A flaky, buttery, perfect sourdough pie crust that melts in your mouth. The added sourdough gives a tangy flavor to the crust that compliments and adds an old-world flare to any pie filling you pair it with. Made with a few nourishing ingredients this pie dough is as healthy and delicious as a pie crust could be. It’s a quality sourdough pie crust that money can’t buy.
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Below, is the printable recipe card for this sourdough pie crust recipe. If you scroll further, you will find the long-form version of this recipe, as well as Frequently Asked Questions. Please leave a comment with any further questions, I’m always here to help! Enjoy!
Sourdough Pie Crust
Ingredients
- 16 tbsp./226g (2 sticks) Frozen Butter or 12 tbsp. frozen butter + 8 tbsp. cold lard
- 2 1/2 cups/408g. Flour All Purpose, Organic, Unbleached
- 1 tsp./5g. Salt Quality Salt
- 2 tbsp./15g. Maple Sugar
- 1 cup/200g. Sourdough Starter Active or Discard
- 70g Cold Vodka or Ice Water
Instructions
- Using well distributed cold butter is consequential in preparing a pie crust. It helps create the flakiness you desire. The box grater or the grating blade on a food processor is the best way to get an even distribution of butter throughout the pie dough.
- Start by grating 2 sticks of frozen butter into a large bowl. If using a combination of butter and lard: grate only 1 1/2 sticks of butter and divide 8 tablespoons of lard into 4 chunks with a knife.
- Next, measure or weigh the flour, maple sugar, and salt into the bowl with the grated butter and lard. Using clean hands, mix the dry ingredients into the grated fat, resulting in a mixture of flour with pea-sized amounts of butter and lard evenly distributed throughout the mixture. DO NOT KNEAD! This a light mixing with your finger tips.
- To bring the dough together into a ball, first add the sourdough starter. Next, begin sprinkling the vodka or water, little bits at a time just until the dough comes together. You might use more or less of the vodka (water) depending on the hydration of your sourdough starter. You will have to press the dough into itself, working to get two even-sized dough balls. BUT CAREFUL TO NOT OVERWORK OR KNEAD!
- Place each ball into quart-sized Ziploc bags. Let all the air escape from the bags before zipping closed. Then with the balls inside the bags, press the balls down into smooth round discs.
- Place the Ziploc bags in the fridge for at least 2 hours and up to four days. When you are ready to bake a pie, take the dough out of the fridge and place it on the counter for 15-30 minutes. If it is especially hot in your kitchen, in the summer months, for example, 10 minutes on the counter will do. You want it to be still cold but somewhat pliable.
- If you will not be using the dough right away place it in the freezer. Transfer to the fridge the night before you want to use it, and continue on with the directions.
- On a lightly floured counter, take one pie dough disc, and begin rolling the dough out with a lightly floured rolling pin. Continually shift the dough clockwise: to get an even 12-inch circumference of dough. Making sure the dough is of even thickness throughout. Shifting the dough in a clockwise motion also helps it from sticking to the counter.
- Once you have rolled the dough into a 12 inch circle, loosely roll the dough around your rolling pin, unrolling in the center of your 9-inch pie plate.
- Once you have placed your pie dough on the pie plate, carefully and lightly press the dough around the edges of the bottom of the pie plate.
- With scissors, trim the edges of the pie plate so there is ½ inch of dough hanging over the lip of the pie plate.
- If you are making a single pie crust your next step will be to create an edge:
- Tuck the 1/2-inch overhang under itself to create a thick edge that sits on top of the lip of the pie plate. Then you will finish the edge with either a fluted edge or a ridged edge:
- Fluted Edge: Pinch the edges of your dough onto the lip of the pie plate using your two pointer fingers and thumbs, turning the plate and pinching all the way around to get a nicely even and pretty crust.
- Ridged Edge: Use the tines of a fork and press them flat against the rim of the pie, all the way around.
