Flaky Cream Cheese Pie Crust

By carvalhohm

Ingredients

• Pastry for 9-inch pie shell or 9 1/2- or 10- by 1-inch tart shell
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold
• 1 cup + 1 tablespoon pastry flour or 1 cup (dip and sweep method) bleached all-purpose flour
• 1/8 teaspoon salt (for savory recipes, use 1 1/2 times the salt)
• 1/8 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 cup cream cheese, cold
• 1 tablespoon ice water
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cider vinegar
• Pastry for 9-inch lattice pie, 9-inch deep-dish pie, 10-inch pie shell, or 12- to 14-inch free-form tart
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold
• 1 1/3 cups + 4 teaspoons pastry flour or 1 1/3 cups (dip and sweep method) bleached all-purpose flour
• 1/8 teaspoon salt (for savory recipes, use 1 1/2 times the salt)
• 1/8 teaspoon baking powder
• one 3-ounce package cream cheese, cold
• 1 1/2 tablespoons ice water
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cider vinegar
• Pastry for two-crust 9-inch pie
• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold
• 2 cups + 3 tablespoons pastry flour or 2 cups (dip and sweep method) bleached all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt (for savory recipes, use 1 1/2 times the salt)
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 1/2 3-ounce packages cream cheese, cold
• 2 tablespoons ice water
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar

Details

Adapted from keyingredient.com

Preparation

Step 1

*+Food processor method:+*
Cut butter into small (about 3/4-inch) cubes. Wrap it in plastic wrap and freeze it until frozen solid, at least 30 minutes. Place flour, salt, and baking powder in reclosable gallon-size freezer bag and freeze for at least 30 minutes.

Place flour mixture in food processor with metal blade and process for few seconds to combine. Set bag aside.

Cut cream cheese into 3 or 4 pieces and add it to flour. Process for about 20 seconds or until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add frozen butter cubes and pulse until none of butter is larger than size of a pea. (Toss with fork to see it better.) Remove cover and add water and vinegar. Pulse until most of butter is reduced to size of small peas. Mixture will be in particles and will not hold together. Spoon it into plastic bag. (For a double-crust pie, it is easiest to divide mixture in half at this point.)

Holding both ends of bag opening with your fingers, knead mixture by alternately pressing it, from outside of bag with knuckles and heels of your hands until mixture holds together in one piece and feels slightly stretchy when pulled.

Wrap dough with plastic wrap, flatten it into disc (or discs) and refrigerate for at least 45 minutes, preferably overnight. (For pie shell and lattice, divide it in ratio of two thirds: one third—use about 9.5 ounces for shell and rest for lattice, flattening smaller part into rectangle.)

*+Hand method:+*
Place medium mixing bowl in freezer to chill.

Cut butter into small (about 3/4-inch) cubes. Wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes.

Place flour, salt, and baking powder in medium bowl and whisk to combine. Add cream cheese and rub mixture between your fingers to blend cream cheese into flour until it resembles coarse meal. Spoon mixture, together with cold butter, into reclosable gallon-size freezer bag. Expel any air from bag and close it. Use rolling pin to flatten butter into thin flakes. Place bag in freezer for at least 10 minutes or until butter is very firm.

Transfer mixture to chilled bowl, scraping sides of bag. Set bag aside. Sprinkle mixture with water and vinegar, tossing lightly with rubber spatula. Spoon it into plastic bag. (For two-crust pie, it is easiest to divide mixture in half at this point.)

Holding both ends of bag opening with your fingers, knead mixture by alternately pressing it, from outside of bag, with knuckles and heels of your hands until mixture holds together in one piece and feels slightly stretchy when pulled.

Wrap dough with plastic wrap, flatten it into disc (or discs), and refrigerate for at least 45 minutes, preferably overnight. (For pie shell and lattice, divide it in ratio of two thirds:one third—use about 9.5 ounces for shell and rest for lattice, flattening smaller part into rectangle.)

Store:
Refrigerated, up to 2 days; frozen, up to 3 months.