Blind Baking Pie Crust

What Are Blind Baking, Par-Baking, and Fully Baking?

Blind baking refers to the process of baking a pie crust with weights to prevent puffing or shrinking. This can be done partially (par-baking) or completely (fully baking), depending on the pie. See my recipe for all-butter flaky pie crust.

• Par-Baking: A partially blind-baked crust is only baked halfway and then returned to the oven with a filling that needs further baking, such as quiche or fruit pies.
• Fully Baking: A fully blind-baked crust is baked until crisp and golden, perfect for pies with no-bake fillings, such as cream pies or tarts, like this coconut cream pie or lime meringue pie.

What If You Don’t Have Pie Weights?

If you don’t have traditional pie weights, no problem! Simply use dried beans, uncooked rice, or even granulated sugar as substitutes. Make sure to line the crust with parchment paper or foil before adding any weight.

 No matter which pie weights you use, make sure you fill it high enough, right to the top. If you don’t add enough it won’t hold the sides of the pie dough in place and you run the risk of the dough slipping down the pie dish.

How to partially blind bake a single crust

1. Roll out your chilled dough and fit it into your pie dish, leaving about 1/2 inch (1.2 cm) of overhang around the edges. Trim the edges, crimp or flute as desired, and chill the crust in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
2. Preheat your oven to 425°F (220°C). Using a fork, gently prick the bottom and sides of the pie crust to prevent puffing during baking. Line the crust with parchment paper. Spread the pie weights, rice, or dried beans over the parchment-lined crust, and make sure you fill it right to the top.
3. Bake it for approximately 10-15 minutes until the edges of the pie crust are lightly browned. Remove it from the oven and lift off the parchment paper and weights. Prick the bottom of the pie crust again and place the crust back in the oven for another 2-3 minutes until the bottom stops looking wet. 

Full baking a pie crust

Sometimes, the pie crust must be fully baked before adding the filling. This method is used when the filling doesn’t require baking or is pre-cooked. Fully baking the crust ensures it remains crisp and flaky, even after adding the filling.

1. To fully bake a single pie crust, blind-bake it as described above up to the step when removing the pie weights and parchment paper.
2. Lower the oven temperature to 375°F (190°C), prick the bottom of the pie crust again and place the pie crust back in the oven for 15-20 minutes until it’s nicely golden brown and baked through.

Par-Baking a Bottom Crust for a Double-Crust Pie

For double-crust pies, where both the top and bottom crust bake together, you typically use a raw bottom crust. However, for extra-crisp bottoms in pies with very juicy or wet fillings, or for deep dish pies, it can be helpful to par-bake the bottom crust. It makes it a bit trickier to put on the top crust, but it can be done.

1. Roll out your chilled dough and fit it into your pie dish, leaving about 1 inch (2.5 cm) of overhang around the edges. Don’t trim it yet. Chill the fitted dough in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes until firm.
2. Use a fork to prick the bottom of the crust to allow steam to escape. Line the crust with parchment paper and fill it with pie weights, dried beans, or rice. For deep-dish pies, make sure to use enough weights to fill the entire crust.
3. Preheat your oven to 425°F (220°C). Bake the crust for approximately 10-15 minutes until the edges of the pie crust are lightly browned. Add a pan underneath the pie to catch any butter spills that will come from the overhang.
4. Remove the parchment and weights. Let the crust cool for a minute or two, then use kitchen scissors to trim the excess dough so the edges are flush with the pie dish. Now let the crust cool completely or it will melt the top crust butter.
5. Once the bottom crust has cooled, add your filling. Roll out your top crust, fit it over the filling, and tuck it under the edges of the par-baked crust to seal them together. Continue baking as per your recipe.