Name: Flaky Cream Cheese Pie Crust
Ingredients: 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; 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; 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

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This is my favorite pie crust. It took several years and over fifty tries to get it just right and is the soul of this book. It is unlike any other cream cheese pie crust because, in addition to being tender, it is also flaky. In fact, it is very similar in texture to epi:recipeLink="101858"Basic Flaky Pie Crust</epi:recipeLink> � almost as flaky but a little softer and more tender, and it browns more when baked, resulting in a rich golden color. The addition of cream cheese makes it even easier to prepare than basic flaky pie crust because you never have to guess how much water to add, and it gives it a flavor so delicious it is great to eat just by itself without filling! It is well worth purchasing or making pastry flour, as it will result in a more tender crust.

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Why Cream Cheese Is the Secret to Crisp and Flaky Pie Crust