Flaky and buttery, this sourdough pie crust is the perfect base for your favorite sweet and savory pies. Sourdough starter adds a unique, robust flavor to a classic crust.
Key Takeaways: Sourdough Pie Crust
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Chill Time: 2 hours
- Total Time: 2 hours, 15 minutes
- Servings: 2 crusts
- Cook Method: Baked in a pie pan.
- Flavor & Texture: Buttery with a mild, tangy sourdough flavor and a crisp, flaky texture.
- Difficulty: Easy. This recipe is straightforward and offers a simple, hands-off long-fermentation period.
- Why this Recipe? This simple pie crust offers delicious sourdough flavor and a rich, tender, flaky crust perfect for any sweet or savory pie.
Sourdough pie crust is the perfect foundation for your favorite fillings. Whether you’re planning a homemade apple pie or a savory chicken pot pie or savory tomato galette, sourdough discard enhances the tenderness and flavor of the crust, and using all butter gives rich flavor and a golden-brown, crisp crust.
When I first started making pie crust, I had a hard time rolling it out without it breaking apart. This recipe changed all that. The addition of the sourdough starter makes it very beginner-friendly. When my daughter Johanna started baking, she had immediate success rolling this sourdough pie crust. It’s still all she makes to this day, even though she is a seasoned baker now.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Simple ingredients – Pantry staples and sourdough discard keep this recipe simple and accessible, while also offering the flavor and fermented benefits of discard. Between the butter and discard, this crust turns out tender, flaky, and rich.
Sourdough benefits – This recipe may be long-fermented in the refrigerator for up to three days, softening the grains, increasing bioavailability, and improving the tenderness and texture of the crust. You can also use it directly after the two-hour chilling period, reducing the fermentation time.
Versatile – This recipe works well in sweet or savory recipes. It works great as a make-ahead option to store in the refrigerator for several days, too.
Ingredients
Flour – All-purpose flour works great in this recipe. I buy grain in bulk and freshly mill it for the most flavor and health benefits. Learn how to convert any recipe to freshly milled in my how-to post.
Sourdough starter – Either active or discard works great. Sourdough discard adds the most flavor if you’re not going to long-ferment, while active starter is more mildly flavored. Check out more ways to use up your sourdough starter in my guide.
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
How to Make Sourdough Pie Crust
Step 1: In a large bowl or a food processor, mix the flour, sugar, and salt.
Step 2: Cube the butter and add it to the flour mixture. You can cut the butter into the flour mixture most easily with a food processor, or you can use a fork or pastry blender to cut it in by hand. Work the butter into the flour until the mixture has a sandy texture.
Step 3: Add the sourdough discard and stir just until combined.
Step 4: Divide the dough in half, then shape each half into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours or up to 3 days. For longer fermentation, I find that 8 hours or overnight is a good amount of time to develop the flavor and ferment the dough.
Step 5: Sprinkle a clean countertop with flour and roll out one ball of dough until it is approximately 12” in diameter. I like to press my rolling pin down into the middle of the dough ball and roll it back and forth, turn the disc about a quarter turn, then roll back and forth again, continuing to do so until I have a circle. You can add a touch more flour to the workspace if the dough starts to stick.
Step 6: Drape the dough over a 9″ pie plate, gently pressing it into the bottom and sides. Add your filling of choice. Roll out the other half and drape it over the filling. Trim the excess and press the edges together. Bake according to your specific recipe.
Lisa’s Expert Tips
- You want everything cold before baking. Keep the dough refrigerated until ready to roll out and bake.
- If you are new to sourdough and need a starter, you’ll find that sourdough friends are always eager to share, or I have a recipe for making your own starter from scratch. You’ll also find recipes on the blog for 6+ different types of starters and instructions for how to use your starter.
- This recipe makes a double crust. If you only need a single crust, just wrap the extra half in plastic wrap and place it in the freezer until you need it. You’ll be glad you did!
- I like to double this recipe and stick the extras in the fridge. This gives them more time to ferment, and I can pull them out at any time throughout the week to make easy hand pies, sourdough galettes, and ground beef pot pie.
- Crimp the edges and add a design to the middle to release steam. You can make slits in the top or use cookie cutters for a design in the top crust before placing it over the filling.
Sourdough Pie Crust FAQs
If storing unbaked pie crust dough, wrap it well and refrigerate for several days, or freeze for several months. A baked pie shell can be kept at room temperature, covered, for several days, or refrigerated, covered, for several days. If filled, store according to the filling recipe.
A long-fermented sourdough crust offers easier digestion, lower gluten content, and more robust flavor. Adding sourdough discard but skipping the long-ferment still has benefits, namely in flavor and texture, but digestion remains about the same.
Yes, the recipe allows for active starter or discard.
A chewy, rather than tender, flaky crust tends to be the result of overworking the dough or adding too much flour. Once the butter is cut in and the discard added, working the dough should be minimal. Simply, bring the ingredients together into a ball before chilling and rolling out. Additional flour added while rolling the dough out should also be minimal.
