How to Blind Bake a Pie Crust

Properly blind baking a pie crust will allow you to achieve the right texture for sweet and savory desserts. It’s a simple culinary technique to prevent sogginess.

Blind baking, also called par-baking is when you cook a single crust pie or tart dough before adding the filling. Why is it done? The technique helps set the structure for the bottom of the pie crust, either by semi or fully baking the dough. When correctly done, blink baking prevents the crust from tasting raw and yields sturdy slices.

You’ll find that recipes may call for this step, especially when adding a runny custard, like pumpkin pie or lemon meringue. The type of pie will determine the temperature and cook time, which often varies. If you’re an avid baker and like to use ahomemade pie crust, you can apply the blind baking technique to achieve stunning results for your creations. Don’t be intimidated! I’ll cover the basics and set you up for success.

What is blind baking?

It’s just a fancy term for partially or fully baking a pie or tart crust without any filling. There are multiple reasons to do this. But it generally helps with shape retention in the pie plate, setting the proteins in the raw dough for better structure and preventing the crust’s bottom from getting soggy.

Why do you par-bake?

Pre-baking the dough is most often used for single-crust recipes. Pie dough is typically a mixture of flour, butter, salt, and water; as it heats, the pockets of fat melt. The void spaces cause the sides of the dough to shrink down in the pan. Over time, the moisture in the butter turns to steam.

The steam creates a flaky texture in the crust. However, without the weight of the filling ingredients to hold the crust down, the pastry puffs up too much. It will stay this way if the proteins in the dough set completely. It’s hard to add filling when the bottom crust has a massive bubble in the center. The solution: blind baking!

Full vs. partial baking

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Fully blind bakinguntil the crust is dry to the touch, golden in color, and crisp is a must when the filling does not require further baking. It should be ready to eat once filled. Examples includechocolateorbanana cream pieor fresh fruit pies.

Partially blind bakingis for runny fillings that risk sogginess or when the filling cooks faster than the crust. Egg custards run this risk and will get rubbery and dry if over-baked. Many quiches and custard-based fillings likecoconut piefall into the partial category.

Dock for extra vents

This step is not required but can help with bubbling. Use the tines of a fork and press them multiple times into the crust, about 1-inch apart. This process creates vents that allow steam to escape, preventing bubbles in the crust. However, I see more shrinking when this is done alone.

I’ve had the best success when still using pie weights plus docking to hold its shape better. You can also dock the dough after the initial par-bake with weights to prevent any pockets of steam from rising, especially since the covered area will still be uncooked. This technique works great for the final phase of fully baking the crust.

Line the crust

Once the pie crust is in the pan and ready to bake, use a piece of parchment paper or foil (greased on the underside) to shield the crust. It should be large enough to completely cover the bottom and some overhang on the edges to make it easy to remove. You’ll add the pie weights on top of this lining.

Pie weights

Pie weights help keep the side of the crust from severely slumping and keep the bottom crust flat, preventing it from lifting from the steam. Options include ceramic pie weights, stainless steel metal beads, dry rice, uncooked beans, granulated sugar, or another pie plate set on top.

I prefer ceramic because it distributes heat evenly and has a high heat resistance of 480ºF (249ºC). I love that I can reuse it over and over too. Add just enough to cover the bottom and sides. I find that ceramic is heavier, so I use a little less, but make sure the sides and the base are evenly covered.

Baking temperature

I use 375ºF (191ºC) for baking. It’s hot enough to cook the dough and encourage Maillard browning without being so hot that it burns or is too cool that the crust doesn’t set correctly. The temperature is often reduced to 350ºF (177ºC) to cook the filling over a more extended period gently.

For partially baked crusts

The edges should be lightly golden and just set and not puff up in the center, about 15 to 20 minutes, depending on the thickness of the crust. Once I take the crust out of the oven, I let the weights sit for 5 minutes to deflate any steam.

You’ll notice that the dough under the weights will be slightly raw. For quiche and custard pies like pecan, bake another 5 minutes to help set the surface, then add the filling.

brush with egg wash (optional)

在最初的烘烤步骤设置地壳,再保险move the weights. The area underneath the weights will be raw and require more baking to dry and brown. One thing you can do is lightly brush the crust with egg wash and bake again until fully cooked. You can do this with just one whisked egg.

The egg wash creates a protective film and moisture barrier, keeping the texture crisp. This step is optional. However, I will do it by docking the dough with holes to prevent any liquid from seeping into the crust.

For fully baked crusts

Bake with pie weights for 15 to 20 minutes, then remove and continue baking until the entire surface is golden brown and dry, about 25 to 30 minutes, depending on the thickness. I like to check halfway and deflate any air pockets with a fork or spoon to tap it down gently. Alternatively, you can dock with holes after the initial 15 minutes to reduce puffing.

If the edges brown too fast

如果边缘的地壳开始变黑的太多了, but the center or filling is not done yet, cover it with foil wrapped around the edges or use a silicone pie crust shield.

Additional ways to prevent shrinking

As the butter melts and proteins cook and tighten in the pie dough, it’s normal for the crust to shrink. Beyond using pie weights, there are a few things you can do.

• Chill and rest the dough对自制的地壳(约4小时)。这个时间prevents the gluten network from contracting too tightly and tasting tough.
• Bake the crust when still cool. If needed, let it chill in the refrigerator after rolling and shaping or freeze for about 20 minutes. This process slows down the butter melting rate, so the proteins and starches can form a structure around the pockets of fat in the crust.
• Make the edges thickerthan the sides and bottom of the crust. This technique provides more weight to keep the edges from shrinking down too much. I crimp the edges on the rim of the pie plate or a little over if it’s narrow.

Pies to try

• Quiche lorraine
• Ham and cheese quiche
• Pecan pie
• Pumpkin Pie
• Banana cream pie
• Lemon meringue pie

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