Flaky Sour Cream Pie Crust Recipe

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Hi Bold Bakers!

WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS RECIPE This Flaky Sour Cream Pie Crust is the perfectly tender pastry you’re always hoping for when it’s pie baking time. Even better, you make it without a food processor or other special equipment, so it’s easy to prepare, and a snap to clean up the kitchen when you’re done. It’s a game-changing homemade pie crust that’s virtually foolproof.

Flaky Sour Cream Pie Crust has a fabulous texture and a subtle, delicious tangy taste that makes it a perfect partner for any type of galette, turnover, tart, or pie recipe.

Table of Contents

• What is Flaky Sour Cream Pie Crust?
• Tools You Need
• Key Ingredients and Why
• How to Make Flaky Sour Cream Pie Crust
• Can I Make Flaky Sour Cream Pie Crust in Advance?
• FAQs
• Gemma’s Pro Chef Tips
• More Pie Crust Recipes

What is Flaky Sour Cream Pie Crust?

• Flaky Sour Cream Pie Crust differs from standard pie crust recipes because water is replaced with sour cream.
• Sour cream is the superhero in this pie crust recipe, adding both tenderness and depth of flavor.

Tools You Need

• Mixing bowl
• Measuring cups and measuring spoons
• Pastry blender (optional)
• Rolling pin
• Pie dish or tin (optional)

Key Ingredients for Sour Cream Pie Crust and Why

All-purpose flour (aka “AP” flour)

• AP flour has a low-protein content of 8-10% which is perfect for a tender (and not chewy!) pie crust.
• Make sure you have the right amount by checking out How to Measure Flour.

Salt

When a recipe has very few ingredients, every element is crucial. Salt adds a necessary spark of flavor to Flaky Sour Cram Pie Crust, and ties the ingredients together.

Full-fat sour cream

• Enriches: Full-fat sour cream replaces the water and its higher fat content contributes to the dough’s richness and softness.
• Softens: Unlike water binding with protein to create gluten strands, the acid in sour cream will break down protein in flour to make a crust softer.
• Moistens: In the meantime, the protein won’t have big holes so moisture will be locked in, making it more pliable and supple.
• Balances: Sour cream adds a very subtle tang that balances the sweet or savory flavor profile.
• You can whip up your own version using the recipe here How to Make Sour Cream.

Butter

• Butter is the better choice over shortening for quality and taste.
• When cold butter or frozen butter is used in baking, water from the cold/frozen butter will evaporate during baking to help the dough rise and create layers.

How to Make Flaky Sour Cream Pie Crust

• Combine the flour with the salt.
• Add in the cold, cubed butter.
• Using your hands or a pastry blender, quickly rub the cubes of butter into the flour mixture until it looks like coarse breadcrumbs.

• Stir up your sour cream if it has separated in the container. Mix it into the flour-butter mix, and quickly form into a ball of dough. It’s okay if it’s not totally smooth.
• Roll out the dough to a 1/4-inch thick rectangle, fold it into thirds, and then fold it in half. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Can I Make Flaky Sour Cream Pie Crust in Advance?

The unbaked pie crust can be made two days in advance and kept in the fridge, or you can freeze it for up to two months.

FAQs

Can I use another type of flour?

• All-purpose flour or pastry flour are the best choices here. Pastry flour is finer-milled has a slightly lower protein content (about 9%) than all-purpose flour, and it will give you a tender result while still providing enough structure. Bread flour is not suitable for making pastry because has a higher protein content than all-purpose flour, and would give you a tough result. Cake flour is also unsuitable here because it won’t give the dough enough structure to form a pie crust that will hold its shape.
• If you’re looking for a gluten-free pie crust option, try The Flakiest Gluten-Free Pie Crust.

Is there anything I can use instead of sour cream?

• The best alternative to sour dairy cream is strained yogurt.
• Strain the yogurt through a fine sterile muslin-type cloth, in a sieve, over a bowl in the fridge for about four hours. You can also strain plant-based yogurt in the same way to get a thick Greek-style yogurt.

What’s the best baking temperature for this pie crust?

• This is a basic crust that works wonders in many recipes.
• Use it in your favorites from my Pies and Tarts recipes, and follow the baking temperature as directed in the recipe.

Do I need to blind bake this sour cream pie crust?

• Whether to blind bake this pie crust depends on what recipe you’re using it for.
• Check out my How To Blind Bake A Pie Crust for detailed professional tips.

Gemma’s Pro Chef Tips

• To ensure the butter is cold and to prevent it from warming up, you can grate frozen butter when you have time, mix it with a small amount of flour, and then freeze the butter curls.
• Refrigerate before rolling. Wrap up your unrolled pie crust and place it in the fridge for a minimum of 30 minutes. This will help the gluten relax and it will be easier to roll.
• To be one step ahead when making a pie, roll out your pie crust and place it in a pie plate (you can freeze it this way for up to two months).
  • When ready to use, take it out of the freezer and bake directly from frozen.
  • If you are using it for a pie that normally needs to be baked blind, you can just bake it as is, with no beads or beans. Just bake the crust from frozen, eliminating the task of blind baking. Yay!!!
• You can use this pie crust for sweet and savory pies.
• Always make sure that all of your ingredients are cold before you begin.
• Work quickly and handle the dough as little as possible for the most tender and flaky pie crust.

More Pie Crust Recipes

• 5-Minute No-Roll Pie Crust
• How to Make a Perfectly Flaky Savory Pie Crust
• Pâte Sucrée Recipe (French Sweet Shortcrust Pastry)
• Pâte Brisée (French Savory Pie Crust Technique)
• How to Make a Cookie Pie Crust
• The Flakiest Gluten-Free Pie Crust

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