Blind Bake Pie Crust
Blind baking your pie crust can feel intimidating but this simple process can help you get the reliable pie every single time.
So many people profess pie as their all-time favorite dessert, but you’ll find just as many people who are completely befuddled by pie crust. Whether it’s mixing the dough, rolling it out, or blind baking it, we know all too well how intimidating crust can be – and we want to change that.
As we head into the holidays, it seems like the reliable time to not just give you some of our favorite pie and crust recipes – but to give you our tips and tricks for blind-baking, also known as parbaking, your pie crusts. Once you master this process – the world is your oyster (or pie!).
We've tried so many different methods for this, different pie weights, and the method we've found that is completely foolproof is the one outlined by Stella Parks.
Common questions
- What does blind-baking/parbaking mean?: All we are doing here is putting the crust in the oven without filling to get it solid and crispy before including the rest of the ingredients. Most recipes use pie weights or something else (granulated sugar is our favorite!) in the center to keep the dough in place during this process.
- When do we blind bake our pie crust? This process is necessary when you have a liquid/custard filling, or a filling that is not cooked (like fruit).
- Why do we need to use pie weights? As the dough bakes, tiny bits of steam build and puff up our rich crusty layers. This becomes an issue, however, when you want to fill the crust with some awesome chocolate, custard, or egg mixture! Without weighing down the crust during blind baking, the sides will begin to droop before they get flaky, which doesn’t make for the most aesthetically pleasing pie!
- Where do we find pie weights? In your pantry! We have found granulated sugar to be THE. standby pie weight; the granules are small so its weight is distributed evenly over the entire surface of the pie, and up the sides. Once cool, place it in an airtight container and reuse it for future pies! (You could use rice or dried beans, as well).
- How far ahead can you blind bake? During the winter holidays, or the summer fruit rush, making pies ahead of time can be helpful. Once you are done blind-baking pie crusts, you can keep them covered with saran wrap for about three days in the refrigerator before they need to be finished.
Ready to try blind baking pie crust? Here are some of our favorite recipes you can use this technique with!
- French Silk Pie
- Strawberry Pie
- Sweet Potato Pie
- Pumpkin Pie
- Lemon Meringue Pie
- Reliable Quiche Lorraine
We hope this helps you with all of your pie baking adventures! If you try this method, please stop back and leave a rating and let us know how you liked it! ENJOY! 😍
How to Blind Bake a Pie Crust
Yield: 8 servings Blind baking your pie crust can feel intimidating but this simple process can help you get the reliable pie every single time.- 1 recipe single 9-inch pie crust
- Prepare the dough as directed.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and bring it together with your hands, pressing it into a 6-inch round. Lightly flour the top and gently and quickly roll it out to a 13-inch circle, picking it up and doing a quarter turn after every couple of rolls to keep it from sticking.
- Transfer the dough to a 9-inch pie plate and gently press it into the bottom and up the sides. Trim the dough to 1 inch beyond the lip of the pie plate, then tuck it under itself so it is flush with the edge of the pie plate. Flute the edges or press with the tines of a fork, then refrigerate the dough-lined plate for at least 2 hours.
- Blind Bake Crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line the chilled pie dough with aluminum foil and use granulated sugar to fill the whole pie plate. Bake for 40 minutes; remove the foil and sugar and set the crust aside while you make the filling.
- If the crust will bake again once filled, then bake for 40 minutes, remove the foil and sugar, and proceed with the recipe as directed.
- If the crust needs to be fully baked, then bake for 55 to 60 minutes, remove the foil and sugar, and proceed with the recipe as directed.
[Photography by Dee Frances]
- Yield: 8 servings
- Prep: 2 hours
- Cook: 1 hour
- Total: 3 hours
Ingredients
- 1 recipe single 9-inch pie crust
Method
- Prepare the dough as directed.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and bring it together with your hands, pressing it into a 6-inch round. Lightly flour the top and gently and quickly roll it out to a 13-inch circle, picking it up and doing a quarter turn after every couple of rolls to keep it from sticking.
- Transfer the dough to a 9-inch pie plate and gently press it into the bottom and up the sides. Trim the dough to 1 inch beyond the lip of the pie plate, then tuck it under itself so it is flush with the edge of the pie plate. Flute the edges or press with the tines of a fork, then refrigerate the dough-lined plate for at least 2 hours.
- Blind Bake Crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line the chilled pie dough with aluminum foil and use granulated sugar to fill the whole pie plate. Bake for 40 minutes; remove the foil and sugar and set the crust aside while you make the filling.
- If the crust will bake again once filled, then bake for 40 minutes, remove the foil and sugar, and proceed with the recipe as directed.
- If the crust needs to be fully baked, then bake for 55 to 60 minutes, remove the foil and sugar, and proceed with the recipe as directed.
