Dough
Step 1
Whisk 1⅔ cups (208 g) all-purpose flour, 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt, and ¼ tsp. baking powder in a big bowl. Add 2 oz. chilled cream cheese, lower into 1″ items, and rub into dry components together with your fingers to include (combination will look very shaggy). Add 10 Tbsp. chilled unsalted butter, lower into ½”-thick slices, and toss to coat in flour combination, then smash into smaller, flatter items (about dime-size). Make a properly within the middle; pour in ¼ cup ice water. Toss with a fork or your palms to distribute, then knead in bowl a pair instances to convey dough collectively (some dry bits might stay).
Step 2
Flip dough out onto a floor flippantly dusted with rice flour or all-purpose flour; mud high of dough and roll out to a ½”-thick rectangle. Fold in half, rotate 90°, and fold in half once more. Roll out to a ½”-thick rectangle and repeat folding course of, dusting with extra flour as wanted. Pat right into a ½”-thick disk; wrap tightly in plastic. Chill a minimum of 2 hours and, ideally, as much as 12 hours.
Do Forward: Dough could be made 1 month forward. Double wrap in plastic and freeze as an alternative of chilling. Thaw in a single day in fridge earlier than utilizing.
Filling and meeting
Step 3
Let dough sit at room temperature 5 minutes. Roll out on a flippantly floured floor right into a 14″ spherical. Wrap round rolling pin and switch to a regular 9″-diameter pie dish. Unfurl into dish, then elevate edges and permit dough to droop down into dish. Trim overhang to 1½”. Fold overhang below and crimp as desired. Set on a rimmed baking sheet and prick backside and sides of crust in a number of spots with a fork. Freeze a minimum of half-hour and as much as 2 hours.
Step 4
Place a rack in decrease third of oven; preheat to 400°. Line crust with parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake, tenting edges with foil if getting too darkish, till edges are set and look dry, 20–25 minutes.
Step 5
Take away parchment paper and pie weights from crust and proceed baking, urgent down on backside and sides sometimes with a flat-bottomed measuring cup if puffing up, till backside is golden and appears dry, 20–25 minutes. Switch dish to a wire rack; let crust cool.
Step 6
In the meantime, scale back oven temperature to 350° and bake 2½ cups coarsely chopped uncooked pecans on a rimmed baking sheet, tossing midway by, till barely darkened in shade and aromatic, 12–16 minutes. Let cool on baking sheet.
Step 7
Mix 5 oz. dates, pitted if wanted, chopped, and ½ cup boiling water in a meals processor and let sit 10 minutes. Course of till principally clean, about 1 minute. Add 4 massive eggs, ¾ cup (packed; 150 g) darkish brown sugar, ¼ cup bourbon, 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted, 1 Tbsp. Diamond Crystal or 1¾ tsp. Morton kosher salt, 1 Tbsp. vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract, and ¼ tsp. floor cinnamon and course of till fully clean, about 1 minute. Take away bowl from processor and stir pecans and remaining 7 oz. dates, pitted if wanted, chopped, into purée; scrape filling into crust.
Step 8
Bake pie, rotating midway by and tenting edges with foil if getting too darkish, till filling appears to be like dry within the middle, is now not shiny, and feels pretty agency when pressed, 45–55 minutes. Switch pie to a wire rack and let cool, then chill 2 hours. Sprinkle high of pecan pie with flaky sea salt simply earlier than serving if desired.
Do Forward: Pie could be baked 3 days forward. Cowl and preserve chilled.
