Flaky, buttery, sourdough pie crust is hands-down our favorite. It makes the perfect foundation for your favorite pie.
The nights have started to cool down, which has me dreaming about fall. That puts me in a baking mood pretty quickly.
I don’t know about you, but fall is my favorite season. Not just for the weather, or the changing fall leaves, or even the pumpkin spice lattes (try this tea version, if coffee isn’t your thing).
Really, it’s the food. I’m here for it. The light summer foods can take a back seat to all the comfort foods of fall. Pumpkin, squash, and apples gracing the table is the best part, and it looks pretty, too.
Sourdough pie crust is the perfect backdrop to the real showstopper, which is the filling. Whether it be for apple pie, pumpkin pie, pear, peach, or even chicken pot pie, you’re going to find yourself choosing sourdough pie crust from now on.
The fermentation of the sourdough starter with the grains yields the delicious, signature, sourdough flavor, and then it’s paired with all butter to make the flakiest crust. Print out this recipe or write it down and keep it in your recipe holder.
It is so versatile and delicious.
Why you will love this recipe:
Fermented: Some recipes call for sourdough discard (in which case, you could just mix this up, chill, and bake), but fermented grains are healthier and easier to digest.
Flaky: This all-butter crust is super flaky. Since the dough is fermented, the extra rise increases the flaky, tender texture, making your pie crust especially memorable.
Sweet or savory: This versatile recipe can go sweet or savory. Use it to make your favorite fruit or pumpkin pie, or use it for shepherd’s pie or chicken pot pie. Think of it as the canvas for your painting. I’m feeling pretty artsy today, apparently, with all my creative comparisons.
Sourdough Pie Crust Tips:
- You want everything cold before baking. After the dough has mixed together and fermented, place it in the refrigerator or freezer to cool before rolling out and baking. This will also help the crust be nice and flaky.
- If you are new to sourdough and need a starter, make sure to check out how to make a sourdough starter. It is easier than one might think. You simply need a little time and patience.
- This recipe makes a double crust. If you are only making a pie with a single crust, just wrap one half in plastic wrap and place in the freezer until you need it. You’ll be glad you did!
This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure here.
Tools you may need:
Grain mill (optional) – I buy all my grain in bulk and freshly mill it.
Food processor or pastry blender
Large bowl
How to Make Sourdough Pie Crust
In a large bowl, combine flour and salt.
Work in the butter, being careful to not over mix. The easiest way is to use a food processor. You can also use a pastry blender or just a fork.
Add in the starter and honey, and stir until combined.
Roll into a bowl and cover with towel; allow to sit at room temperature to ferment for at least 8 hours or overnight.
After the dough has fermented, refrigerate or freeze for a few hours before rolling out and baking. You want the butter nice and cold for baking. Once again…we’re helping with the flaky factor.
Divide the pie dough in half.
Sprinkle a clean countertop with flour and roll out the dough until it is approximately 12″.
To roll out into a circle, I like to press my rolling pin down the middle of the dough ball. Roll it back and forth, and then turn the disc about a quarter turn, roll back and forth, continuing to do so until you get a circle. Add a touch more flour to the surface if the dough starts to stick.
Drape it over a 9″ pie plate.
Add pie filling.
Roll out the other half and drape it over the filling (I made an apple filling).
Trim the excess.
Optional: Crimp the edges and add a design to the middle for steam release. You can do this by making slits in the top or by using small cookie cutters to cut out a design before placing the second crust on top.
To make an apple pie:
Peel and slice 7 medium apples into a large bowl.
Sprinkle the apples with fresh lemon juice to prevent browning.
Combine 3 Tbsp flour (or 1/4 cup einkorn), 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup cane sugar, and 1 tsp cinnamon.
Mix it all together, stir in the apples, and pour into the pie crust.
Dot with 1 Tbsp butter in the center.
Add the top pie crust.
Whip one egg white and brush it on top.
Bake for 40 minutes at 375 degrees. The crust should be golden brown. If you find the edges are browning too fast and the filling not ready yet, cover the edges with tin foil.
