Sourdough Pie Crust [sweet or savory sourdough pastry]

This post may contain affiliate links.

This is your go to recipe for making a sourdough pie crust for sweet pies or savory pies. This pie dough will be enough for a top and bottom pie crust (you can easily adjust it to suit your needs). It's buttery, it's got flaky layers and is oh so full of flavor, it's going to rock your world!

The best thing is - it could not be easier to pull this sourdough pie crust recipe together - even if you've never made pastry before! Whether you want to make a pumpkin pie, an apple pie, a chicken pot pie or even these iconic sourdough pop tarts, this simple sourdough pie crust will give the perfect pastry.

You can use sourdough discard or sourdough starter and I've added some information on how using either affects the pie crust pastry further down.

If you love comfort food, you're going to love baking and eating sourdough chocolate chip cookies, sourdough chocolate brownies, sourdough dumplings or even this sourdough stuffing, which will pair perfectly with this pie crust during the festive season.

Sourdough pie crust with a crimped edge. There is a bowl of egg wash and pastry brush sitting to the right.

Why Use Sourdough Starter in a Pie Crust?

Using sourdough starter or sourdough discard in your pie crust is a fantastic way to avoid food waste. But there are even more reasons to use sourdough in your pastry because it actually has a positive effect on the outcome of this recipe! It affects both flavor and texture.

Using active sourdough starter or sourdough discard in a pie crust will:

  • give you a more flavorful crust than using flour alone (especially if you allow it to ferment and develop flavor).
  • will give a flakier pastry crust due to the yeast in the sourdough starter.
  • bacteria in your sourdough starter work with the vinegar to break down gluten and give you a more tender crust (no hard pie crusts here!).

Sourdough Discard or Active Starter?

You can use either active, bubbly starter or sourdough discard (unfed) in this recipe. Make sure whatever you use is 100% hydration. You'll get the best results using sourdough starter that has been fed within the last 24 hours, but you can use discard that's up to a week old.

Sourdough discard is the portion of unfed sourdough starter you remove from the jar before you feed your starter for making sourdough bread. You can find 100+ recipes for using your sourdough discard here.

You'll find more information on sourdough discard here and a resource for the best time to use sourdough starter here.

I love using active, bubbly starter to make this simple sourdough pie crust.

How To Make Sourdough Pie Crust (for sweet or savory pie filling)

Many people are scared to try making their own sourdough pastry because it seems so complicated. But in fact, the opposite could not be more true!

Making a sourdough pie crust is really easy. There are only a few ingredients, no kneading and very little hands on time.

My best advice is to have all the ingredients ready before you start the process and make sure you've read through the recipe a few times so you understand exactly what you need to do.

If you want a recipe for filling this sourdough pie crust, this sourdough apple pie recipe is perfect.

Here's how to make a simple sourdough pie crust for a sweet or savory pie:

  1. This dough makes enough pastry for a top and bottom crust. If only need the top or bottom, just halve the amounts listed (or freeze some for another day).
  2. Add all purpose flour, salt and sugar to a large mixing bowl and stir together until well combined. Set aside for now.
  3. Grate the cold butter into a bowl. If the butter starts to melt or is very soft once grated, place the bowl into the freezer. This will help to firm the butter up and make the next step much easier.
  4. Place the cold, grated butter into the bowl with the flour, salt and sugar and use a spatula, pastry cutter or simply your finger tips to coat the butter in the flour. You want the butter to stay cold, so try to touch it as little as you can.
  5. Now, add the sourdough starter or discard and vinegar and bring the mixture into a dry, shaggy dough. It's best just to use your hands to squeeze the pastry dough together. It will be a rough, dry dough.
  6. If the dough really isn't coming together at all, add a little cold water until you are able to bring it together.
  7. Tip the rough dough out onto the counter, divide the dough into two pieces and bring each piece into a rough ball. Wrap each ball of pastry dough in parchment paper and squash it down into a disc shape. Wrap each disc in cling wrap and place both discs into the fridge.
  8. If you prefer to just refrigerate as one ball, that's fine too. You can just divide the pastry into two pieces when you want to roll it out.
  9. Leave the dough a minimum of one hour to fully hydrate and become cold. You can leave the dough in the fridge for up to 48 hours before you use it.
  10. When you are ready to use the sourdough pastry to make a pie crust, take the dough out of the fridge and unwrap it. Dust the dough lightly with flour and use a rolling pin to roll the dough out to your desired size. If you have any offcuts leftover you can use a cookie cutter to cut out some little shapes to add on top of the pie crust.
  11. This recipe makes enough for a top and bottom crust. I have used a pie dish that measures 1.4L (1.47Q) which is 10" (26cm) across and it generously filled the dish with some to spare.
  12. When baking this crust, follow the directions for the recipe you are using as to whether the pastry needs blind baking (with pie weights) or not. Cooking time will depend on the filling and how thick or thin you have rolled the pie crust dough.

