe follows
Mother Dough
- 275 g bread flour — you can use all purpose if that’s all you have
- 6 g 1/2 tbsp salt
- 1/2 tsp instant dry yeast
- 190 g water at room temperature
- Grapeseed oil
Liquid Cheesecake
- 1 – 8 oz block cream cheese
- 150 g sugar
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 2 tbsp milk
- 1 egg
Cinnamon Streusel
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1/4 cup rolled oats
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tbsp butter melted
- 1/8 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
To make the Mother Dough:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, stir together the flour, salt, and yeast. Slowly add the water while you continue to stir. Mix for 1 minute by hand until the mixture has become a shaggy mess.
- Engage the bowl and dough hook and have the machine mix the dough on the lowest speed for 3 minutes or until smooth and cohesive.
- Knead 4 more minutes or until it looks like a wet ball – it should bounce back when lightly poked.
To make the cheesecake
- Heat the oven to 300 degrees F.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix the cream cheese on medium speed for 2 minutes, or until fairly smooth. Scrape down the bowl.
- Pour in the sugar and mix for an additional 1 to 2 minutes, or until well combined. Scrape down the bowl.
- In a smaller separate bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and salt. Then mix in the milk and egg into one uniform mixture.
- Pour the egg and cornstarch mixture into the cream cheese mixture and combine on medium low speed for 3 to 4 minutes.
- Scrape down the sides and pour into a greased 6×6 inch cake pan.
- Bake for 15 minutes. It is done when the middle is still jiggly but the outside is slightly set. Keep in the fridge for 1 week.
- Brush a large bowl with oil, move the dough into the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and proof at room temperature for 45 minutes, or until almost doubled in size.
- The dough stays good at this point for 3 days in a well wrapped container. Bring the dough to room temperature before using.
To make the streusel
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, oats, cinnamon, salt, and brown sugar until well combined.
- Lightly toss the dry mixture with the melted butter and vanilla until almond-size clusters form.
To Make the pie
- Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Punch down and flatten the proofed dough. Take a pinch of flour and dust your counter and rolling pin.
- Stretch your dough (like your making a pizza) and roll it to about 11 inches in diameter and about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick.
- Gently place the dough in your pie pan and press it into place. Place the pie pan on a cookie sheet.
- Spread 1/2 the brown butter in an even layer over the dough.
- Using a separate spoon, carefully spread 1/2 the liquid cheesecake in an even layer over the brown butter.
- Gently spread the remaining brown butter over the cheesecake layer and spread it as evenly as your can.
- Scatter the brown sugar over the butter. Tap it down with the back of your hand to keep it in place.
- Sprinkle evenly with the salt and cinnamon.
- Gently spread the remaining cheesecake over everything.
- Sprinkle evenly with the cinnamon streusel.
- Bake the pie for 40 minutes. After 40 minutes give it a little shake. The center should be slightly jiggly but set towards the edges. If you feel you need to bake a bit longer, check every 5 minutes until done.
- Cool the pie on a wire rack and serve warm
