Flaky Sourdough Pie Crust – Simple Discard Recipe

Look no further for your go-to sourdough pie crust recipe – a great way to use up extra sourdough starter or sourdough discard to make a rich, flaky pie dough that is the perfect pie recipe for savory pies, sweet pies, or hand pies.

Sourdough Pie Crust

I’ve made many pies over the years – apple pie, pumpkin pie, coconut cream pie, chicken pot pie, turkey pot pie – all the pies!  There’s nothing quite as satisfying as serving up a beautiful, delicious sweet, or savory pie on a pretty pie plate to your family or at a party.  Having pies cooling on the counter or on the windowsill reminds us of slower days gone by and times when life was simpler.  I won’t say I want to go back there,  I just want to bring some of that slow simplicity with us as we go on through the ages.

When I first got into sourdough baking, I kept a huge sourdough starter.  It was unnecessarily huge.  I didn’t quite understand at that time that sometimes, less is more.  However, one great thing that came from my massive sourdough jar-keeping days is lots of good sourdough recipes since I was always looking for ways to use extra sourdough starter and sourdough discard.  This buttery sourdough pie crust recipe was born in those days.  I was curious to see if I could use a whole cup of starter in my classic pie crust recipe, did a little math keeping in mind that a sourdough starter is just equal parts flour and water, tried it out, and it worked!  This pie crust is perfect for blind baking, single crust pies, double crust pie, pretty crimped crust, and slab pies.

?Spend the day with me in my homestead kitchen doing some pie baking in this video.

Check out this beautiful coconut cream pie made with homemade pie crust, homemade custard and whipped cream from my A2 Jersey cows, and toasted coconut.

What You’ll Need

Ingredients

1 ½ c all-purpose flour (355 grams)

1 t salt (5 grams)

1 T sugar (12 grams)

1 C butter, cold & cubed (225 grams)

1 C active sourdough starter or sourdough discard (240 grams)

Tools

food processor or large mixing bowl

cheese grater for grating butter if using a mixing bowl

pastry blender/pastry cutter if using a mixing bowl

floured rolling pin

?plastic bag or a piece of plastic wrap

pie plate

Step-by-step instructions for making sourdough pie crust

Make the pie dough

If using a food processor, cube 1 cup butter and chill it in the fridge until ready to use.  If using a large bowl, use a cheese grater to grate the butter and place it in a small bowl in the refrigerator until ready for use.

Add the dry ingredients (1.5 C all-purpose flour, 1 t salt, and 1 T sugar) to the bowl of the food processor or a large bowl, and mix to combine.

Pulse with a food processor or use a pastry blender to cut in the cold butter until pea-sized pieces are incorporated into the flour mixture.  Do not overmix, or the butter will begin to melt and the pie dough will be greasy.

Add 1 cup sourdough starter and pulse or stir until the pie dough comes together.  Turn the pie dough out onto a lightly floured surface and use a bench scraper to fold it over onto itself until all the flour is incorporated.  But do not knead.  Kneading will cause the butter to melt and the dough to become greasy and sticky.

Cut the dough into two equal pieces and shape it into discs. These two discs of pie dough will make the top crust and the bottom crust. Wrap each disc with a piece of plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least an hour or up to 3 days before use.  

Prepare to bake

Grease and flour a 9″ pie plate.

Prepare a lightly floured work surface and use a floured rolling pin to roll out the pie dough.  Generally, the pie dough should be 1/8″ thick and 2-3 inches wider than the pie plate.  So, for a 9″ pie plate, the dough will be rolled into a 12″ circle.

Drape the dough over the pie plate and gently fit it without stretching, so the sides drape over the edge.

Use scissors to trim around the edges if so everything is even.

Crimp the edges or press with a fork.  * If it takes longer than 5 minutes to roll and set the dough in the pie plate, chill the pie plate and dough for 30 minutes before filling it and baking.  This will help the pie crust maintain its shape.

