The One Step You Should Never Skip When Making Pie (2024)

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Emma Christensen

Emma is a former editor for The Kitchn and a graduate of the Cambridge School for Culinary Arts. She is the author of True Brews and Brew Better Beer. Check out her website for more cooking stories

Kristina Razon

Kristina is the Senior Food Editor at Kitchn. An avid baker and coffee drinker, she is currently learning about how to keep her houseplants alive. Kristina lives in the Hudson Valley in upstate New York with her husband, two kids, and two cats.

updated Oct 19, 2023

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The One Step You Should Never Skip When Making Pie (1)

Blind baking, or par-baking a pie crust, is the trick to better pie. You won't have to worry about the filling overcooking or a soggy crust.

Makes1 pie crustPrep10 minutesCook17 minutes to 22 minutes

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What To Know About Blind Baking Pie Crust

To blind bake pie crust, prick the crust all over with the tines of a fork and line the unbaked pie crust with aluminum foil, or line the crust with parchment paper or aluminum foil then add pie weights.

Bake the crust until the edges are golden, then remove the parchment paper, foil, or weights, and continue to bake the crust on its own until dry and flaky, but still pale for a partially cooked crust, or until a light golden brown for a fully cooked crust.

What Is Blind Baking?

All blind baking means is partially, or sometimes completely, baking a pie crust before you add a filling. You might wonder why we don’t just throw the crust in the oven as it is. The purpose of blind baking, aside from partially cooking the crust, is to prevent the pockets of steam in the dough from puffing up, which makes it easier to add the pie filling. The sides of the crust may also sag before they start to crisp, leaving you with a not-so-attractive slouching effect. The pie weights help to weigh down the crust and keep its shape.

When Do You Need To Blind Bake a Crust?

There are two times when blind baking is necessary: When we’re making a custard pie or when the pie filling is unbaked. With a custard pie, like a pumpkin pie, the moisture in the filling can make the crust soggy before it has time to actually bake. Blind baking the crust until it’s half-baked helps the crust stay firm. With an unbaked filling, like with a French silk pie, blind baking just makes sure the crust is fully baked before you add the filling.

But don’t worry — you shouldn’t have to guess very often. Your recipe will almost always tell you when blind baking is necessary. If you see a recipe that calls for a “cooked and cooled” pie crust, this is also another indicator that you’ll need to blind bake the crust before making the recipe.

Docking vs. Pie Weights

You might see some recipes that call for blind baking the crust by “docking” the pie instead of using pie weights. This simply means to prick the crust all over with the tines of a fork. These pinhole pricks allow steam to escape, preventing the crust from puffing up, and has the advantage of being a little quicker and less fussy than using pie weights. (If your filling is very liquidy, there’s also some risk that the filling will seep into the holes and make the crust soggy.)

Personally, I like using pie weights for the added support they give the sides as they’re baking.

Tips for Blind Baking Success

You can blind bake like a pro by keeping a few tips in mind.

Line the unbaked pie crust with parchment paper or aluminum foil.
Use pie weights, dried beans, or clean coins to weigh down the lined crust so the bottom doesn’t puff and the sides don’t slouch while it bakes.
Once the crust is set — and you’ll know this because the edges will turn golden — remove the weights and let the crust cook a little longer on its own.
Want a partially baked crust? Take a look at the bottom. You want it to look dry and flaky, but still pale. For a fully baked crust, cook until the bottom turns a light golden color. The whole process won’t take more than 15 or 20 minutes.

Pie Recipes That Use a Blind Baked Pie Crust

Pumpkin Pie
French Silk Pie
Lemon Meringue Pie
Coconut Cream Pie
Banana Cream Pie

How To Blind Bake a Pie Crust

Blind baking, or par-baking a pie crust, is the trick to better pie. You won't have to worry about the filling overcooking or a soggy crust.

Prep time 10 minutes

Cook time 17 minutes to 22 minutes

Makes 1 pie crust

Nutritional Info

Ingredients

1
single pie crust

Equipment

1
(9-inch) pie plate
Parchment paper or aluminum foil
Pie weights, dry beans, or pennies
Baking sheet

