Sourdough Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

With a flaky sourdough graham cracker pie crust, this Sourdough Strawberry Rhubarb Pie recipe makes a beautiful summer bake.

It’s hard to beat the combination of spring and early summer strawberries and tart rhubarb in a pie. This recipe is unique because it uses graham crackers and sourdough discard in the pie crust, resulting in a tender, flaky pie crust that complements the filling.

I precook the juicy strawberry rhubarb pie filling to release excess moisture, give the cornstarch a head start on thickening, and to reduce baking time. This way, you get a luscious, jammy filling that is easier to slice instead of a runny pie.

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👍 Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Uses 3 pounds of strawberries and rhubarb, so you have lots of fruit in every pie slice!
• Pre-cooking the strawberry rhubarb filling ensures the filling always sets, reduces the baking time, and is not too juicy.
• The sourdough graham cracker pie crust is flaky, buttery, and tender like my Sourdough Apple Hand Pies or Sourdough Sour Cherry Pie.
• Make the strawberry rhubarb pie filling and pie crust ahead of time, so it’s easy and fast to assemble and bake.
• You could use my standard Sourdough Pie Crust recipe instead of the graham cracker crust.

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🛠 Tools Needed

• Baking scale
  • Flour and sourdough starter can weigh differently from person to person, so weighing your ingredients will make your baking more consistent and accurate.
• Food Processor
  • I mix the sourdough graham cracker pie crust in a food processor for ease, but you can mix by hand too.
• Large Pot or Dutch Oven for pre-cooking the filling.
• Spatula, for mixing and stirring the filling.
• Rolling Pin, for rolling out the pie crust
• Pastry Wheel, or pizza wheel, or knife for cutting the lattice strips
• Pastry Brush, for egg wash
• Pie Pan
  • For best results, use a 9″ aluminum or ceramic pie pan.

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🛒 Ingredients Needed

Sourdough Graham Cracker Pie Crust

• All-purpose flour
  • You can substitute some or all of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour.
  • Make the sourdough graham cracker pie crust gluten-free by using cup-for-cup or measure-for-measure gluten-free flours and gluten-free graham crackers.
• Salt
• Unsalted butter, cold
  • Keep your butter cold when making flaky pastry. The cold butter creates steam in the hot oven, ensuring you get a flaky crust.
  • For a richer flavor, use a European-style butter such as Kerrygold or Cabot Extra Creamy.
• Graham Crackers
  • Use store-bought honey or cinnamon-flavored graham crackers or homemade Sourdough Graham Crackers.
• Sourdough Discard
  • Similar to adding vinegar to pie dough, sourdough discard adds acidity to the pie crust, which reduces gluten development and results in a more tender crust. It also adds a slight tangy flavor.
  • If you don’t have an active sourdough starter, learn how to make one in a week by following my how-to make sourdough starter guide. See my top sourdough starter tips and other sourdough discard recipes.
• Ice Water
  • Helps bind the crust together.
• Egg, for egg wash
  • The egg wash gives the crust a perfect golden brown sheen and helps create a protective barrier to prevent fruit juices from leaking.
• Raw sugar, for a sparkly and crunchy crust

Strawberry Rhubarb Filling

• Strawberries
  • I prefer fresh strawberries, but you can use frozen strawberries in this pie as well.
• Rhubarb
  • Use fresh or frozen rhubarb.
  • Rhubarb is great in these Sourdough Blondies with Rhubarb & Almonds too!
• Lemon Juice brightens the filling.
• Brown Sugar
  • Use light or dark brown sugar to add a little warmth and molasses sweetness to the filling.
• Cornstarch
  • The cornstarch serves as a thickening agent for the juicy pie filling. You could also use tapioca starch or ¼ cup of flour.
  • For gelatinization, the filling needs to reach 203ºF (95ºC) or be bubbling, so precooking it will always ensure it reaches your desired consistency.
• Vanilla Extract, for flavoring, warmth, and aromatic depth.
• Salt for flavoring.

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🥧 How to Make Sourdough Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Follow this detailed recipe guide as you make the best sourdough strawberry rhubarb pie.

