Sourdough Pie Crust

Use up some of your sourdough discard by making sourdough pie crust! Light, flaky, and buttery, this recipe works well for all flavors of pie, from old-fashioned apple pie to classic chicken pot pie and everything in between. With only 10 minutes of prep time, sourdough pie crust is quick to prepare and will keep in your freezer for up to 2 weeks. After you’ve made your own pie crust once, you’ll never want to go back!

If you’re like me, throwing away sourdough starter is difficult. After all, we work so hard to cultivate it, feeding it, pampering it, and worrying over it non-stop. Throwing away even a small amount of starter seems wrong. That’s what makes sourdough pie crust so delightful!

This recipe will use all your discard starter without making you feel like you’re wasting precious sourdough. If you don’t have an immediate use for it, keep your pie crust in the freezer for a bit until you’re ready to use it. On the other hand, if you’re in desperate need of a pie crust, this recipe comes together quickly and can wait in the fridge while you make the filling.

Tips for making Sourdough Pie Crust:

• Instead of using a pastry cutter to incorporate your butter, use a cheese grater to grate you butter, and then use your hands to mix it in with the rest of the ingredients. This will save you a lot of time (and patience) while making your pie crust.
• Roll out your crusts into disks and wrap with plastic wrap before putting them in the fridge. This will make it easier to roll them out when you’re ready to assemble your pie.
• Try to keep your pie dough chilled so that it turns out flaky. If it gets too hot, the butter will start to melt and will leak out of your pie dough. To keep your pie dough cold, store it in the fridge while you make the filling and then refrigerate it again before baking. You’ll be glad that you did!
• If your pie crust is browning too quickly, try covering the edges of your pie with a piece of foil during the last few minutes of baking. This will allow your filling to cook properly without burning your crust.

Tools you may need:

To make sourdough pie crust you will need

• Parchment paper
• Cheese grater
• Rolling pin
• Plastic wrap
• Pie pan (I used my mom’s Staub pie dish)

Ingredients for Sourdough Pie Crust:

You will need

• 1 1/2 cups of flour
• 1 1/2 sticks of butter (3/4 cup)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp honey
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup sourdough starter
• 1-2 tbsp water if your dough isn’t coming together

How to make Sourdough Pie Crust:

Use a cheese grater to grate your butter into a mixing bowl. It will look a bit like shredded cheese.

Measure out the flour, vanilla, honey, salt, and sourdough starter and mix it together with your hands until the dough forms a ball. If it won’t form a ball, mix in 1-2 Tbsp water.

Next, divide your dough into 2 balls and place one on your counter. Sprinkle your counter with flour and use your rolling pin to roll your dough into a disk. Repeat with your other ball of dough. Then wrap each disk separately in plastic wrap and put them in the fridge for at least 1 hour before you bake with them.

If you want, you can alternatively leave your pie crust out at room temperature for 8 hours after mixing it so that the sourdough can ferment. This is optional, but it does help the sourdough break down the gluten in the flour, making it easier to digest. After this, you should refrigerate it for at least 1 hour before you bake.

When you’re ready to bake with your pie crust, take the disks of dough out of the fridge and grab your rolling pin again. Sprinkle flour over your workspace and roll out your dough until it is large enough to fit in your pie dish with the edges of crust hanging over the edges of your dish. Fill your crust with your choice of filling

Next roll out your other disk until it is large enough to cover the top of your pie. You can simply put this over top of your pie, or if you want, you can create your own design for the top of your pie. I like making lattice works for the tops of mine. Whatever you choose, make sure to either leave spaces or cut slits in the top of your crust so that the steam can escape while your pie is baking.

If you want to do a lattice work top for your pie, use a knife to cut the disk that you rolled out for the top of your pie into 1″ wide strips. Layer 5 to 6 of these strips across the top of your pie vertically. Fold up every other strip and lay a new strip of crust across the top of your pie horizontally. Fold the original strips back down. Now fold up the other vertical strips and lay a new strip of crust horizontally across the top of your pie above the first one. Fold the vertical strips back down and repeat until you’ve covered the top of your pie.

Refrigerate your pie while you preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. I like to use the convection setting on my oven so that the crust cooks evenly.

Once the oven is hot enough, remove your pie from the oven. Beat an egg and brush the top of your pie with the egg. This will make it shiny when it comes out.

Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until your filling is done and the crust is golden brown. Let cool on a rack and then serve!

Looking for other ways to use your Sourdough starter?

Find more sourdough recipes at the Kitchen Counter!

What flavor pie did you make? Let me know in the comments section below!