- Both edges have an aesthetic appeal, whichever you choose is a preference. Both methods ensure that the dough is of even thickness and will bake evenly and properly. If you're asking, I usually prefer a fluted edge:)
- If you are making a pie that calls for a double pie crust, also known as the lid, you don't have to worry about pinching the edges yet, you can leave the edges raw until you place the top crust on.
- Preheat the oven to 425℉.
- Place your pie plate in the freezer while the oven preheats. This is a great time to prepare your pie filling and/or get the second pie crust (or lid) prepared and rolled out.
- Next, take your pie crust out of the freezer and add the filling. Place the pie plate on a sheet pan and get it in the oven, immediately turning the oven down to 375℉. Depending on the pie filling, the baking time will be between 30 minutes to 1 hour. Keep an eye out that the filling has set and the crust on the edges is golden brown.
- If you are using a top crust (lid), roll it out the same way you rolled out the first crust and place it on top. Trimming the edges and then pinching the same way you would with the first pie crust. Place it back in the freezer for 20 minutes, before transferring it to the oven.
- If the crust on the edges looks like it's burning, gently place a sheet of foil over the top of the pie until the filling has set. About 1 hour.
- Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack to cool slightly, depending on the filling.
- Bon Appétite!
Notes
Equipment you may need:
- Box Grater or Food Processor
- Large Bowl
- Measuring Cups/Spoons or Kitchen Scale
- Ziploc Bags
- Rolling Pin
- 9 Inch Pie Plate
- Scissors
Ingredients you will need for Sourdough Pie Crust:
- 16 tbsp./226g (2 sticks of frozen butter) or 12 tbsp. frozen butter + 8 tbsp. cold lard
- 2 1/2 cups/408g. Flour- All Purpose, Organic, Unbleached
- 1 tsp./5g. Salt- Quality Salt like Himalayan or Sea Salt
- 2 tbsp./15g.- Maple Sugar
- 1 cup/200g.- Sourdough Starter
- 70 g. (full shot glass)- Cold Vodka or Ice Water
How to Make Sourdough Pie Crust:
Before making this pie crust preemptively have cold butter, lard, vodka water.
Step One: Grate Frozen Butter, Divide Lard:
Using cold butter is a consequential step in preparing a pie crust. It creates the flakiness you desire. The box grater or the grating blade on a food processor is the best way to get an even distribution of butter throughout the pie dough.
Start by grating 2 sticks of frozen butter into a large bowl. If using a combination of butter and lard: grate only 1 1/2 sticks of butter and divide 8 tablespoons of lard into 4 chunks.
Step Two: Measure/Wiegh Dry Ingredients:
Next, measure or weigh the flour, maple sugar, and salt into the bowl with the grated butter and lard.
Using clean hands, mix the dry ingredients into the grated fat, resulting in a mixture of flour with pea-sized amounts of butter and lard evenly distributed throughout the mixture.
Step Three: Measure/Weigh the Starter and Cold Vodka
Add the sourdough starter. Then, begin sprinkling the vodka or water, little bits at a time until the dough comes together into a ball. You might use more or less of the vodka (water) depending on the hydration of your sourdough starter.
You will have to press the dough into itself, working to get two even-sized dough balls. But, not overworking it! Me talking to you in a stern voice
Place each ball into quart-sized Ziploc bags. Let all the air escape from the bag before zipping closed. Then with the balls inside the bags, press the balls down into smooth round discs.
Place the Ziploc bags in the fridge for at least 2 hours and up to four days. When you are ready to back a pie, take the dough out of the fridge and place it on the counter for 15-30 minutes. If it is especially hot in your kitchen, in the summer months, for example, 10 minutes on the counter will do.
If you will not be using the dough right away place it in the freezer. Transfer to the fridge the night before you want to use it, and continue as normal.
Step Four: Roll out the Dough
On a lightly floured counter, take one pie dough disc, and begin rolling the dough out with a lightly floured rolling pin.