1. Make the Sourdough Graham Cracker Pie Dough

Grind graham crackers to crumbs in a food processor. Alternatively, crush the crackers in a plastic bag if mixing by hand. Then, mix in the remaining dry ingredients.

Add the cold, cubed butter, cold sourdough discard, and ice water to the food processor until the dough comes together into a cohesive mass.

Divide the dough in half and bring each together into cohesive discs, and wrap them in plastic wrap. Press the dough to the edges of the plastic wrap to shape it.

Chill the sourdough pie doughs for at least two hours and up to 3 days.

2. Cook the Strawberry Rhubarb Filling

Slice the strawberries and rhubarb into ½” pieces. Add the fruit to a large pot or Dutch oven and stir in the sugar, cornstarch, salt, vanilla extract, and lemon juice until the slices are completely coated.

Cook the mixture over medium-low heat, stirring every few minutes to prevent the bottom from burning, for about 10-15 minutes or until the filling is bubbly, glossy, and thickens.

Remove from the heat and let it cool to room temperature.

3. Roll Out the Pie Doughs

Remove one chilled sourdough cheddar pie dough disc from the refrigerator and let it rest at room temperature for 5 minutes, until pliable. Then, use a rolling pin to roll out into a large 12-13″ round. While rolling out, rotate and flip the dough, flouring as needed to prevent sticking.

Transfer the dough to a large plate or baking sheet and chill it in the refrigerator while you roll out the second crust.

Repeat the same rolling out process for the lattice crust into a large round, but use a pastry wheel, pizza cutter, or knife to slice into 1″ strips. This recipe should yield 12-14 lattice strips, but you can adjust the size according to your design and personal preference for larger or smaller lattices.

Chill the lattice strips on a large plate or baking sheet until ready to assemble the pie.

4. Assemble

Preheat the oven to 425ºF (218ºC).

Beat an egg with a splash of water in a small bowl to make the egg wash.

Drape the chilled bottom pie crust on a pie plate and trim the edges so there’s about an inch of overhang around the pie pan. Brush an egg wash around the excess trim to help seal your lattice crust on top (save the rest for just before baking).

Pour in the cooled strawberry rhubarb pie filling.

Remove the lattice strips from the refrigerator and weave them in a pattern on top of your pie. There are many methods for doing so, but this video from King Arthur is particularly helpful if you’ve never done it before.

Trim the lattice edges to match the 1″ overhang, pinch down to seal with the egg wash, and roll the overhang up and over to create a thick border. Then, crimp or flute the edges with your fingers for a decorative touch, or seal the edges with the tines of a fork.

Finally, freeze the pie crust for at least 15 minutes while your oven preheats. The dough needs to chill and rest to create the flakiest crust.

5. Bake

Just before baking, brush the exterior lattice of the crust with more egg wash and sprinkle with raw or turbinado sugar for a sparkly, crunchy topping.

Transfer the sourdough strawberry rhubarb pie to a baking sheet to catch any drippings and bake for 15-20 minutes. The initial high temperature helps create more steam and a flakier crust.

Turn the oven down to 375°F (191 °C), cover the edges of the pie with foil to prevent burning, and bake for an additional 35-40 minutes, or until the filling is bubbly and the crust is a dark golden brown.

Remove from the oven to cool on a wire rack for at least 4 hours before serving. It’s a long time, but fruit pies take a while to cool so the filling can set, and it’ll be much easier to slice.

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How to Store and Serve

The sourdough strawberry rhubarb pie is best served at room temperature for the first couple of days or refrigerated for up to five days.

The crust will become more soggy over time, but you can reheat it for a couple of minutes in a toaster oven to re-crisp the top crust.

To freeze the baked pie, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and foil, and store it for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator for at least a day. However, I recommend using tapioca starch if you plan on freezing your pie, as cornstarch can separate when frozen.

I enjoy this summery pie with a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. It’s an excellent summer dessert like my Sourdough Strawberry Galette.

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❓ Frequently Asked Questions