How To Make Sourdough Pie Dough

This sourdough version of my favorite homemade pie dough recipe comes together easily with only four ingredients: flour, butter, sourdough starter or discard and water! This recipe explains how to make sourdough pie dough by hand, in a food processor or even in a stand mixer.

Sourdough pie dough may sound a little strange and perhaps even more intimidating to make than a classic crust. However, I am happy to report that the results are surprisingly delicious and easy to make. The beauty of this recipe is that it can be made by hand or machine with great results. The addition of sourdough starter or discard in this recipe adds depth of flavor, additional tenderness and is deliciously crisp once baked. It is the perfect way to employ any sourdough discard that might be waiting in your refrigerator for a good and tasty use!

WHY YOU WILL LOVE SOURDOUGH PIE DOUGH

• Only four ingredients! This recipe calls for all purpose flour, salted butter, cold sourdough discard and a touch of water.
• Can be made by hand or machine. Detailed instructions are included for making this pie dough by hand, in a food processor or even in a stand mixer.
• Flavorful and flaky. The sourdough discard and the salted butter really makes this pie dough flavorful. When the heat of the oven hits the cold butter bits in the pie dough, it becomes a crisp and flaky crust.
• Difficult to overwork. Because the flour and butter are worked together first before adding the discard and water, this dough is very flexible and difficult to overwork. In fact, I enjoy rolling it out and then folding it over on itself a couple of times almost like a puff pastry. After the dough rests, more layers are created this way.
• Can be easily doubled. This recipe makes one pie crust but can easily be doubled to make two pie crusts.
• Can be made ahead. This pie dough can be chilled in the refrigerator for up to three days before baking as long as it is sealed well in plastic wrap. Just keep in mind that the longer it sits in the refrigerator, the tangier it will be due to the addition of sourdough discard. I do not recommend using discard that is older than 1 week. The pie dough can also be frozen for up to 3 months.

HOW TO MAKE SOURDOUGH PIE DOUGH BY HAND

• 1. All purpose flour is weighed out into a mixing bowl.
• 2. Cold, salted butter is cut into cubes and sprinkled onto the flour. Using your hands, toss the butter cubes to coat them with the flour.
• 3. Begin pressing or “smearing” the cold butter cubes between your fingers. Repeat this step over and over until the butter is thoroughly worked into the flour. The flour should feel a little hydrated and look a bit like damp sand.
• 4. Add the cold sourdough starter to the flour and butter mixture. Stir it around with a fork or spatula until the dough begins to clump together.
• 5. If there is still a little dry flour at the bottom of the bowl, add a bit of cold water into the dough mixture. Stir it around gently with your hands or a fork until the dough just starts to clump together.

HOW TO MAKE PIE DOUGH WITH A MACHINE

• 1. Combine the flour and butter in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.
• 2. If using a food processor, pulse the butter and flour together to break up the butter a bit. The flour and butter will begin to resemble damp sand.
• 3. If using a stand mixer, turn the mixer on low to break up the butter a bit. The flour and butter will begin to resemble damp sand.
• 4. Add the cold sourdough discard to the bowl of the food processor or stand mixer and process until the dough starts to clump together.
• 5. If there are any dry bits of flour at the bottom of the bowl, add a half a tablespoon of water at a time. With the food processor or stand mixer running, slowly stream the water just until the dough comes together.

Sourdough Pie Dough

A sourdough version of my favorite pie dough recipe!

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Overnight chilling 8 hours hrs

Total Time 8 hours hrs 15 minutes mins

Servings 1 9 or 10″ pie crust

Equipment

• 1 kitchen scale
• 1 set of measuring spoons optional
• 1 medium sized mixing bowl
• 1 bench scraper or sharp knife
• 1 food processor optional
• 1 stand mixer optional

Ingredients

  

• 3/4 cup (90 grams) all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup (113 grams) salted butter cold and cubed
• 1/4 cup (60 grams) sourdough discard cold from the refrigerator
• 1-2 tbsp (15-30 grams) cold water

Instructions

 

• If using your hands: Combine the flour and cold, cubed butter in a mixing bowl. Toss the butter in the flour and gently begin to smear the chunks of butter between your fingers as you mix. This will slowly begin to hydrate the flour. Do this until all the butter is properly smeared and coated in flour. Next add the cold sourdough discard to the pie dough mixture and stir it in with a fork or spatula. If there are any dry bits of flour remaining at the bottom of the bowl, add just a half a tablespoon of water at a time and mix until the dough comes together completely.
• If using a food processor: Combine the flour and cubed butter in the bowl fitted with a blade. Lock the lid and begin to pulse the butter into the flour. Next, add the cold sourdough discard and pulse to incorporate. If there are any bits of dry flour remaining at the bottom of the bowl, slowly begin to add the water, a half of a tablespoon at a time while the food processor runs. As soon as the dough clumps together, stop adding the water.
• If using a stand mixer: Combine the flour and cubed butter in the bowl fitted with a paddle attachment. Turn the mixer on medium low and mix for about 30 seconds until the butter begins to incorporate. Add the cold sourdough discard and mix for another 30 seconds or so. If there are still some dry bits of flour at the bottom of the bowl, slowly begin to add water a half of tablespoon at a time. As soon as the dough clumps together, stop adding the water.
• After the dough is processed: Turn the pie dough out into a lightly floured surface and gently press it into a disc. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap or parchment paper and chill it in the refrigerator for at least an hour before rolling. I prefer to let the dough chill overnight to prevent shrinkage when baking. You can also freeze the pie dough at this point.
• To roll out the pie dough: Once the dough chilled for at least an hour in the refrigerator, bring it out and let it warm up a bit on your counter before rolling. If the dough is too cold when you try to roll it out, it will crack. After about 5-10 minutes, the dough should still be cold but not as hard. Lightly dust a work surface with flour, unwrap the dough and place it on the floured work surface.
• Lightly flour the top of the dough and begin to roll it out to about 1/4" thickness with a rolling pin. Be sure to roll evenly and to regularly turn and lightly re-dust the disc with flour if necessary. Roll the dough out to a circle that is at least 12-14" wide. Gently transfer the dough to the pie plate.
• If the dough is still a bit stiff, let it rest for a few minutes before pressing and forming it to the pie plate. If it is very warm, put in back in the refrigerator or freezer for a few minutes. If the dough shrinks back quite a bit while rolling, rewrap it and let it chill for another 30 minutes to an hour. Press the dough gently into the bottom inside edge and up the insides of the pie plate. Tim and/or crimp the edges of the pie dough as desired.
• At this point, you can wrap the pie plate in plastic wrap and return it to the refrigerator to chill. Alternatively, you can wrap the pie plate and store it in the freezer for future use.

Notes

To freeze pie dough: Once the dough is made, it can be stored in a freezer-safe bag or container in the freezer for up to three months.  Thaw the dough in the refrigerator over night before using.

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