Step by Step Photos

Grating and freezing the butter that is then rubbed or cut into the flour.

Adding the sourdough starter and vinegar to the flour and butter and pulling it together in to a dry or shaggy dough.

Tipping the dough out onto the counter and forming into a round which is then placed in the fridge before being rolled out to fit your pie dish.

Roll the dough out big enough so you can place it into your pie dish, gently easing it down into the base and then cut off the excess pastry with a small knife.

Placing sourdough pie crust into a pie dish and cutting off the excess crust with a small, sharp knife.

If you are adding a top crust, you can crimp the top crust together with the bottom crust using a fork (or any other method you prefer).

Crimping the edges of a sourdough pie crust with a fork.

Don't forget the egg wash and to cut a small vent in the top crust for steam. You can also use the excess pastry to make shapes to decorate the top crust.

Sourdough pie crust perfection!

Best Tips for Making Sourdough Pie Crust

You can easily make this sourdough pie crust with little to no pastry experience. It's such an easy dough to work with! But if you haven't worked with pastry before, there are a few things you can do to ensure you have success with this recipe the first time - and every time you bake it!

  • The butter MUST BE COLD. Frozen, grated butter is best. If you have time, grate the butter and place it into the freezer 30 minutes before you want to make the dough.
  • You don't have to ferment this pie crust. You can use it after it has been in the fridge for just one hour, but you will get a flakier, more flavorsome pie crust if you leave the dough in the fridge for at least 4 hours and up to 48 hours.
  • This recipe can be made in a food processor or Thermomix. These machines are great for cutting the butter into the flour mixture without warming it up too much. Despite this, I do enjoy making this recipe by hand and you'll get a flakier, buttery, more tender pie crust if the butter is a little more chunky and not completely rubbed into the flour.
  • When placing your pie crust into your pie plate or dish, make sure you don't stretch the pastry. Gently push the pastry down into the dish from the top rather than stretching it. If you stretch it, the pie crust will shrink while baking.
  • When using this pie crust for a top crust, make sure you make some small cuts in the pastry before you place it in the oven so the filling can vent.
It's best to grate and freeze your butter to ensure it's cold. This will give you a flakier, more buttery pastry case.

Can I Use Whole Wheat Flour In This Recipe?

You can swap up to half of the all purpose flour in this recipe with whole wheat flour. Because whole wheat flour absorbs more water than all purpose flour, you'll need to add iced water to bring the dough together into a ball. Whole wheat flour adds a more complex flavor to this already very tasty homemade pie crust and will give a nuttier flavor profile.

How To Use Sourdough Pie Crust

This recipe is enough to make a double crust pie (that is a top and a bottom crust).You can use this sourdough pie crust in the same way as you would use a regular pie crust - it just has the added bonus of sourdough flavor!