Instructions

Show Images

Heat the oven and roll out the pie crust. Heat the oven to 425°F with a rack in the lower-middle position. Roll out the pie crust and transfer it to your pie plate as normal (see more on this here). Trim the edges and crimp.
Line the pie. Cut off a large square of parchment paper or aluminum foil and use it to line the pie. Snug the lining right up against the edges and sides of the pie.
Fill the pie with weights. Pour the pie weights into the pie dish. Make sure they cover the bottom of the pie and press against the sides of the pie. The weights on the bottom will keep the pie from puffing up and the weights against the sides will keep the sides from sagging as the crust bakes.
Bake until the edges are barely golden. Place the pie on the baking sheet and bake until the edges of the crust are just starting to turn golden, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove the crust from the oven.
Remove the pie weights. Grasp the corners of the parchment (or foil), and lift the weights out of the pie. Transfer them to a bowl or plate to cool. The bottom of the pie will still look wet and un-cooked at this point.
Return the crust to the oven. Return the crust to the oven. Bake until the bottom looks dry, another 5 minutes. If the pie will not be cooked again with the filling, bake for another few minutes until the edges of the crust have browned and the bottom is lightly golden. The bottom crust will puff a bit as it bakes, but will deflate again when you remove the pie from the oven.
Continue with the pie recipe. Check your recipe — some pies are assembled while the crust is still warm, others need the crust to be completely cooled.

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The One Step You Should Never Skip When Making Pie (2024)

FAQs

What is the most important rule in making a pie crust? ›

PIE DOUGH RULES

As important as not overmixing is staying chilled, literally!! That means keeping all elements cold— your counter, ingredients, hands, heart (just kidding!). No, but seriously, cut up your butter into little cubes and chill them before you incorporate them into the flour.

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What is a very important step in making pie dough after making the pie dough but before rolling it out? ›

Here's how you do this: Make your pie dough - For this recipe I make the dough then form it into a rectangle. Then I wrap tightly in plastic and chill for only an hour. This gives the butter time to chill down enough that it won't melt everywhere when you roll it out.

What is the most important tip when making pie dough? ›

Don't Roll Crust Too Quickly

Rolling out your pie dough directly after mixing would warm too quickly and become sticky. Resting the mixture in the fridge keeps your pie dough nice and cold, making it easier to roll.

What is the cardinal rule of pie dough making? ›

It's also about having confidence in what you're doing, which you'll gain by grasping the science of pie dough—how fat, gluten, and water interact. The cardinal rules of pie dough: Keep it cold, work fast, and don't overwork your dough.

What is the secret of good pastry? ›

Water, however, is absorbed much less easily into flour proteins when the temperature is colder. That's why purists recommend cold ingredients, cold equipment and marble boards. Keeping the butter cold also helps when making short crust pastry because it doesn't melt into the flour when you are working it in.

Keep Reading ›

Is pie crust better with butter or crisco? ›

“My preferred fat for pie crusts will always be butter. To me, it is all about flavor, and no other fat gives flavor to a crust like butter does. Other fats, even though they have great pros, lack flavor,” De Sa Martins said. “The more flavorful the butter, the more flavor your pie crust will have,” Huntsberger added.

Get More Info ›

What should one avoid when making a pie crust? ›

The Most Common Pie Crust Mistakes (And Ways To Avoid Them)

The ingredients are too warm. ...
The pie dough is overworked from excessive mixing or rolling. ...
The pie dough isn't given enough time to relax and chill. ...
The pie dough is shrinking down the sides of the pan.

More items...

Oct 18, 2022

Read On ›

What is the formula for 3:2:1 pie dough? ›

This is the easy and famous '3, 2, 1' pie crust. It's 3 parts flour, 2 parts fat, and 1 part liquid - along with some salt and/or sugar for flavor.

Why is my homemade pie crust falling apart? ›

The pie dough is too dry!

There are two very important things to point out in those few words– “cold” water and “just until flour is moistened.” It's critical to use cold water to keep the butter cold. The butter should stay firm so it doesn't soften and combine with the flour.

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What is the most important factor in creating a pie crust with an excellent texture? ›

Gluten is what makes bread soft and stretchy – it's desirable in bread, but not in pie dough. Rather, pie dough should be flaky and tender! So, it's important to use cold butter and ice water with your flour, as the coldness interrupts gluten development. Try to not handle the dough too much when mixing.

Find Out More ›

What are the pies strategies? ›

In the strategy presented, the mnemonic PIES is used to describe a 4-step process for solving word problems in which the acronym is described as P=Picture (draw a simple sketch) based on the situation described by the word problem), I=Information (circle key words in the problem and write next to picture), E=Equation ( ...

Read The Full Story ›

What shelf should you bake a pie on in the oven? ›

A pie's place in the oven is on the bottom rack. The worst mistake you can make with your pie is under-baking the bottom crust—it makes for a soggy, doughy mess. Baking your pie on the bottom rack will ensure that bottom crust gets nice and golden brown. Speaking of which: bake your pie in a glass pie dish.