Sourdough Pie Crust

RECIPE : 
* 2 cups organic all purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 tablespoon sugar
* 1/2 cup tallow or butter
* 1 cup sourdough starter
* cold water

First mix together the flour, salt, and sugar in a bowl.  Add cut up butter or lard then use a pastry cutter to mix the flour mixture and fat.  Add the sourdough starter and mix together adding water if needed.  Kneed your dough a few times to incorporate all the ingredients.

Put your mixed up dough in a covered bowl to rise for 8 - 12 hours in a warm place. 

Roll out your sourdough crust as normal pastry dough.

Sourdough pie crust is more springy and elastic than regular dough.  You have to allow for some shrinking as you place the rolled dough in the pie plate.  Let it sit in the plate for a little bit then cut the sides with kitchen scissors to prevent stretching and shrinking.

Bake at *400 degrees for 20 minutes then reduce temperature to *350 and bake your pie until light brown.  

While the pie bakes it will also rise.  You will get a pretty thick crust, and any decorations expand away from each other.  Notice in the picture above where the braid around the side of my pie separated while baking.

I like to use a glass pie dish so the bottom is visible.  I can check baking progress on the bottom of the pie.  Since the dough rises it also takes a bit longer to bake the bottom all the way through.

All in all the crust isn't to finicky. There is some forethought because it has to ferment, but all the work is definitely worth it. It has a slight sour taste, which works nicely with sweet pies.
I have done apple, berry, and a pumpkin pie crust so far.  Each pie was tasty!

 Pumpkin Pie

 Apple Pie