Sourdough Pie Crust Recipe

It’s pie season! Every great pie must start with an amazing crust. This Sourdough Pie Crust is buttery and flaky – perfect for savory pies, sweet pies, and all of your holiday baking. The sourdough flavor is, of course, so delicious and just as easy to make as a regular pie crust.

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A few years ago, I started switching all of regular all purpose flour recipes for sourdough versions. The fermentation process has so many added health benefits without compromising on taste and texture. We have grown to prefer the subtle sourdough tang in our recipes now, and the “regular” versions of almost feel like something is missing. One of my absolute favorite swaps has been this easy pie crust. I love this sourdough pie crust recipe even more than the regular pie dough of flour, butter, water, salt that I have made over and over. Adding some sourdough discard produced the best homemade flaky crust that is easy to work with and works well in every pie recipe.

Homemade Pie Crust –

I have always loved baking. One of the first recipes I remember making totally on my own as a kid was homemade apple pie. My aunts and grandmas were all so impressed that I made a homemade pie crust. At the time, I didn’t realize that a homemade pie crust was kind of a big deal. I wasn’t even aware that store-bought crusts existed, so it was just normal to me to make one from scratch. Looking back, I see why they were impressed with a 7-year-old making a pie crust! They can be a little tricky!

If you’ve never made a homemade pie crust, don’t be intimidated! It might take a couple of tries to get it just right, but after you practice making the dough and rolling it out, it doesn’t take long to catch on. This recipe uses sourdough discard, which is just unfed sourdough starter. This can be sourdough starter that has been stashed in the fridge, no need for an active starter for this recipe. (Active sourdough starter does work as well, but it does not have to be active). I do recommend allowing the starter to come to room temperature before making the dough.

If you do not have a sourdough starter, you can buy the exact one that I use in my kitchen from my Etsy shop here: Dehydrated Sourdough Starter

Single Crust Pie or Double Crust Pie –

Some pie recipes are single crust pies and some are for a double crust pie. A single crust pie is a pie with crust just on the bottom, like a pumpkin pie. A double crust pie is a pie with crust on the bottom and the top, like an apple pie. Before you make the pie crust, it’s important to note what kind of pie you are going to use it for and plan accordingly. This recipe is for a single crust pie. If you need a double crust, double the ingredients and divide the dough in half before rolling out.

Making Sourdough Pie Crust with a Food Processor –

This sourdough pie crust can be easily made in a food processor. Begin by adding the dry ingredients, flour and salt, to the food processor and pulse a few times to mix evenly. Then, add the cubed, cold butter. Pulse until the butter is broken down into pea-sized pieces. Finally, add the sourdough discard, and pulse again until the dough forms a ball. If the dough is too dry, add a couple tablespoons of ice water. If the dough is too sticky, add a little flour and pulse again until combined. Be careful not to overmix the dough – this will cause it to be tough instead of soft and flaky.

Making Sourdough Pie Crust with a Pastry Cutter –

Another great way to make this sourdough pie crust is simply by using a pastry cutter like this one instead of a food processor. Add the flour and salt to a large mixing bowl and stir to combine. Next, add cold, cubed butter and cut it in with a pastry blender. Finally, add the sourdough discard and stir with a wooden spoon until combined. If the dough is too dry, add cold water, a teaspoon at a time. You may need to mix with you hands to incorporate the dough. Press the dough together until there are no more dry bits of dough.

Fermenting the dough –

I like to make my pie crust dough the night before I’m planning to use it so I can allow the dough time to ferment. If you want the dough fermented, form the dough into a ball and wrap in a piece of plastic wrap. Or you could leave it in a large bowl with a beeswax wrap over it. Leave the dough at room temperature for 8 hours or overnight. This will allow the sourdough to begin to break down the gluten, increasing the health benefits. However, this step is not necessary. The pie dough is ready to use right after mixing if you’re in a rush.

If you aren’t planning to use the sourdough pie crust right away, you can leave wrapped in plastic in the fridge for up to 4 days.

How to Roll out Sourdough Pie Crust Dough –

When you are ready to bake your pie, remove your dough from the fridge if it has been refrigerated. Let it rest on the counter for 10 minutes to soften to room temperature before rolling out. If you are making a double crust pie, cut the ball of dough in half and roll the top and bottom crusts separately.

Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and roll out with a floured rolling pin into a circle with about a 1/8″ thickness. It works best to start in the center and roll toward the edges, turning the circle of dough in between each roll. Don’t be afraid to use more flour on the work surface and the rolling pin to prevent sticking. Gently fold the crust and very carefully lift the dough into the pie plate.

This recipe works best with a 9″ pie pan.

Use your hands to gently press the dough into the pie plate and trim the excess dough from around the edges. If the dough tears at any point in the process, just gently pinch it back together. Add your pie filling and follow the recipe’s directions for baking.

Some recipes call for only a bottom crust. In this case, follow the instructions on the recipe card below. Some recipes fall for bottom and top crusts. In this case, double the ingredients and divide the dough in half before rolling out.

How to store and freeze pie crust dough –

This pie crust can be stored unbaked, wrapped in plastic wrap in the fridge for up to 4 days. Or, you can store the unbaked pie crust in the freezer for up to 3 months. To freeze the pie crust, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and store inside a sealed freezer bag. Making and freezing pie crust ahead of time is a great way to be prepared for holiday baking!

Tips for success –

This pie crust uses a sourdough starter that is a 100% hydration starter. This means that the starter is made of equal parts flour and water by weight. If your starter has been fed with more water, you may need to increase the amount of flour in this recipe. If your starter has been fed with more flour, you may need to add a little ice water.

Using cold ingredients is important to make sure that the butter stays in place within the dough. Always start with cold butter. If the butter starts to soften and the dough becomes too difficult to work with, refrigerate it for an hour and try again.

This pie crust is delicious for sweet or savory pies. One of my favorite recipes to use this crust is for chicken pot pie or hand pies like these Traditional Yooper Pasties. Of course, we love all of the delicious sweet pies too! Stay tuned for more Thanksgiving pie recipes coming soon!

Try these other sourdough recipes:

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