🥧 Flaky Sourdough Discard Pie Crust
Buttery, crisp, and kissed with a gentle sourdough tang, this pie crust transforms starter discard into golden layers. Blind-bake for no-bake fillings or bake it filled for fruit and custards. Holiday-ready and freezer-friendly!
🌾 Why Use Sourdough Discard in Pie Crust
Sourdough discard brings both flavor and function. Its gentle acidity keeps gluten relaxed, which means a more tender, flaky bite. The subtle tang balances rich fillings like caramel, chocolate, and pumpkin while adding depth to savory pies. And the best part? No waste, just buttery, flavorful perfection.
🧰 Tools You’ll Need
- Mixing bowls
- Pastry cutter or food processor
- Rolling pin
- 9-inch pie dish (ceramic or glass)
- Parchment paper
- Pie weights, dried beans, or rice
- Fork for docking
- Plastic wrap
🍮 Filling Ideas & Flavor Combos
Fill After Baking (No-Bake & Freezer-Friendly)
- Dulce de Leche Cream Pie – Whipped dulce de leche, cream cheese, and cream. Caramel silk that freezes beautifully.
- Chocolate Ganache – Warm cream + chopped chocolate = shiny, elegant perfection.
- Pumpkin Mousse – Light, spiced, and ideal for leftover pumpkin purée.
- Lemon Cream – Bright, tangy, and balanced with the buttery crust.
Bake With the Crust (Fill Raw & Bake Together)
- Classic Pumpkin Pie – Smooth and warmly spiced; the sourdough tang keeps it balanced.
- Pecan Pie – Gooey, nutty, and heavenly with this tender crust.
- Apple or Berry Pie – Juicy fruit tucked under golden layers; lattice or crumble top optional.
- Savory Quiche or Tomato Galette – Perfect buttery base for roasted veggies and cheese.
🧊 Storage & Make-Ahead
- Raw dough: Refrigerate up to 3 days or freeze up to 2 months (wrap tightly).
- Blind-baked shell: Cool, wrap, and store at room temp 1 day or freeze 1 month.
- Filled pies: Chill to set, then freeze up to 2 months. Thaw in fridge overnight before serving.
🍴 Serving Suggestions
- Top chilled pies with whipped cream, chocolate curls, or flaky sea salt.
- Warm fruit pies pair perfectly with vanilla ice cream or crème fraîche.
- For clean slices, warm your knife under hot water and wipe between cuts.
📸 Step-by-Step Photos
🧁 Troubleshooting
- Sides shrinking? Chill twice (after shaping and after adding weights). Fill the parchment to the rim for side support.
- Still shrinking in ceramic? Start at 400°F / 205°C for 12–15 min with weights, then reduce to 375°F / 190°C to finish.
- Cracks or crumbles? Add 1–2 tsp extra ice water next time for better hydration.
- Overbrowned edges? Use a pie shield or foil strips once the rim turns golden.
- No cooking spray! Oil causes the crust to slide down as it bakes.
💫 More from the Sourdough Series
Sourdough Discard Pie Crust
A buttery, flaky pie crust made with sourdough discard. Perfect for both sweet and savory pies — bake it empty for no-bake fillings or filled for custard and fruit pies.
Servings: 2 crusts
Calories: 1326kcal
Ingredients
- 250 g all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp salt
- 230 g unsalted butter cold and cubed
- 100 g sourdough discard 100% hydration
- 30 g ice water as needed
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar optional
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and salt.
- Cut in the cold butter until pea-sized pieces remain.
- Add sourdough discard and drizzle in the ice water, mixing just until the dough comes together. If it looks dry, add another teaspoon or two of water.
- Gather the dough, divide in half, shape into disks, wrap, and chill for at least 2 hours (or overnight).
- On a lightly floured surface, roll one disk into a 12-inch circle.
- Gently fit the dough into a 9-inch pie plate without stretching. Trim excess, tuck under the edges, and crimp or flute.
- To blind bake: Chill the shaped crust 30 minutes, then freeze 15 minutes. Line with parchment and fill completely with pie weights or dried beans.
- Bake at 400°F / 205°C for 15 minutes. Remove weights and parchment, dock the base lightly with a fork, then bake 10 minutes more at 375°F / 190°C until golden.
- Cool completely before adding no-bake fillings, or proceed with a baked filling as directed in your pie recipe.
Notes
- For baked-with-filling pies (pumpkin, pecan, apple, berry, quiche), skip the blind bake: fit raw dough in the pan, chill, add filling, and bake per that recipe.
- Chilling the crust in the pan (and again after adding weights) helps prevent shrinkage.
- Dough keeps 3 days in the fridge or 2 months in the freezer (wrapped well).
- For extra color, brush the rim with egg wash before baking.
- Works for sweet or savory pies, galettes, and pot pies.
Nutrition
Serving: 1crust | Calories: 1326kcal | Carbohydrates: 105g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 95g | Saturated Fat: 59g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 24g | Trans Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 247mg | Sodium: 598mg | Potassium: 163mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 0.4g | Vitamin A: 2874IU | Calcium: 47mg | Iron: 6mg
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