Find More Sourdough Favorites:
- Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls With Cream Cheese Topping
- Long-Fermented Sourdough Biscuits
- Einkorn Sourdough Bread
- Peach Cobbler
- Easy Cinnamon Maple Sourdough Apple Pie
If you try this recipe and love it, I would love if you gave it 5 stars! Thank you!
Sourdough Pie Crust
This sourdough pie crust is flaky, buttery, and tender. This all-butter crust will be a family favorite.
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour
- 1 T honey
- 1 t salt
- 1 1/4 cups butter cubed
- 1 cup sourdough starter
Instructions
In a large bowl, combine flour with salt.
Work in the butter, being careful to not over mix.
Add in the starter and honey and stir until combined.
Cover with towel and allow to sit at room temperature to ferment for at least 8 hours or overnight.
After the dough has fermented, refrigerate or freeze for a few hours before rolling out and baking.
Divide the pie dough in half.
Sprinkle a clean countertop with flour and roll out the dough until it is approximately 12″.
Drape it over a 9″ pie plate.
Add pie filling.
Roll out the other half and drape it over the filling
Trim the excess.
Optional: Crimp the edges and add design to the middle for steam release.
Notes
You can use active sourdough starter or discard.
Make sure to refrigerate the dough after it has fermented. You want the dough really cold before baking.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 430Total Fat: 29gSaturated Fat: 18gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 76mgSodium: 520mgCarbohydrates: 37gFiber: 2gSugar: 2gProtein: 5g
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Stacey says
I can’t wait to try this! I think I will mix it up today and bake it tomorrow.
Have you ever made a pie crust with lard? I am dairy free, so I’m going to make it with lard. That is what I use for my usual pie crust and it is so flaky and delicious!
Walter says
Stacey, lard is typically made form pork fat and not vegetarian. I’ve made this using vegan butter, like Earth Balance, made from various oils and it works great! In fact, I use that for all kinds of baking and have had no issues.
Allie says
Walter, Stacey doesn’t say that they are a vegetarian only that they are dairy-free. Lard (especially leaf lard) makes a great alternative to butter. Much healthier than a seed oil filled fake butter.
Diane Tompkins says
Love your blog. Can you give me some info on our patio? We put the oval stones in a pattern we didn’t put anything under the stones. We put the concrete in between each stone . It didn’t harden like it should now we have most of it come out weeds etc come up and constantly have to use weed killer. We have a mess. It now is not level. So much work for nothing and the money! Please help. Ty
Virgilia says
Hi Lisa,
First off I must say I love your blog, you do such a beautiful job! You have a beautiful family too 🙂
I was wondering if you have ever tried a sourdough pie crust with coconut oil instead of butter? Unfortunately a couple of my children are sensitive to dairy so I’m always on the lookout for non-dairy recipes. The thing is we all love desserts and pie is definitely a fav!!
Thanks so much! Have a blessed day!
Sausha says
Do you use salted butter for the dough or unsalted?
Rebecca says
Hey Lisa, can you use whole wheat flour or does that affect the flakiness? I try to stay away from white flour but this recipe sounds so good, I may have to make an exception! Thanks for the recipe!
Becky
Sylvia says
I would like your recipe for sourdough starter I wrote it down but i miss placed it.
Jan Levine says
This is my fav>>The EASIEST and BEST Sourdough Starter | Dry Sourdough Starter | Einkorn Flour https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zHW2chG27Q&t=338s
Here are all Lisa’s sourdouh recipes>>>https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLn2eJawkmoqG81EOsyYXl-rZSYbzcDV-T
Lauren says
Hi,
Can I use freshly ground einkorn flour or all purpose einkorn flour for the recipe?
Thank you
DNeida says
Can you sub lard for the butter in this recipe?
Brooke says
Trying this with your chicken pot pie filling tmrw. Yum!
Debbie says
How thick should the starter be? This recipe looks amazing, but I wish there were a video or a picture of the consistency of the starter.
Thanks,
Debbie
Debbie says
Do you know the weight of the flour? Do you spoon the flour or scoop it to measure? I tried to make this recipe and while the dough looked nice, when I tried to bake it it was a buttery crumbly mess! I would love some help figuring out what I did wrong. Thank you.
