This sourdough discard pie crust offers a delightful twist on the traditional. The natural tang of the sourdough starter adds depth and complexity to its flavor, but it also contributes to its flakiness. This crust is the perfect base for sweet and savory pies, galettes, and crostatas. It’s also the perfect place to use that sourdough starter discard you might be saving in the refrigerator.
I’ve been making this pie crust for over 5 years in my kitchen (and it’s even in my sourdough cookbook). Often, I’ll use this recipe to make two crusts, use one in a galette (they’re so easy!), and then freeze the second crust for later. This way, I always have one in the freezer ready to use on a day’s notice.
This recipe makes two pie crusts for a double-crust pie in a 9-inch pan. If you want to make a single pie crust (for a pie with no top, a galette, or a crostata), halve all the ingredients.
Made with simple ingredients like flour, butter, and your sourdough starter, this crust is flaky, tender, and full of character. Whether you’re a seasoned baker or just diving into sourdough, this recipe promises a unique flavor experience for your pies.
Let’s talk about what starter discard you should use for this sweet and buttery sourdough pie crust, then dig into some tips and tricks for making the perfect flaky, buttery pie at home.
Why Use Sourdough Starter Discard in a Pie Crust?
I use sourdough starter discard in my pie crust for three reasons:
- It contributes a complex, very slightly tangy flavor.
- It helps create a tender and flaky crust.
- It’s a great way to use sourdough starter discard that might otherwise go to waste.
What Sourdough Starter Discard Should I Use?
When I say “starter discard,” I’m referring to flour and water that’s removed during feeding or refreshing your starter. You should use discard from your starter after it has fermented for hours, is bubbly and well-risen, has a loose consistency, and has a gentle sour aroma.
In other words, take some of your starter when you’d normally feed it.
Since we’re not using discarded sourdough starter to actively leaven this dough, but rather just for flavor and texture, cold discard from the refrigerator works (much like when making starter discard scones, too).
You can also use any discard you save straight from the refrigerator. If you’re like me, you have a sourdough starter discard cache in there holding all your discards for up to 2 weeks. This is a quick and easy way to ensure you always have a ripe starter.
Read through my guide to creating a sourdough starter discard cache to hold your discards in the fridge for up to 2 weeks!
Tips for Making the Perfect Sourdough Pie Crust
A pie crust can be intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be. Using my tips and tricks below, we’ll ensure you have a flaky, tender crust with minimal effort.
Use Cold Ingredients
Cold ingredients will hold their shape better and contribute to a flakier crust. Ensure that your butter and water are very cold when making this crust. I like to put my mixing water in the freezer to start chilling (but not freezing) it.
Handle the Pie Dough Minimally
Overworking the dough can lead to a tough crust. Mix and handle the dough as little as possible.
Avoid Adding Too Much Liquid
Water activates gluten formation, so only add as much water as needed for the dough to come together, hold its shape, and become pliable. Water also turns to steam when baking, which can cause the crust to puff up excessively. Finally, holding back water prevents a soggy crust.
Rest the Dough Before Rolling
Make this pie crust dough at least two hours, preferably overnight, before rolling it out. Letting the dough rest allows the gluten to relax, making it easier to roll out and results in a flakier crust.
Roll to an Even Thickness
When rolling, aim for a crust thickness of about 1/8-inch. This ensures consistent baking and texture.
Chill Your Crust Before Baking
After you’ve rolled out and filled your pie, galette, or crostata, chill it in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes before baking. This helps the fats solidify, leading to a flakier crust.
Avoid a Soggy Pie Crust by Blind Baking
If you are making a pie or galette with a very wet filling, pre-bake (blind-bake) the crust to help seal and harden it before filling.
See below for times and temperatures when blind baking.
How to Store a Sourdough Discard Pie Crust
To store the pie crust for up to a week, wrap the mixed and formed dough tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate it.
The dough can also be stored in the freezer for up to 6 months. After wrapping tightly in plastic wrap, place the dough in a freezer bag, press out any air, and freeze. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and use as directed in the recipe.
How To Roll Out Sourdough Pie Crust Dough
A pie crust can be used for the obvious pie, galette, and crostata (an Italian-style galette), of course, but it can also be used for hand pies, quiche, tarts, and empanadas.
I’ve used this sourdough pie crust to make a quiche filled with spinach, feta cheese, and roasted sweet potato—it was incredibly savory and delicious!
Let’s look at the two most common uses for this dough: pies and galettes.
Using the Pie Crust for a Pie
Remove one piece of dough from the refrigerator (leave the other inside to stay cool). Unwrap the dough and place it on a lightly floured work surface. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out into a round about 12 inches in diameter. Transfer the rolled-out dough to a pie dish and press to fit.