You can also freeze this pie dough for later use.  Just wrap the shaped pie crust tightly in a piece of platic wrap and store in a freezer bag for up to 3 months.

?Bake the Pie

Add the pie filling, make sure it is completely cooled. If making a double-crust pie, add the top crust and crimp or seal the edges after adding the filling. Follow baking instructions for the time and temperature for the particular pie you are baking.

Blind baking instructions

This sourdough pie crust dough works beautifully for blind baking.  Follow the instructions above for rolling the dough and setting it on the pie plate.  Crimp or press the edges.  Then chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.  While the dough is chilling, preheat the oven to 375F.  

Line the chilled dough in the pie plate with parchment paper and fill it with dry beans or pie weights so the pie crust doesn’t shrink when you blind-bake it.  Do not skip this step or the crust will shrink and be ruined.

Blind bake the pie with the weights in place for 15 minutes.  Then lift the parchment paper and weights out of the pie dish, poke holes in the bottom of the pie crust with a fork, and return to the oven at 375F to bake 15 minutes longer or until the pie crust is golden brown for a fully blind-baked crust.  For a partially blind baked crust,  only bake for 7 minutes after the parchment paper and weights have been removed.

The next step depends on the kind of pie you are making.  For pies that will be baked further, like quiche or pumpkin pie, add the pie filling immediately and return to the oven to finish baking the pie.  For no-bake pies, allow the sourdough crust to cool completely before adding the pie filling.

?FAQ

What is sourdough pie crust?

Sourdough pie crust is a type of pie crust that is made using sourdough starter, which is equal parts flour and water, to replace some of the flour and all of the water in a pie crust.  The tanginess from the sourdough starter adds depth and flavor to the pie crust.

Can I freeze sourdough pie crust?

Yes, you can freeze sourdough pie crust. Just wrap the shaped pie crust tightly in a piece of plastic wrap and store it in a freezer bag for up to 3 months.

How do I prevent a soggy bottom crust in my sourdough pie crust?

To prevent a soggy bottom crust, blind bake or partially blind bake the crust before adding filling.

Can I blind-bake sourdough pie crust?

Yes. You can blind-bake sourdough pie crust.  Just prepare the dough and shape on the pie plate as usual, then chill the shaped dough for 30 minutes.  Line the chilled dough in the pie plate with parchment paper and fill with dry beans or pie weights so the pie crust doesn’t shrink when you blind-bake it.  Do not skip this step or the crust will shrink and be ruined. Blind-bake the pie with the weights in place for 15 minutes.  Then lift the parchment paper and weights out of the pie dish, poke holes in the bottom of the pie crust with a fork, and return to the oven at 375F to bake 15 minutes longer or until the pie crust is golden brown for a fully blind-baked crust.  For a partially blind baked crust,  only bake for 7 minutes after the parchment paper and weights have been removed.

Can you use sourdough starter discard in pie crust or do you have to use active sourdough starter?

You can use either sourdough discard or active starter to make pie crust.  Weigh the starter to make sure you have the right amount. 

Tips for making sourdough pie crust

• Work with very cold butter and work quickly, making sure not to overmix or knead the pie crust.  Any dough with little chunks of butter like pie dough, biscuit dough, or pastry dough gets its flakiness and butteriness from the butter that is not fully mixed in with the dough.  If you look closely, you should see little flecks of butter in your pie dough once it is rolled out.  So once again, work quickly and refrigerate the dough if you have downtime, because allowing it to set at room temperature will cause the butter the soften/melt and the dough to become greasy.
• Measure the rolled-out dough to make sure it will fit on the pie plate
• Don’t stretch the dough to fit the pie plate, stretching will cause it to shrink.
• Use a pie shield or cover the crust in aluminum foil if the edges are browning too quickly.  This will allow the pie filling to continue baking while protecting the pie crust. 

More Sourdough Recipes

Sourdough Pullman Loaf Recipe – Pain De Mie Sandwich Bread

Quick & Easy Sourdough Discard Dumplings

Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies

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