Sourdough Pie Crust
Sourdough pie crust is buttery, flaky and tender. Made with your sourdough discard, this homemade pie crust can be used for both sweet or savory pie fillings.
It's amazing what you can make with your sourdough starter. This recipe for pie crust is just one of many!
Whether you want to make an old fashioned peanut butter pie, blueberry pie or sourdough pop tarts, you'll love how easily this dough comes together.
This recipe makes 1 pie crust for a 9" pie. Make sure to double the ingredients if your recipe calls for a top and bottom crust.
Step by step instructions
The first step in making a flaky, buttery pie crust, is to cut the butter into the flour. I find it easy to achieve this with a cheese grater and a bench scraper.
Grate the cold butter into a large mixing bowl and add the flour, salt and sugar. Toss the ingredients with a fork and then use the bench scraper to cut the butter into the flour until large crumbles form. (photo 1)
Add the sourdough starter and vinegar to the mixture and use a fork to combine the wet and dry ingredients. The mixture will be clumpy. (photo 2)
Use your hands to press the dough together until there are no more dry bits in the bowl. If the dough is too dry, add 1 teaspoon of ice water to help hydrate it. (photo 3)
Quickly form the dough into a rough disk shape. (photo 4)
Place the disk onto a piece of plastic wrap and use the plastic to help shape the dough. This will allow less transfer of heat from your hands and help to keep the butter as cold as possible. (photos 5 and 6)
After the dough is wrapped in plastic, use a rolling pin to flatten the disk which will help to smooth the edges. (photo 7)
Chill the dough for at least 2 hours or up to 4 days.
How to roll pie crust dough
When you are ready to bake your pie, remove the disk from the fridge and let rest on the counter at room temperature for 10 minutes. This will make the dough easier to roll out.
Place the dough on a floured work surface and use a floured rolling pin to roll the dough into a circle with a ⅛" thickness.
It's best to start rolling the dough from the center, outwards, turning the pie crust 90° on the work surface after each roll.
Don't be afraid to use enough flour as needed to help prevent sticking.
Use the rolling pin to help lift the dough onto the pie plate.
Use your hands to press the dough into the pie plate and then follow your pie recipes directions for baking.
Some pie recipes call for only a bottom crust and others call for a top and bottom crust.
If your recipe calls for a top and bottom crust, you will need to double the ingredients in this recipe.
How to store and freeze pie crust
Store the unbaked pie crust in the fridge, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap for up to 4 days.
This sourdough pie crust can be made ahead of time and kept frozen for up to 3 months. Make sure to individually wrap each disk of dough tightly in plastic wrap. To help prevent freezer-burn, insert the wrapped dough into a freezer safe bag before freezing.
Tips for success
The sourdough starter used in this recipe is a 100% hydration starter. That means it is made of equal parts flour and water and is reflected in the ratios of dry to wet ingredients in the pie crust recipe.
This is why some people might find they need to add a little ice water when bringing the dough together.
When making pie crust, it's important to use cold ingredients to make sure the butter stays in pieces within the dough.
These little bits of butter scattered through out the pie crust dough will burst while baking, producing a tender, flaky crust!
More easy dessert recipes
Sourdough Pie Crust Recipe
INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup + 1 teaspoon (125 g) all-purpose flour
- 8 tablespoons (113 g) butter (cold)
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon (5 g) white vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)
- ½ cup (125 g) sourdough starter discard (cold)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Use a cheese grater to grate the cold butter into a large mixing bowl. Add the flour, salt and sugar and use a fork to toss the ingredients together, making sure the butter is coated and separated. Use a bench scraper or a pastry cutter to cut the butter into the flour mixture, until it forms large crumbles.
- Add the sourdough discard and vinegar to the bowl and then use a fork to incorporate them into the mixture. Switch to your hands and press the dough together until there are no dry bits left in the bowl. (If the dough is too dry, add a teaspoon of ice water.)
- Form the dough into a disk shape and wrap in plastic wrap. Use a rolling pin to flatten the disk. (This will help smooth the edges.) Chill for at least 2 hours or up to 4 days.
- Proceed with your pie recipe directions.
This recipe is so easy and simply delicious!! We've used it as a pie and even as pop tarts! Sooooo good!
I sort of combined the method with Claire Saffitz's recipe (as that was my go to) and OMG! This was an amazing pie crust. Delicious, flaky, easy to assemble and work with. An absolute banger of a recipe!
I added a bit more sugar and used this recipe for pecan pie and pecan hand pies. It was delicious and will be my go-to! I baked a small bit without the extra sugar, and I imagine it would taste amazing on a chicken pot pie, so that will be in my future.
I used vodka instead of vinegar and made it gluten free. Thanks for sharing your recipe!
This crust has forever changed the way I look at pie!! So amazing, makes me want to eat pie all the time! We really loved the pop tart version also. I have made several things from your blog and they have all been so yummy.
This pie crust is absolutely amazing!!! I made two crusts for chicken pot pie and I can’t stop eating because the crust is so good. Flaky, buttery, crunchy, and that amazing sourdough flavor (my starter was a bit hungry which gave the crust a great tang). I used a food processor to combine ingredients and rested in the fridge for two hours. I predict a lot of quiches and pies in the near future…
Fantastic pie crust! I’m not normally a fan of pie crust at all, but this one was flaky, buttery, crunchy, and flavourful from the sourdough. It’s not chalky and bland like most pie crusts. I used it for a pumpkin pie (today is Canadian thanksgiving) and it was soooo good.
I have tried several of your recipes and they are delicious. I love the flavor of this crust. I have made it a few times and one issue I’m having is it seems tough. Am I overworking the dough? Should I add more vinegar or something else to make it more tender. I typically don’t have a 100% hydration starter and have been adding ice water to help get the pie crust to come together. Thank you.
Hi Suzy! I would try not to work the dough too much. This can cause the gluten to develop and cause a less tender crust.
Love this recipe! I’ve tried many discard pie crust recipes and yours is my favorite!
Can you recommend a par-bake method? Thanks!
I love this recipe! I just made a quiche the other night and did 15 min with pie weights and 7 more after removing them at 375°. After adding the filling I cooked it for 33 min and it was perfect. No need to tent the crust.
Absolutely delicious! I've been slowly making your sourdough recipes over the past few years and this one was very good! I made a quiche for lunch. When I parbaked it my crust did shrink. Parchment paper is incredibly expensive where I live and hard to come by, so I admit that I just parbaked it without weights. Any tips on insuring my crust doesn't sag the next time I parbake? What can I use besides Parchment paper? Recipe was super easy to follow.
Hi Hannah! Do you have an additional glass pie plate that you can use to weight the crust down while you parbake it? Does that make sense?
Amy-
I don't have another glassware pie dish or something suitable at the moment. I'm going to give it another try as my boyfriend has never had chicken pot pie. I also made empanadas using the dough which were delicious! While its easy to buy store bought dough here in Argentina, I prefer homemade because I know whats going into the dough plus it's sourdough. Going to keep experimenting with this recipe because its so delicious and easy.
I have always found pie crust to be really difficult to make and this recipe couldn't have been more simple and it was super delicious. I didn't have white vinegar so I used vodka. It came out great. This is go to crust recipe. Thank you! I will no longer stress out over the idea of making a homemade crust!
That's awesome to hear Jenna! 🙂