If using the second piece of dough (for a double-crust pie), remove it from the refrigerator and repeat.
Using the Pie Crust for a Galette or Crostata
For a galette, you only need one of the prepared pie crusts from this recipe. The other can be stored in the refrigerator or freezer for later.
Remove one piece of dough from the refrigerator, unwrap it, and place it on a lightly floured work surface. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out into a round about 12 inches in diameter. Transfer the rolled-out crust to a parchment paper-lined sheet pan. Scoop the filling into the center of the crust, leaving a 2-inch border around the edge. Then fold the crust border up over the filling in a series of pleats as you work your way around the crostata.
Refrigerate the galette for 30 minutes before baking.
How to Bake Sourdough Pie Crust
There are three ways to use this recipe:
- Single-crust Pie or galette: Bake at 400°F (200°C) for 30 to 40 minutes.
- Double-crust pie: Depending on the pie, bake at 425°F () for 40 to 45 minutes.
- Blind baked (for pies or galettes with extra juicy fillings, like blueberry pie): Bake at 400°F (200°C) for 15 to 20 minutes until the edges start to lightly golden.
Flaky Sourdough Discard Pie Crust (Sweet or Savory)
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 2 pie crusts
- Category: Dessert, Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Brunch
- Cuisine: American
Description
This crust blends sourdough tang with classic ingredients, resulting in a flaky and flavorful base suitable for sweet and savory pies. It offers a unique twist on traditional pie crusts and is made with flour, butter, and sourdough discard.
The recipe makes two sourdough pie crusts suitable for the bottom pie crust and top (for something like apple pie). If you only need a bottom crust (or you’re making a galette or crostata), halve all the ingredients.
Ingredients
- 350g all-purpose flour
- 14g granulated sugar
- 6g fine sea salt
- 226g unsalted butter, cold
- 230g ripe sourdough starter discard, 100% hydration
- 74g cold water
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt. Cut the butter into small cubes. Add the butter and lightly toss to coat with flour. Using a pastry blender or the back of a fork, cut the butter into the flour until the butter is the size of small peas. Add the sourdough starter and water. Stir with a spatula until well combined. The dough should just come together, but add more water, one tablespoon at a time, as needed.
Cutting cold butter into flour with a pastry blender. - Scrape the dough onto a clean work surface and knead it until it comes together. Form the dough into a disc, then using a bench scraper, divide it directly in half. Form each half into a disc, tightly wrap each in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 2 hours (or overnight).
- To use the crust, remove one disc from the fridge, unwrap it, and place it on a lightly floured work surface. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out into a round about 12 inches in diameter. Fit to the bottom of a pie dish and repeat for the second disc for the top of the pie crust.
Rolling sourdough pie crust out to 12 inches.
Notes
For a savory crust, omit the sugar in the recipe.
Halve all the ingredients to make a single pie (or galette) crust.
After rolling out and filling your crust, be sure to refrigerate your pie/galette/crostata for at least 15 minutes before baking for a flakier crust.
The pie crust can be wrapped in plastic, placed into a freezer bag and kept in the freezer for up to 6 months. To use, thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then roll out the next day as described above.
Sourdough Discard Pie Crust FAQs
What does vinegar do in pie crust?
Vinegar is added to prevent oxidation of the pie crust, reducing the amount it turns gray. I don’t add vinegar to my pie crust because the gray color disappears when it’s baked anyway (an egg wash can help with this).
How do I prevent my pie crust from puffing up?
Blind bake (par-bake) the crust. Roll the pie crust out to fill the pie dish. Then, place a layer of tin foil inside the pie dish on top of the fitted crust, and fill the pie dish with pie weights or dried beans. It can also help to dock or poke the bottom of the crust with a fork before lining it with tin foil to allow steam to escape while baking.
How to make apple pie without a soggy bottom crust?
Once the pie crust is ready, brush the bottom with a beaten egg white. This creates a barrier and helps prevent moisture from soaking into the crust. Blind baking the crust for a few minutes before adding the apple filling can also help create a crisp bottom crust.
How to make my pie crust crispy?
Use an egg wash. Brush the crust with a beaten egg. This can add a nice golden color and enhance the crispness.
Can I freeze this sourdough pie crust?
Yes, you can! After making the crust, wrap it well with plastic, then place it into an airtight ziplock freezer bag. Place in the freezer for months. To use, thaw overnight in the fridge, then roll out when pliable.
What’s Next?
Now that you’ve learned how to make sourdough pie crust, use it to make one of my all-time favorite desserts: Whole-grain peach and blueberry sourdough galette.
Or, spice up your next pie or galette by adding cocoa for a fruity-bitterness with rich chocolate notes using our sourdough discard cocoa galette crust.
Have more sourdough starter lying around? Use it in one of my sourdough starter discard recipes.
