Sourdough Apple Pie
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This Sourdough Apple Pie uses sourdough discard in the pie crust for a slightly tangy, buttery, and flaky crust. It’s filled with brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg for a warm and cozy apple pie.
If you love apple pies as much as I do, be sure to check out some of my other favorites like my Vanilla Bean Apple Pie, Rustic Sourdough Peach Galette, or my Orange Blossom Honey Apple Pie.
Table of Contents
Use up sourdough discard and make apple pie at the same time! This organic pie reduces waste, while giving you a nostalgic pie that with a delicious twist! Using sourdough discard in pie crust adds a subtle tang and depth of flavor to every bite. The crust bakes up beautifully, tender, and flaky with a hint of fermentation that compliments the sweet apples.
Reduce waste and use up sourdough discard while also adding nutritional benefits to your apple pie. The natural fermentation in sourdough discard enhances the texture of the dough, making it easy to work with, while also improving digestibility. This organic pie has the added health benefits of sourdough, wrapped up into a comforting apple pie that everyone will devour!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
Uses Sourdough Discard: You will love this recipe for Sourdough Apple Pie because it uses up sourdough discard in the crust! It’s still buttery and flaky just like a traditional butter pie crust, but with a little something extra!
Apple Pie: The filling for this Sourdough Apple Pie is made up of Cripps Pink Apples, light brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. I love using all light brown sugar as it really makes a delicious filling that is super flavorful.
Turbinado Sugar: I use turbinado sugar for the top. This is what creates that signature sparkle and crunch when you bite into the crust! This is a must if you want the look of a textured pie crust.
Organic Pie: While you can buy apple pie at the grocery store bakery these days, it can be full of shortening and preservatives. Making your own organic pie at home allows you to use organic butter for the best tasting pie crust that's also a more mindful indulgence.
Ingredients
- Butter: I use Organic Valley Salted Butter, you can use your favorite. Just be sure your butter is cold, straight from the fridge. Cold butter will give you the best buttery, flaky pie crust.
- All Purpose Flour: My favorite is Cairnspring Mills.
- Cane Sugar: I use organic cane sugar, which is less processed than granulated white sugar.
- Sourdough Discard: You can use your sourdough discard straight from the fridge. If you don't have sourdough discard, you can just use my All Butter Pie Crust recipe instead.
- Apples: I use organic Cripps Pink Apples in this apple pie, but any sweet variety like Fuiji, Gala, or Macintosh will have a similar flavor.
- Light Brown Sugar: I use my homemade light brown sugar recipe, but store bought also works.
- Cinnamon: I use organic Korintje cinnamon, which is my favorite variety. For more info on cinnamon, check out my pos the Best Cinnamon to Bake With.
- Nutmeg: This adds a comforting spice.
- Cornstarch: I use organic cornstarch in the filling of this apple pie. This helps solidify the sugars, as cornstarch is a natural thickener. This will ensure your crust stays buttery and flaky. It also prevents fruit juices from running out of the pie when you slice it.
- Heavy Whipping Cream: I use Organic Valley Heavy Whipping Cream for the pie wash. This acts similar to egg and it browns the pie in the oven, making this pie naturally eggless!
- Turbinado Sugar: I top this organic pie with turbinado sugar. This sugar gives this pie a signature sparkle and it also provides the best texture to the crust.
Tools Needed
- Scale: Always use a digital food scale for the best results.
- Stand Mixer: I use my stand mixer for ease to make the pie dough. But, you can easily do this by hand as well. If you are mixing up the dough by hand, you can just use your hands and squish the butter and flour together, then add in the water and sourdough discard and mix until combined.
- Rolling Pin: You'll need a rolling pin to roll out the pie dough.
- 9-inch Pie Pan: I use my Lodge Cast Iron Pie Pan. Check out my post The Best Pie Pans to Bake With.
- Parchment Paper: You'll need nontoxic parchment paper to parbake the crust.
- Pie Weights: You'll need pie weights to parbake the crust. These do not have to be fancy pie weights. I just simply use rice! You can also use quinoa or beans too.
- Mixing Bowl: You'll need a large mixing bowl to mix up the filling.
- Pastry Brush: I use a silicone pastry brush to brush on the pie wash.
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Step by Step Instructions
Step 1
To make the crust: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the flour and sugar. Mix for 2 to 3 rotations to mix the dry ingredients. (If using your hands, add this to a large mixing bowl.)
In a separate bowl, add the sourdough discard and water and stir to combine completely. Set aside.
Cut the butter into small cubes, the smaller the cubes, the flakier the crust. At least cut the sticks into 4 and small cubes from there.
Add the cubed butter into the mixing bowl with the flour and mix on low until combined and the mixture looks like wet sand. (If using your hands, squish together with your fingers until it looks like wet sand.)
Immediately add the sourdough discard and water and continue to mix to combine until it’s just incorporated, so not over mix. (If using your hands, mix until combined into a pie dough.)
Divide the dough into 2 portions for top and bottom, top should weigh about 200 grams and bottom should weigh about 300 grams. Form into disks and wrap with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight.
Step 2
To make the filling: Slice the apples, leaving skins on (or remove if you prefer!). Place in a medium bowl.
Add the brown sugar, flour, cornstarch, cinnamon, and nutmeg to the apples and toss with your hands to combine completely.
Step 3
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Step 4
To make the topping: Add the heavy whipping cream into a small dish, set aside.