Turning the dough in a circle to get an even 12-inch circumference of dough. Turning the dough:
- To Keep the circle of dough at an even thickness
- Continually shifting the dough helps to keep it from sticking to the counter.
Once you have rolled the dough into a 12-inch circle, roll the dough around your rolling pin, unrolling in the center of your 9-inch pie plate.
Step Five: Trim the edges
Once you have placed your pie dough on the pie plate, carefully press the dough around the edges of the bottom of the pie plate, and lightly press.
With scissors trim the edges of the pie plate so that 1/2 inch of dough hangs over the lip of the pie plate.
Step Six: Creating an Edge
If you are making a single pie crust your next step will be to create an edge:
Tuck the 1/2-inch overhang under itself to create a thick edge that sits on top of the lip of the pie plate. Then you will finish the edge with either a fluted edge or a ridged edge:
Fluted Edge: Pinch the edges of your dough onto the lip of the pie plate using your two pointer fingers and thumbs, turning the plate and pinching all the way around to get a nicely even and pretty crust.
Ridged Edge: Use the tines of a fork and press them flat against the rim of the pie, all the way around.
Both edges have an aesthetic appeal, whichever you choose is a preference. Both methods ensure that the dough is of even thickness and will bake evenly and properly.
If you are making a pie with a double pie crust, also known as the lid, you don’t have to worry about pinching the edges yet, you can leave the edges raw until you place the top crust on.
Step Seven: Preheat oven, freeze pie
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
Place your pie plate in the freezer while the oven preheats. This is a great time to prepare your pie filling and/or get the second pie crust (or lid) prepared.
Next, take your pie crust out of the freezer and add filling. Place the pie plate on a sheet pan and get in the oven, immediately turning the oven down to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Depending on the pie filling you will bake between 30 minutes to 1 hour. Keep an eye that the filling has set and the crust on the edges is golden brown.
If you are using a top crust (lid), roll it out the same way you rolled out the first crust and place it on top. Trimming the edges and then pinching the same way you would with the first pie crust. Place it bake in the freezer for 20 minutes, before transferring it to the oven.
If the crust on the edges looks like it’s burning, gently place a sheet of foil over the top of the pie until the filling has set. About 1 hour.
Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack to cool slightly, depending on the filling.
Bon Appétite!
Frequently Asked Questions:
How do you keep pie crust edges from falling?
Your pie crust edges are falling or drooping because they are melting before having a chance to set (stay pretty) in the oven. You need to shock the crust before it has a chance to sag! You can achieve this by:
- Freeze your prepared pie crust before placing it in the oven
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit and then turn it down once you add the pie
How do I keep pie crust from sticking to the counter?
To keep your pie crust from sticking to the counter, lightly flour your work surface and the rolling pin. Rotate the pie dough after every roll, and every four rolls flip it over.
Can I freeze this sourdough pie dough?
Yes, if you will not be using it within the first 4 days of making it, I highly suggest freezing the pie dough in a disc shape, in a freezer Ziploc bag. When you’re ready to use it, transfer the frozen pie dough disc to the fridge 24 hours before you want to make a pie.
What causes a pie crust to be flaky?
- Cold Butter/Fat ingredients
- Cold Liquid ingredients
- Cold Dough when rolling it out
- Not over-working the dough
I hope this post was helpful and of the utmost value to you, if you have any questions please leave them in the comments below, and I’ll be sure to answer!
Here are two sweet treats from the farmhouse:
ALL THE LOVE!
Chelsea Rose ♥ ♥ ♥
Amber
This looks so yummy!! Thanks for sharing this awesome resource!! 😃
Beth
I can’t wait to try this, thanks for sharing!
Megan Smith
So excited to have a sourdough pie crust recipe!
Marissa
This looks absolutely delicious. Nothing compares to homemade crust!
Casey Ruzicka
Vodka in the pie crust?! I had never heard of that! I am pinning this for later since I have some vodka leftover from making vanilla extract.