How to Blind Bake a Pie Crust (Because You Probably Should)
Baking a pie or pie is theoretically simple: you put the filling in the crust, bake it, and eat it. But the devil, as they say, is in the details, and one part of the fine print is blind baking. To prevent a sticky, soggy crust from forming on the bottom of your pie, you’ll need to master this technique. Luckily, it’s pretty easy. Don’t let pie crust ruin your country lifestyle any longer: follow these steps to blind bake a pie crust.
What is blind baking?
Blind baking is baking the crust before filling it. You should do this with store-bought or homemade pie dough, most single-crust pies (like pumpkin or coconut custard), and definitely no-bake pie fillings. Again, it sounds simple, but you can’t just throw a pie pan in the oven without a plan. Pie crusts are full of saturated fat and are something of a gluten network from all the mixing and rolling. Once the crust reaches the heat of the oven, it will wrinkle, slide down the sides, and puff up in the center. You need something to hold its shape until it hardens and can stand on its own. This is where pie weights come in handy.
A pie weight is any item that is heat-resistant, food-safe, heavy enough to control the urge of the crust to move, and whose shape can naturally conform to the shape of the pie crust. Ceramic pie weights are little balls that can do the trick and can be used an infinite number of times. Unfortunately, you only need enough of them to fill the pie crust to the brim, and they are usually sold in small quantities. You can buy them online or at a kitchen supply store, but they can be expensive and hard to find.
For the occasional baker, those of us who just don’t feel like spending $15 on pie weights, and people in a pinch, you have cheaper options that you may already have in your pantry: try dry beans, rice or sugar. .
How to blind bake a crust
1. Cool the uncooked crust.
You can blind bake a pie crust, whether you make it from scratch or grab it from the grocery store freezer. First, if you are rolling out the crust yourself, place it in a pie plate and trim. Crimp the edge now because you won’t have a chance to do this after blind baking. Place it in the refrigerator or freezer until the fat hardens – this will take about 15 minutes. A cold start means the saturated fats are solid, which makes it easier to load the pie without poking holes in the crust. Preheat oven to 400°F while you “weigh in.” (It’s been a while since I made a food pun. Give me that.)
2. Level the crust and press it down.
If you are using frozen crust, you can start with this step. Remove the cold crust from the refrigerator or freezer. Line the crust with a non-stick heat-resistant liner. I prefer parchment paper, but you can use one extra-large coffee filter or multiple coffee filters with a tiled surface (keep in mind that these are difficult to remove weights from). Some people like aluminum foil, but I’m not a fan. When you press it into the crust, it likes to retain its own wrinkles, and these spots often get stuck during baking. Additionally, blind baking resulted in the pie dough sticking to the aluminum foil and that is simply unacceptable.
If you are using parchment paper, tear off a piece that is about four inches longer than the diameter of the pie pan and scrunch it into a small ball. Then he smoothed it out. Tiny bends and folds will allow the paper to conform to the curves of the pie shell, so it fits snugly rather than poking into the dough. Fill the liner with weights of your choice. Make sure you have enough to fill the pie pan all the way to the top. This prevents any shrinkage or sagging.
3. Bake blind
Bake the pie crust for 20 to 30 minutes in a 400°F oven or until you see the exposed edges begin to brown. If you don’t see anything, just lift the edge of the parchment a little to check how it’s going. Carefully remove the cake and lift the edges of the liner with the weights inside. The crust should be lightly browned on the top edge, set and dry on the sides and bottom. If the center looks greasy or becomes doughy when pressed, the crust needs more time. The time will depend on the type of weights you used and the thickness of the pie crust. If necessary, lift the pan and pie weight back into the crust. Return the pie pan to the oven and check again after 5-10 minutes.
Once the crust is blind baked, remove the weights and liner. Depending on whether your pie has a no-bake filling or not, you may want to bake the crust extra to crisp up the inside. This will take about five to 10 minutes of additional baking. Be sure to keep a close eye on this. Cool the crust on a wire rack and fill it with pie stuff, stupid. If you like to plan ahead, you can wrap the crust and store it in the refrigerator or at room temperature for a couple of days. Or really plan ahead and freeze it for up to six months.