I love using this flaky crust to make homemade apple pie - it's a family favorite served with homemade vanilla ice cream! But here are some of the other ways I use this sourdough discard pie crust in my kitchen:

  • Savory pies - this works well with any savory filling from chicken pot pies, to beef and gravy pies or even as a quiche base (you would just need to blind bake the base).
  • Sweet pies - any sweet filling will work with this crust - from pumpkin and pecan pie to cherry pie, apple pie or even peach pie! Really any kind of pie you love!
  • Hand pies - this pastry is sturdy enough to work as a small pie or hand pie. I love filling it with cherry jam and dusting with icing sugar!
Sourdough pie crust used to make a cherry hand pie. There are 4 hand pies in the photo and one has had a bite taken out of it showing the cherry filling.

How To Blind Bake Sourdough Pie Crust

For many recipes, you'll need to blind bake your pie crust. This is the case when you're making a pumpkin pie or a farmhouse style quiche. Blind baking sourdough pie crust is very easy.

You'll need to roll out the sourdough pastry and line your pie dish with it, being careful to push the the pastry down on the sides to ensure it doesn't shrink when you bake it.

Use a sheet of parchment paper to cover the pastry and then place pie weights onto the parchment paper to hold the pastry down and ensure it doesn't puff up.

Blind bake the sourdough pie crust for 10 to 15 minutes at 200C (390F). You don't want the pie crust to be completely cooked because it will continue to cook when you add the filling.

How To Freeze Sourdough Pie Crust

You can easily freeze sourdough pie crust in a couple of different ways:

  • Freeze the pie crust in discs, wrapped parchment paper and placed into a ziploc bag.
  • If you have a few spare pie plates, or you don't mind using disposable pie plates, then you can roll the sourdough pie crust out and place it into the pie plates, cover with aluminum foil and then freeze.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to blind bake this sourdough pie crust?

Not necessarily. Follow the instructions for the particular pie you are baking. Pies like apple pie or cherry pie will not require the crust to be blind baked, but a pie like pecan or a savory pie like quiche will need to have the crust blind baked before adding the filling.

Do I need to use pastry flour for this recipe?

No, you can use All Purpose flour to successfully bake this sourdough pie crust.

Why do I need vinegar when making sourdough pie crust?

Vinegar (either white vinegar or apple cider vinegar) hinders the development of gluten in the pie crust, giving you a more tender, flakier crust. You don't want a strong gluten network as this leads to a tough pie crust.

Sourdough pie crust - social media image
SOURDOUGH PIE CRUST - FEATURE RECIPE IMAGE

Sourdough Pie Crust Recipe

A tender, flaky sourdough pie crust that can be used for sweet or savory pies. You can use it for a top or bottom crust, or both! Ferment this pie crust for up to 48 hours for an even more tender and flavorful crust!
4.70 from 20 votes
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Servings 1 Pie Crust
Calories 2801 kcal

Equipment

  • Pie Dish 1.4L / 1.47Q

Ingredients  

  • 250 g All Purpose Flour
  • 5 g Salt (or to taste)
  • 10 g Sugar (optional - see notes)
  • 230 g Unsalted Butter must be COLD
  • 200 g Sourdough Starter or Sourdough Discard
  • 10 g White Vinegar or Apple Cider Vinegar
  • 50 g Iced Water just in case

Instructions 

  • This dough makes enough pastry for a top and bottom crust. If only need the top or bottom, just halve the amounts listed.
  • Add all purpose flour, salt and sugar to a large mixing bowl and stir together until well combined. Set aside for now.
  • Grate the cold butter into a bowl. If the butter starts to melt or is very soft once grated, place the bowl into the freezer. This will help to firm the butter up and make the next step much easier. I cannot stress enough how important it is for the butter to be COLD.
  • Place the cold, grated butter into the bowl with the flour, salt and sugar and use a spatula, pastry cutter or simply your finger tips to coat the butter in the flour. You want the butter to stay cold, so try to touch it as little as you can.
  • Now, add the sourdough starter or discard and vinegar and bring the mixture into a dry, shaggy dough. It's best just to use your hands to squeeze the pastry dough together. It will be a rough, dry dough.
    If the dough really isn't coming together at all, add a little iced water until you are able to bring it together.
  • Tip the rough dough out onto the counter, divide the dough into two pieces and bring each piece into a rough ball. Wrap each ball of pastry dough in parchment paper and squash it down into a disc shape. Wrap each disc in cling wrap and place both discs into the fridge.
    If you prefer to just refrigerate as one ball, that's fine too. You can just divide the pastry into two pieces when you want to roll it out.
  • Leave the dough a minimum of one hour to fully hydrate and become cold. You can leave the dough in the fridge for up to 48 hours before you use it.
  • When you are ready to use the sourdough pastry to make a pie crust, take the dough out of the fridge and unwrap it. Dust the dough lightly with flour and use a rolling pin to roll the dough out to your desired size.
    This recipe makes enough for a top and bottom crust. I have used a 1.4L pie dish and it generously filled the dish with some to spare.