More Recipes from the Farmhouse
- Whole Wheat Blueberry Cobbler
- Homemade Sourdough Oatmeal Cream Pies
- Lemon Poppyseed Muffins
- Baked Apple Cider Donuts
- One Bowl Lemon Olive Oil Cake
If you try this recipe and love it, I would love it if you could come back and give it 5 stars! Tag me on Instagram @farmhouseonboone.
Sourdough Pie Crust
Equipment
- Food Processor or pastry cutter
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour, 280 grams
- 2 teaspoons sugar, 8 grams
- 1 teaspoon salt, 5 grams
- 1 cup cold butter, 227 grams, cubed
- 1 cup sourdough starter discard, 250 grams
Instructions
- In a large bowl or a food processor, mix the flour, sugar, and salt.
- Cube the butter and add it to the flour mixture. You can cut the butter into the flour mixture most easily with a food processor, or you can use a fork or pastry blender to cut it in by hand. Work the butter into the flour until the mixture has a sandy texture.
- Add the sourdough discard and stir just until combined.
- Divide the dough in half, then shape each half into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours or up to 3 days. For longer fermentation, I find that 8 hours or overnight is a good amount of time to develop the flavor and ferment the dough.
- Sprinkle a clean countertop with flour and roll out one ball of dough until it is approximately 12” in diameter. You can add a touch more flour to the work space if the dough starts to stick.
- Drape the dough over a 9″ pie plate, gently pressing it into the bottom. Add your filling of choice. Roll out the other half and drape it over the filling. Trim the excess and press the edges together. Bake according to your specific recipe.
Notes
- This recipe can be long-fermented with an extended chill time in the refrigerator. If you need to make it more quickly, it may be prepared, chilled, and baked without the longer fermentation time.
- For sourdough flavor, a longer fermentation will develop a more pronounced tang to the crust, or if you don’t plan to long-ferment, sourdough discard will give a stronger flavor than active starter.
- You want everything cold before baking. Keep the dough refrigerated until ready to roll out and bake.
- If you are new to sourdough and need a starter, you’ll find that sourdough friends are always eager to share, or I have a recipe for making your own starter from scratch. You’ll also find recipes on the blog for 6+ different types of starters and instructions for how to use your starter.
- This recipe makes a double crust. If you only need a single crust, just wrap the extra half in plastic wrap and place in the freezer until you need it. You’ll be glad you did!
- I like to double this recipe and stick the extras in the fridge. This gives them more time to ferment and I can pull them out at any time throughout the week to make easy hand pies, sourdough galettes, and ground beef pot pie.
- Crimp the edges and add a design to the middle to release steam. You can make slits in the top or use cookie cutters for a design in the top crust before placing it over the filling.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This crust is our absolute favorite and we made it with discard and gluten free flour! It’s a must try!
Thank you thank you thank you! I made my son a cherry pie for his birthday and it looks perfect. If my husband hadn’t witnessed me making it he wouldn’t have believed it. 45 years of marriage and this is my first, from scratch, pie crust:))
Thank you. I’m going to try this recipe today, I haven’t had a lot of success with pie crust in the past so 🤞.. I have made you WONDERFUL cinnamon rolls with great success. 🙏 THANK YOU. I did try to send you a picture of them with a thank you but it wouldn’t send:-(
Wondering if anyone can tell me what I’m doing wrong. I followed the directions but when I put my starter in it’s not nearly enough wet to soak up/ mix in the flour. This is my 3rd time making it with same results. I definitely need more hydration but how do I go about it? Can I add some ice water as other recipes do in pie crust or do I need to weigh my flour? I never do for other recipes…I make a variety of Lisa’s sourdough recipes. Thank you for help. I’d really like to make this. It looks so good in her pictures. My turns out like shoe leather. 🤪
I’m having the same issue right now!
Yes, I am had this issue too. I do weigh my flour and I always go off of 120g is 1 cup, and I only add more flour if needed, which is rarely needed. I used freshly ground soft white wheat flour and I think it needs less flour or more ice water. My pie crust felt like it had just absorbed enough water, but when I went to roll out from the fridge, it was too cold and all came apart in chunks. I waited till room temp and it still would not roll in one pliable piece. Next time I will use more ice water and see if that does the trick.
Do I take dough out of fridge and let it warm up to room temperature before rolling it out?
You can, but it should be fairly easy to roll it out from the fridge.
Does it matter if the all purpose flour bleached or unbleached flour?
Either is fine.
Can the sugar be left out of the recipe?
Yes, that would be fine.
Hi Lisa! Im wondering if I can use my potato flake sourdough starter for this? God bless!
You should be able to!
Could I substitute lard for butter? If yes, would there be an adjustment or just 1:1 substitution? Thank you!
Yes, a 1-1 would work.
Great recipe. We are very pleased with the result. This one is a keeper