Rose Levy Beranbaum’s Perfectly Flaky & Tender Cream Cheese Pie Crust

Ingredients

• 1 1/3
  
  cups (165 grams) bleached all-purpose flour
  
• 1/8
  
  teaspoon salt
  
• 1/8
  
  teaspoon baking powder
  
• 1/2
  
  cup (110 grams) unsalted butter, cold, cut into cubes
  
• 3
  
  ounces (85 grams) cream cheese, cold, cut into cubes
  
• 1 1/2
  
  tablespoons heavy cream or water (Rose uses heavy cream, Amanda uses water)
  
• 1 1/2
  
  teaspoons cider vinegar
  

Directions

1. Place the flour, salt, and baking powder in a food processor with the metal blade and process for a few seconds to combine. Add the cream cheese to the flour. Process for about 20 seconds or until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the butter and pulse until none of the butter is larger than the size of a pea.

2. Now add the water and vinegar. Pulse until most of the butter is reduced to the size of small peas, and the mixture holds together when pressed between two fingers. Pour the mixture onto a work surface, knead it together and press into a flat disk.
3. Wrap the dough with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 45 minutes, preferably overnight.
4. Roll out your dough and transfer it to the pie plate. Rose recommends covering it and refrigerating it again: It’s ideal to chill it—try for overnight, but even a half-hour or an hour will make a difference—before filling it. You can also bake the pie dough directly from frozen: Chill the dough disc, roll it out, place it in the pie tin, then freeze the whole thing. (Don’t put a Pyrex or ceramic dish directly on the oven rack—use a baking sheet to diffuse the heat and ensure your pan does not crack).