Notes

BUTTER
The butter MUST BE COLD. Frozen, grated butter is best. If you have time, grate the butter and place it into the freezer 30 minutes before you want to make the dough.
 
SUGAR
You can leave the sugar out if you prefer but I think you'll get a better colored crust if you leave it in.
 
FERMENTATION TIME
You don't have to ferment this pie crust. You can use it after it has been in the fridge for just one hour, but you will get a flakier, more flavorsome pie crust if you leave the dough in the fridge for at least 4 hours and up to 48 hours.
 
SOURDOUGH STARTER OR SOURDOUGH DISCARD
You can use either active, bubbly starter or sourdough discard (unfed) in this recipe. Make sure whatever you use is 100% hydration. You'll get the best results using sourdough starter that has been fed within the last 24 hours, but you can use discard that's up to a week old.
 

Nutrition

Calories: 2801kcal Carbohydrates: 244g Protein: 33g Fat: 190g Saturated Fat: 119g Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g Monounsaturated Fat: 49g Trans Fat: 8g Cholesterol: 495mg Sodium: 1972mg Potassium: 327mg Fiber: 8g Sugar: 16g Vitamin A: 5748IU Vitamin C: 0.1mg Calcium: 95mg Iron: 12mg
Tried this recipe?Share your creation with us @ThePantryMama or tag #thepantrymama!

Share the sourdough love!

Recommended

4.70 from 20 votes (15 ratings without comment)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating





19 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    I used this recipe yesterday for a peach pie to take to a party. Instead of butter, because I can't have dairy, I used a vegan butter, but did everything else as written. I baked it in a rectangular casserole dish and put the crust only on the top. I was afraid it would be gummy, because my filling was more liquid than I though it should be, but the filling thickened up and the crust cooked through and got flakey and nice. It was a great hit at the party! And I had to have more than one piece myself, it was so good.

  2. 5 stars
    Really delicious pastry. I did a standard pastry and this one to try out both on homemade pasties. Yours was by far tastier, flakier and held up better. The family loved it. Making again now for rhubarb pie! Many thanks Kate.

  3. 5 stars
    Perfect for anything I’ve used it for! I do Like to blend the APF with 1/3-1/2 pastry flour since I use KA flour which is high in protein. Thank u for the recipe! I have 5 single crusts made ahead to get through the holidays!

  4. If I’m using this crust recipe for a no-bake pie, do you have directions for baking this crust before I fill it with my pudding mixture?

    1. I would blind bake the pie for around 10 minutes, just to make sure the pastry doesn't puff up too much, then remove the pie weights and parchment paper and bake until golden.

    1. So you would need to make 4 x this recipe as it will make enough pastry for one pie crust top and bottom. If you have a food processor, that can be an easy way to make the pie crust very fast, but you can also do it by hand. I would probably not do more than 2 x the recipe at once though as it can be hard to rub the butter in on a large scale 🙂

    1. Yes, very normal. Just allow it to soften for around 10 minutes, although not too much or it will be too soft to roll out 🙂

  5. 5 stars
    I made a blueberry pie for July Fourth with this crust and I'm getting ready to make an apple pie. It is so flaky and yummy!