Vegan Sourdough Pie Crust

5 from 3 votes

This mouthwatering, golden and flaky vegan sourdough pie crust is perfect for both sweet and savory dishes. Sourdough discard makes the crust indescribably flaky and crispy--more so than your average pie crust--and I'll show you a nifty folding technique, which will make the crust rise even higher and flakier.

Prep Time15

Resting time30

Total Time45

Course: Dessert, Main

Cuisine: American

Diet: Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings: pie crusts

Calories: 1136kcal

Author: Vaishali · Holy Cow Vegan

Equipment

Bowl
Rolling pin

Ingredients

2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
½ cup sourdough starter (discard is perfectly fine)
½ teaspoon salt
½ pound vegan butter (1 cup or 16 tablespoons)
Ice cold water

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Mix flour and salt in a bowl. Add the sourdough and mix it in with a spoon or your fingers until it's evenly dispersed.
Cut the cold butter into small cubes and add to the bowl. Cut it into the flour with a fork or pastry cutter.
Drizzle in ice cold water and mix with a fork until the dough comes together. Try not to overmoisten--add just a little water at a time.
Divide the dough in two. Place each half in a piece of cling wrap and, as you wrap it, shape it into a disc. Try not to handle the dough with your hands because you don't want the butter to melt. Refrigerate the discs of dough for at least half an hour before you are ready to use them. Your pie dough is now ready to use. Or, for a more layered, puff-pastry-like crust, see additional directions belpw.

Optional instructions for a folded, puff-pastry-like crust:

Take one disc of the refrigerated dough and roll it out on a floured surface to a rectangle approximately 10 inches long and eight inches wide.
Flip it over so the floured side is facing you. Fold the rectangle as you would puff pastry--bring one edge up and to the middle, and then fold the other edge over it.
Flour the surface, then roll out the dough again to a rectangle 10 by 8 inches. Flip over and once again fold the pastry as described above. Repeat two more times. Wrap the folded dough in cling wrap and refrigerate again for at least 30 minutes. When making the pie, remove from the fridge and roll out as you would pie dough.

Notes

Always keep everything that comes in contact with the dough cold. Use butter straight from the fridge, use ice cold water and a steel fork to mix the dough and don't handle the dough with your hands as much as possible. As soon as you've wrapped the dough, refrigerate it.
When rolling out the dough try and do it on a cool surface. I often use a baking sheet, bottom side up, that I refrigerate for a few minutes first.
Don't make the dough too wet and sticky--if you are new at this, better to err on the side of a drier dough. You just need everything to come together. Do not knead the dough--you don't want to encourage the gluten to form.
When rolling the door flour the surface and the rolling pin and keep moving the dough to make sure it isn't sticking.
When transferring the dough to the pie plate, fold it in half and then one more time. Place it in the center of the pie plate and unfold, then proceed to fit it in the plate.
Don't cut out any excess, overhanging dough. Tuck it underneath before you crimp the edges. That way you won't waste any of that flaky goodness.
You can make this crust several weeks ahead--wrap the dough in cling wrap, place in a freezer-safe bag or container and freeze for up to three months. Thaw in the refrigerator before rolling.

Nutrition