Pastry Crust with Sourdough Starter

Making pastry dough

One of the most versatile ways to use sourdough starter is by making crust for pastries. This recipe can be made ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator for up to a week, and it's gut benefits increase as it cold ferments too! Whether you want to bake something sweet or savory, this recipe for pasty crust with sourdough starter is sure to be a winner in your kitchen!

I am always amazed how many people are intimidated at the thought of making their own pastry crust from scratch. There are only a few ingredients that go into a pastry crust, and yet, the thought of making one fills so many people with dread. Well guess what, here's an extremely simple recipe for you to try out, and it's an awesome way to use up some of your sourdough starter too! If you want to see the video of how I made it step by step, please check out my TikTok titled 'Pie Crust Pastry with Sourdough', which can be found in the Sourdough playlist. I'm sharing the printable recipe card down below as well!

So lets talk a little bit about what you can use a pastry crust for. In the 'sweet category', there are the standard uses like pies and fruit topped tarts, but there are so many more options! You can make homemade hand pies and pop tarts out of them (and these are great because you can flash freeze them, and then just bake one or two at a time as needed). In the 'savory category' the possibilities are limitless! Try using the crust for a pierogi, a pizza base, a quiche...make appetizers stuffed with artichokes & parmesan, wrap brie in a pastry shell and bake it for a delicious gooey treat, or make a tomato topped tart.

Hand mixing pastry

By making a few pastry crusts ahead of time, you can take one out of the refrigerator for a quick dinner or really any last minute meal. They will keep in the refrigerator for about a week (in reality they'll probably keep longer), and you don't have to let it come to room temperature before rolling out...just be sure to dust your surface well with flour to prevent sticking as this is a nice and soft crust that bakes up so flakey and delicious.

The recipe is so simple: You start by cutting up a cold block of butter (1 cup). I prefer to use Kerry Gold or homemade butter, but you can use whatever type you like,. Next, to a mixing bowl, you add 2 cups of all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon of salt (I use himilayan pink salt, but again, you use what you like), then 2 teaspoons of sugar. Give that a little mix, then add in a cup of Active Sourdough Starter, and then the cold cut up butter, and mix just until everything is incorporated and you can form a ball. This recipe can then be divided into 2 portions, and flattened out into a disc shape in something like saran wrap. After that, into the refrigerator it goes until you need it for baking.

Pastry dough ball

A few words on refrigerating sourdough "doughs" before baking with them. I do this because I like the gut benefits that come with a longer ferment in the refrigerator. While the activity of the yeast slows down at cold temperatures, that doesn't mean the dough isn't doing anything...it's actually working to break down some of the gluten which makes it much more easily digestible and helps limit blood sugar spikes as well. The longer the ferment, the more availble the nutrients are for your body. With this pastry crust, the refrigeration benefits are not only healthy, but it's a great make-ahead recipe that can be used quickly throughout the week! I hope you give it a try.

Printable recipe card for Pastry Crust with Sourdough Starter

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