Elevate Your Next Pie Crust With That Leftover Sourdough Starter

Whether you got here by searching for "things to do with sourdough starter" or "the best pie crust recipes," you're in the right place. Sourdough starter lends a satisfying tang to a run-of-the-mill pie crust recipe. It also improves the texture, resulting in a flaky crust with a vibrant flavor, especially if you opt for an all-butter crust.

The ingredients are the same as any other pie crust, except you add discarded or ripe (fed) sourdough to it. Or if you don't have that, you can use other types of preferments, like biga or poolish, though they may result in less tang. Start with about a half cup of starter per cup of flour. Start your crust as usual, mixing the dry ingredients and cutting in the cold fat. Once you have the prototypical coarse crumbs, you can add your sourdough starter (with a splash of vinegar to keep it flaky) and some cold water if necessary and finish as usual.

The preferment can be difficult to incorporate by hand, so using a food processor is helpful if you're comfortable making crust that way. It helps you get the sourdough mixed thoroughly without melting the fat.

The most important factor to consider when making a sourdough pie crust is the hydration level of your starter. The dough still needs to come together like any other crust, and the water that's in the starter is the water your crust has to work with unless you add more. A 100% hydration starter is one you feed by ensuring equal parts of starter, flour, and water. It usually doesn't require you to add water to the crust, but starters with less water may.

Ultimately, follow the crust's lead to get the perfect pie crust. If it looks dryer than normal, add water. As with all pie crusts, just don't go overboard. Add a teaspoon at time until it comes together, and don't be afraid to pop it into the freezer for a few minutes to keep the fat cold.

Use the resulting crust exactly as you'd use any other crust, blind baking as needed. This type of crust works beautifully on savory or sweet pies. Chicken potpies and quiches are no-brainers. But it really shines filled with tart fruits like apple, peach, and cherry. Or use it to add a layer of flavor to pecan and pumpkin pies. It's also the ideal foil to the sometimes cloying sweetness of cream pies like peanut butter, banana, and coconut. However you use it, it's the easy addition that leaves your dinner guests asking for your secret.