Step 5
Grease a 9-inch pie pan well with butter. Remove the pie dough from the fridge. Remove the plastic wrap and place on a floured surface. First, roll out the large disk to ¼-inch thick, it should be about 11-inches in diameter. Place the pie dough into the pie pan, and press lightly to form against the pan. It should be large enough that the dough folds right over the top. Roll out the smaller disk to ¼-inch thick, it should be about 9-inches in diameter. Set aside.
Add the filling into the pie pan and spread evenly.
Place the smaller pie dough on top, crimp and fold over the edges of the dough to seal the top and bottom together. Flute the edges. Using a pastry brush, brush the dough with the cream topping. Sprinkle it with Turbinado sugar.
Step 6
Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until lightly browned. Turn up the oven to 400°F and bake for an additional 5 to 15 minutes or until golden brown to your liking. (If you are baking at high altitude, be sure to check the Notes at the bottom of the recipe for high altitude baking instructions).
Baker's Tips
- If you’re new to pie crust or to making it with sourdough discard, read mr post How to Make Pie Crust with Sourdough Discard for lots of tips and tricks! If you’re a seasoned baker, this pie crust is just like my traditional All Butter Pie Crust just with the addition of sourdough discard!
- The pie crust should be made the day before you plan to bake the pie so it chills in the fridge for 24 hours. So plan ahead!
- If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can easily make pie crust with your hands! See my post How to Make Pie Crust with Sourdough Discard for a full tutorial. But you just mix in butter and flour with hands until it resembles wet sand, just like instructions say, and add in sourdough discard mixture and mix to combine. It’s so easy!
- I like to prep the filling first and have everything read so when I roll out the crust then it doesn’t sit out for any longer as pie crust should stay chilled.
- If you are not as quick rolling our pie, and you feel your pie dough is warming, then you can put it back in the fridge to chill it before baking. This will help get that buttery and flaky crust, as it needs to be cold upon going into the oven.
- I top this pie with heavy whipping cream, as opposed to egg wash as I just had some in fridge and I think it’s easier! But if you want to do traditional eggs wash you can also do that instead.
FAQ's
Yes, you can, but it will just be an apple pie! If you don't have sourdough discard, you can use my recipe for All Butter Pie Crust, and then use the filling, topping, and baking time for this one.
Yes! Feel free to use any kind of apple variety you like! I used Cripps Pink Apples here, but you can use another variety of sweet apples like Fuji, Pink Lady, or Gala. You can even use Red Delicious or Granny Smith. Just keep in mind that whatever flavor apple you choose, that will flavor your pie!
Homemade pie is best stored in a cool, dry place. I prefer to just leave out on the counter uncovered. Don't put pie in a cake dome or airtight container as it can make the crust incredibly soggy.
The best (and only) way to reheat homemade pie is in the oven, air fryer, or toaster oven. Use a warm setting or set the temperature for 350°F and all you need is 5 to 10 minutes to warm the pie and crisp up the crust! Do not reheat pie in the microwave as it will make the crust incredibly soggy.
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Sourdough Apple Pie
Equipment
- Stand Mixer (optional)
Ingredients
Crust
- 255 grams all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon cane sugar
- 43 grams sourdough discard
- ¼ cup cold water
- 170 grams salted butter (cold)
Filling
- 3 Cripps Pink Apples
- 170 grams light brown sugar (packed)
- 21 grams all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Topping
- 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
- turbinado sugar
Instructions
- To make the crust: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the flour and sugar. Mix for 2 to 3 rotations to mix the dry ingredients. (If using your hands, add this to a large mixing bowl.)
- In a separate bowl, add the sourdough discard and water and stir to combine completely. Set aside.
- Cut the butter into small cubes, the smaller the cubes, the flakier the crust. At least cut the sticks into 4 and small cubes from there.
- Add the cubed butter into the mixing bowl with the flour and mix on low until combined and the mixture looks like wet sand. (If using your hands, squish together with your fingers until it looks like wet sand.)
- Immediately add the sourdough discard and water and continue to mix to combine until it’s just incorporated, so not over mix. (If using your hands, mix until combined into a pie dough.)
- Divide the dough into 2 portions for top and bottom, top should weigh about 200 grams and bottom should weigh about 300 grams. Form into disks and wrap with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight.
- To make the filling: Slice the apples, leaving skins on (or remove if you prefer!). Place in a medium bowl.
- Add the brown sugar, flour, cornstarch, cinnamon, and nutmeg to the apples and toss with your hands to combine completely.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- To make the topping: Add the heavy whipping cream into a small dish, set aside.
- Grease a 9-inch pie pan well with butter. Remove the pie dough from the fridge. Remove the plastic wrap and place on a floured surface. First, roll out the large disk to 1/4-inch thick, it should be about 11-inches in diameter. Place the pie dough into the pie pan, and press lightly to form against the pan. It should be large enough that the dough folds right over the top. Roll out the smaller disk to 1/4-inch thick, it should be about 9-inches in diameter. Set aside.
- Add the filling into the pie pan and spread evenly.
- Place the smaller pie dough on top, crimp and fold over the edges of the dough to seal the top and bottom together. Flute the edges. Using a pastry brush, brush the dough with the cream topping. Sprinkle it with Turbinado sugar.
- Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until lightly browned. Turn up the oven to 400°F and bake for an additional 5 to 15 minutes or until golden brown to your liking.
- Store at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Notes
Nutrition
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