Baked Brie with Homemade Pie Crust

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar and salt. Cut the butter into 1/4-inch cubes and sprinkle over the dough. Using your fingers, pinch the cubes between your fingers while stirring; your goal is to have as many tiny flakes of butter distributed throughout the flour as possible. Big chunks of butter are not allowed, unless you want greasy holes in your crust.

Add the ice water and stir until a soft dough comes together. Add more water, a teaspoon at a time, if dough seems dry or crumbly. The dough should be slightly sticky and very soft, but not unmanageable.

Wrap dough with plastic wrap and let it rest in the fridge for at least 20 minutes.

A few minutes before the dough is done resting, preheat your oven to 400 F. On a lightly floured surface or between two pieces of plastic wrap, roll out the dough until it is large enough to cover your wheel of brie. If you have a smaller wheel, your dough may be able to entirely enclose the brie. With my larger 13.5 ounce wheel, I was only able to cover the top and sides of the brie, tucking the edges underneath.

Shave some of the rind off the top of the wheel if you like (leave the bottom intact for your best chance at minimizing cheese ooze) and spread the top liberally with jam. Enclose the wheel in dough and place on a baking sheet, jam side up and seam side down. Brush the pie dough with a few teaspoons of milk, butter, or a bit of egg. Top with sliced almonds if desired—they’ll toast in the oven.

Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until crust is golden brown. Remove from oven and drizzle with honey if desired. Let it sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Adapted from Oh Ladycakes.