Blind Bake a Pie Crust
Blind baking a pie crust is the act of cooking a pie crust before adding the filling. Pies with fillings that should not to be cooked or fillings that need to be cooked for such a short time or at such a low temperature that the crust would not be finished by the time the filling was done require a blind-baked pie crust. Also, pie crusts that have been blind baked before the filling was added tend to stay flakier than ones that have had the filling added when they were uncooked. This article will show you how to blind bake a pie crust.
Steps
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
- Dock your pie crust.
- Docking a pie crust is when you put little holes all over it to keep steam that forms underneath your pie crust when it cooks from expanding your pie crust.
- You can use a fork or a pastry docker to prick the pie crust all over.
- Cover the pie crust with parchment paper or aluminum foil.
- Leave enough overhang that you can easily remove the covering without burning yourself on the pie pan.
- This step is necessary for all types of blind-baked pie crusts.
- Add pie weights.
- Weights are needed at the beginning of baking to keep the pie crust from puffing up.
- You can buy a special string of pie weights at a store with a good selection of baking tools.
- Many cooks use dried beans or rice that they save as pie weights. This is a less expensive option than buying special pie weights and works just as well, although the dried beans or rice can be more difficult to deal with when they are hot.
- Fill the pie crust up to the top with the weights.
- You do not need to use weights when blind baking a crumb crust.
- Refrigerate the pie crust for 20 minutes to keep it from shrinking when it cooks.
- This step is not necessary for crumb crusts.
- Place the pie crust in the oven.
- For a crust that must be entirely baked before the filling is added, bake 20 minutes with the weights in place.
- For a crust in which the filling will be baked, bake the pie crust for 15 minutes with the weights in place.
- Remove the weights and uncover.
- All types of blind baked crusts should be uncovered at this point.
- Bake until browned.
- A crust that needs to be fully baked before the filling is added should be placed back in the oven uncovered for an additional 15 minutes.
- A crust that will be baked more with the filling in place does not require more baking at this time before the filling is added.
- Fill or freeze your pie crust.
- If you are filling your blind baked pie crust with a filling that does not require cooking, allow it to cool and then fill it.
- If you are filling your pie crust with a filling that requires further baking, fill it and return it to the oven.
- Blind-baked pie crusts can also be wrapped well and frozen at this time.
- Bake longer if necessary.
- Bake your pie crust until the filling is done at the temperature suggested by the filling recipe.
- Finished.
Tips
- If you keep your pie weights in an oven-safe cooking bag, they will be easier to remove when they are hot.
- Label your dried beans and rice that you use as pie weights so you won't accidentally use them in a recipe.
Warnings
- Pie weights are hot when they come out of the oven. Use the parchment or aluminum foil, which will not be too hot to touch, to slide the pie weight string, dried beans or rice into a heat resistant container. Most cooks keep them in a glass jar.
Things You'll Need
- Pie crust in a pie pan
- Fork or pastry docker
- Parchment or aluminum foil
- Pie weights or dried beans or rice to be used as pie weights
Related Articles
Sources and Citations
- King Arthur Flour Company, Inc. 2003. The King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion. Countryman Press. Woodstock, Vermont.
- http://piemaven.com/blind_bake.htm
