Homemade Sourdough Pie Crust
This Sourdough Pie Crust is perfectly buttery, flaky, and sourdough-tangy. It will be a staple in your household!
Equipment
- Food processor (HIGHLY recommend! It will make cutting in the butter so much easier.)
- This food processor is the perfect size for this recipe!
- Pastry knife (if not using a food processor)
- Pastry mat (optional)
- Rolling Pin
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup cold unsalted butter or butter of choice cubed
- ½ cup cold sourdough discard use it straight from the fridge!
- 1 Egg cold and separated
- 1 teaspoon Apple cider vinegar or white vinegar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½-1 teaspoon sugar I prefer more for savory pies
Instructions
- In the bin of your food processor (or in a mixing bowl) add 1 cup of flour and 1 stick (½ cup) of butter. Pulse until butter and flour form pea-sized balls. If you aren’t using a food processor, add COLD cubed butter to a bowl with flour and either cut in with a fork and knife or use a pastry knife.
- Add in COLD sourdough discard, a COLD egg yolk (save the egg white to brush the pie before baking), salt, sugar, and vinegar.
- Pulse until just combined (you will see butter and egg spots throughout— this is GOOD! We don’t want the ingredients to be fully incorporated in a dough like this. When the crust is baking, the butter will melt, creating pockets of deliciousness and a super flaky crust. AKA heaven in the form of food. If you think it isn’t mixed well enough, it probably is!
- Turn dough over onto a floured surface (or floured pastry mat for easy cleanup). It will be crumbly — don’t expect a solid dough ball. Gently flatten the dough into a round disk, cover it with cling wrap, and set it in the fridge until you are ready to roll it out and use it. I’d recommend placing it in the fridge for at least 15 minutes anyway, just so that it can be nice and firm for when you roll it out.
- When you are ready to use your dough, place it on a lightly floured surface, sprinkle flour lightly on the top, and roll it out with a floured dough roller. I know— so much flour! The standard thickness for pie crust is about ⅛ inch thick, but just roll it out until it covers your pan with a bit of an overhang. Poke holes in it with a fork and lightly coat it with your saved egg white.
- Style to your taste and bake according to your recipe's instructions! On top of pie filling, this typically takes around 45 minutes at 375 degrees Fahrenheit. If blind baking, this will probably only take around 20-25 minutes at the same temperature. I haven’t tried blind baking with this yet, so if you do be sure to keep an eye on it and let me know how it turns out!
Notes
Always use COLD ingredients when making pie crust! Warm ingredients lead to melted butter which makes for an over-mixed dough and a not-so-flaky crust!
Store in the fridge for 1-2 days or in the freezer for 4-6 months. Note: if you store it in the fridge, the sourdough might "proof" a bit and lead to a chewier (but still flaky) dough.
If not using sourdough in this recipe, replace it with an additional ¼ cup of flour and add in ICE water a tablespoon at a time until you reach the desired consistency.
If using dairy-free butter (such as country crock plant butter), I'd recommend freezing it a bit ahead of time to give it the cold-butter consistency.
Keep an eye on the edges of your crust while baking. If it starts to brown too much, cover it with a ring of aluminum foil or a pie crust shield.