Debbie says
Update, I went to try the recipe again and realized I had used 1 1/2 c of butter instead of 1 1/4c. This time I am hopeful for success.
kathy says
Is this really 1 and 1/4 cups of butter per 2 cups flour?? Just wanted to make sure before i make…that seems like a lot of butter for such a small amount of flour…sounds delicious…just want to double check..thanks
Kat says
Great recipe. I have tried this numerous times already! its very flaky! thanks for sharing.
Felishia says
This pie crust amazed me! I didn’t have high hopes for it because the process of making it was so unlike any other pie crust recipe I’ve made before! Usually, you try to keep everything cold but this recipe requires fermentation overnight because of the sourdough. The next day when I went to use it it was popping away and so active! I even recorded a video because I thought it was so cool! After chilling it everything was like it was supposed to be for pie crust and it turned out so flaky and buttery and delicious! This has possibly become my go-to now that I can use my sourdough starter with it!
Dana says
Delicious. My first time making pie crust and it was flaky and crispy. Used half to make an Apple galette & froze the other half, hopefully it freezes well!
Karen says
This pie crust recipe is delicious. Can you give some tips….I found it hard to roll out after removing from the refrigerator. It broke up into pieces. To help I let it rest and warm up until I could easily work with the dough. Is this what you do? Thank you.
Ashten says
I had the same challenge! Mine is in the oven now for a chicken pot pie. I hope it turns out well despite not being very aesthetically pleasing!!
Ashten says
Hey a lot of the best recipes turn out that way anyhow 🙂
Brittany says
Quick question about the pie crust…What if I accidentally overmixed it before the fermenting process and it looks like whipped potatoes? lol. Is there any saving it? I got busy and forgot my mixer was going.
Lauren says
This crust was delectably flaky! I made cheddar broccoli bacon quiche. I blind baked the crusts at 375 for 15 mins then took the weights out, pricked the bottom and baked for another 7mins. Then baked the quiche as usual at 350 putting pie shield(foil) over the edges towards the end of baking to not over brown. Not only was the finished product amazing, the dough was so easy to make and easy to work with. I made it in my food processor and it came out perfect. I’m definitely saving this recipe for all my sourdough pie crust creations!
I wanted to post this in the comments as well as the reviews.
Erica says
So I combined this recipe with my mom’s Tenderflake recipe to use both lard and sourdough. This is what I ended up doing to get a nice dough:
4 cups flour
2 cups lard
2tsp salt
1 cup sourdough
1 egg, beaten
I tried just subbing in the lard a previous time and found the dough almost too delicate to work with. I think it needs the addition of an egg to help it bind together.
Jessica Surak says
Can you just skip the top layer and use this for a quiche?
Ellie says
I am making your sourdough starter now and I can’t wait to try all your lovely recipes. I am new to sourdough, but not to baking. For all those folks in the comments asking if they can sub out the butter for another fat, I have made excellent pie crusts with lard, with Crisco, and with a combination of half Crisco and half butter. I have also done all butter, but prefer the results from the options I listed. Not sure about coconut oil, but worth a try. My mother in law swore lard made the best crust and refused to use anything else. Lots of options out there. Bake a few pies and figure out what you like best! 🙂
Sara says
Hey Lisa! I love this recipe and I’m planning to use it for Thanksgiving. Would it be okay if I made the dough a couple days in advance and kept it in the fridge or would that mess up the dough?
Lisa says
That should work perfectly fine.
Angelee says
I made lamb pies last night with my grandkids. They turned out wonderful and my grandson made an apple pie with the leftover crust. My daughter was amazed that you could make sourdough pie crust. That is the only bread that is ok on her stomach so it was a big hit!
Lisa says
Wonderful! I love that you made a savory and sweet pie.
Sharon says
Hi! I used this recipe for my apple cream pie and it was delicious!
I’m wondering if you have suggestions for baking a single crust with no filling (filling to be added after baking).
Lisa says
Apple cream pie sounds amazing! You could create the pie dough, chill for 2 hours, shape it over pie plate and then blind bake. Place some parchment paper over the dough, and add weights (this could be beans) and bake for 10-15 minutes at 375.