38 Comments
I made up a batch of this pie dough just yesterday (12/7) and used it today to make a galette from some frozen peaches and mangos we had lying around that we cooked down a bit and spiced up (I wanted to put a little Ancho chile in because it goes so well with peaches but … let’s just say I was voted down). Because we are trying to use more whole grains in baking, I substituted 150g of home milled soft white multipurpose flour for 150g of the AP flour. The dough rolled out beautifully straight from the ‘fridge. I took a cue from the seeded cracker recipe and rolled it out right in the parchment paper. In our oven it took the full hour to bake. It was wonderful! Thanks for making this recipe available!
Randy
What do I need to do to discard if I need 100% hydration
This just means your starter is fed equal parts water and flour!
Will blind baking this crust cause it to shrink? I have had that issue with regular crusts when blind baking with weights (the sides shrink down).
All crusts will shrink, usually that's a result of working the dough too much, developing too much gluten. This dough is very forgiving, just be sure not to knead/mix it too much.
Made this pie crust recipe for my chicken pie. Fabulous!
So glad you liked it, Elaine!
Have you used frozen fruit with success? I read somewhere online to do an egg white wash on the rolled dough, let dry for 10 min before adding fruit and folding over. I noticed in your clafoutis recommends that frozen cherries are fine as is, however that is a batter recipe not a dough. Southern California is not cold enough for good stone fruit production and everything is shipped in, under ripe, so frozen actually tastes better here.
Can I freeze the dough?
You absolutely can.
This has become my go-to pie crust after I tried the galette from your cookbook! Today I tried making it in my stand mixer with the pastry beater, and the result was one of the best quiches I've ever baked 😀 Thank you Maurizio for the recipe!
Amazing to hear that, Rafael!
I tried this recipe to use up some discard, but next time will make it because it is a darned good pie crust1 I went the savory route using it for chicken pot pie. Used part whole wheat and subbed in some vodka for the extra water. Thank you for posting this recipe!
Oooh amazing, Francine! Yea, this pretty much replaced all pie crusts for me once I formulated it. The texture is awesome!
I used this pie crust recipe to bake a galette today and the crust is to die for! Almost like puff pastry. So flaky and crisp on the outside. This is my new go-to pie crust!
So glad you liked this one! It's the only crust I make these days (I know, I'm biased 🙂).
Wondering how you blind bake before filling the gallette if it needs to be folded? Thanks!
You dont blind bake the galette! Roll out the dough, fill it in the middle, fold it over, then refrigerate until set (I do 30m). This helps prevent it from spreading.
I'd like to make this for a friend who is allergic to dairy protein. Can I substitute lard for the butter?
I would!
I would, yes.
Do you have this recipe gluten free, please?
This is a website dedicated to bread made with wheat
Hi Cynthia, could you share the website with me, please?
I don't sorry!
What about something like strawberry pie where I want the crust completely baked before adding the fresh filling? How long would you bake it then? I am assuming I would leave the foil and beans in for the whole bake? Thanks!
For blind baking, I'd say around 15-20 bake time until you see the crust become golden brown.
I’m needing to make a blackberry cobbler ahead of time and want to freeze it then bake when I need it. Will this pie crust hold up good for that?
Yes, it really will!
Hi, would it be possible to use whole wheat flour instead of all purpose flour in this recipe? Thank you!
Yes, I’ve done this many times. I’ve also used freshly milled flour and it works really well.
Have your book & it has helped me on my sourdough journey. Thank you!!! And, happily, I think there’s no final destination 🙂
I grind my own grains. Would you have recommendations on how to alter the recipe to account for…soft white wheat or spelt? TIA 🙂
No destination is the goal! 🙂 This recipe will work very well with both of those grains, just use them as stated in the recipe, though you might need to adjust the liquid to suit the whole grain flour (a touch more).
I recommend* using a food processor to combine butter with dry ingredients – just a few short bursts needed to get the butter evenly distributed into the flour so the consistency is like a corse sand, then add the liquids – sourdough discard and then water a bit at a time until it just comes together. *for those like me who lack the patience to do this by hand!
That’ll work super well, Anne! Great suggestion.
I’ve been practicing with the sourdough pie dough for several weeks, and each time I’ve made it, it has gotten better (and easier to do.) I think your idea of handling it less is important. Thanks for the encouragement. Today I made an apple pie from our homegrown Queen Cox apples (self-fertile sport of Cox’s Orange Pippin) with a lattice crust, and it looks and smells wonderful. Best, Jim
So glad to hear things are improving, Jim! I’ve been wanting to plant a Pippin tree in the backyard here, it’s on my to-buy list 🙂
Hi Maurizio,
Would it work to freeze the dough before rolling it out?
That way it could be vacusealed for fresher results later.
Thanks!