If you already feel intimidated by pie baking, the idea of blind baking crust might sound like an extra challenge. But blind baking is a useful baking skill for a variety of pies and tarts, and once you master a few key steps it’s as easy as, well, pie. But what is blind baking? For a guide to how to blind bake pie crust, we consulted baker Betül Tunç, founder of social media phenomenon Turkuaz Kitchen and New York Times best-selling author of Turkuaz Kitchen: Traditional and Modern Dough Recipes for Sweet and Savory Bakes.

What Is Blind Baking?

Blind baking is the process of baking a crust, either partially or fully, prior to adding any filling.

The pie crusts are lined with parchment paper, then filled with pie weights and baked without the filling. “This technique can be utilized for baked pies or custard filled pies to ensure you have a crisp, flaky crust no matter the style!” Tunç says. “If you have a custard-like filling that is at risk of curdling or seizing with too much heat, blind baking is a commonly used method.”

Common types of pies requiring blind baking include:

• Custard pies, such as lemon custard pie, pumpkin pie, pecan pie or chess pie
• No-bake filling pies, such as lemon meringue pie, French silk pie or banana cream pie
• Fruit tarts
• Single-crust pies with wet fillings, such as quiche

You can blind bake homemade or store-bought pie or tart crusts. “Depending on whether your recipe calls for a second bake or has a no-bake filling, you’ll adjust your blind bake accordingly,” Tunç says.

Why Blind Bake Your Pie Crust?

Blind baking pie crust helps it keep its shape, promotes even cooking and enhances the crust’s texture.

Achieve even baking for custard and fruit pies.

“When preparing a pie, you are incorporating various elements with different needs. Blind baking allows you to cater to the crust specifically, so when you finally add your filling you can be confident that the crust will be appropriately flaky,” Tunç explains. “For example, if you were to fill a raw pie dough with pumpkin pie filling and then bake it, your filling would be done before the bottom of the dough — leaving you with the dreaded soggy bottom. Or, if you baked for the ideal crust texture, your filling may be dried out or even burnt.”

Prevent soggy bottom crusts.

Pre-baking pie crust helps to ensure that the bottom crisps up. “Filling a raw pie crust is going to make it difficult to crisp up the bottom as there will be plenty of added moisture, once again leaving you with a soggy bottom,” Tunç says.

Enhance the crust's texture.

Blind baking a pie shell allows the water in the butter to evaporate, helping to create a flaky crust from the bottom to the crimped sides.

Step-by-Step Guide to Blind Baking

Here, Tunç offers her top tips for preparing pie crust, chilling and rolling out the dough and key blind baking techniques and timings.

Step 1: Chill your pie crust ingredients

“The number one key to a flaky pie dough is to keep it cold!” Tunç says. She recommends chilling all your pie crust ingredients, including flour, and placing cubed butter in the freezer to chill for 5 to 10 minutes before adding it to the dough. “Making sure the fat is chilled will allow it to melt in the oven (and not a moment sooner!) to create the ideal texture,” she says.

Step 2: Use water sparingly

Make sure you’re using very cold water and use just enough for the dough to come together, but not so much that it becomes sticky or wet. “You can separate out fully hydrated sections and drizzle cold water 1 teaspoon at a time over the remaining areas for even moisture,” Tunç advises.

Step 3: Avoid overworking the dough

This helps maintain the butter temperature and prevents the flour from forming a strong gluten structure, which leads to tough dough. That means no kneading! “You want to bring everything together by pressing and gathering, using your fingers to press the butter into the flour, but refrain from stretching and working the dough,” Tunç says. “Stop the process as soon as your dough comes together.”

Step 4: Wrap and chill the dough

Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and let it rest in the fridge for 30 to 40 minutes. Tunç explains that this will help the dough to come together and allow the gluten to rest before you roll it into your desired shape.

Step 5: Roll out the dough

Once you remove the dough from the fridge, Tunç recommends letting the dough sit out for a minute before rolling. “I recommend rolling your crust at least ½- to 1-inch larger than your pan,” she says. “Then, you can pinch the edges to your preferred design or cut the crust down slightly after baking for an even edge.

Step 6: Line and press the dough into the pan, then chill again

Once you’ve rolled the pie crust to your desired size, carefully roll the dough back over your rolling pin to allow you to transfer it to the pie dish without stretching or tearing. “Press the dough firmly into the crevices of the pan so there are no air pockets and so it sits evenly across,” Tunç says. “I like to cover it in plastic wrap and chill it for another 30 minutes period prior to baking, just to make sure.”

Step 7: Prep the pie shell for blind baking

First, prick the base of your pie dough with a fork or sharp knife several times around the bottom to allow moisture to escape (this is called docking).

Step 8: Cover dough with parchment paper and add pie weights

Next, cover the dough with parchment paper ensuring that it covers the edges of the dough to prevent them from browning too quickly. Add pie weights and spread evenly across the parchment paper.

Step 9: Blind bake the pie crust

Tunç generally blind bakes her pie crust at 425 degrees F for about 14 to 15 minutes before removing the pie weights to check the crust.

• For filled pies: If you’re par-baking for a pie that will be filled and placed back into the oven, Tunç recommends baking until the crust is a lightly golden but not fully crisp.
• For no-bake fillings: Bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes without the pie weights until fully baked, with a golden brown and evenly crisp crust.

Tips and Tricks for Perfect Blind Baking

Read and follow your recipe closely.

Most recipes will indicate whether a blind bake is required. “In my Apple Pie recipe, I do not blind bake the crust! Because it bakes long enough (around 50 minutes) at a high temperature (400 degrees F), I do not find it necessary to crisp up the crust,” Tunç says. “If you are using a recipe you trust, it’s important to listen to the included instructions.”

Start with a very cold crust and a fully pre-heated oven.

The melting of fat is what makes the dough shrink. Using a high oven temperature is key, so the fat melts quickly within the appropriate dough pockets rather than slowly melting out of the sides.

Use pie weights correctly.

“Adding pie weights helps maintain the crust’s shape so it doesn’t rise during baking and gives you a nice even bake, while leaving plenty of room for your delicious fillings,” Tunç says. Pie weights are typically made of ceramic or metal and can easily be purchased online. Alternatives to pie weights include dried beans or uncooked rice.

“I have a trusty jar of dried black beans I’ve been using for years that never let me down,” Tunç says. “You want to be sure whatever you’re using is heavy enough to hold the crust evenly, but not too heavy that it will leave your crust with dips and underbaked sections. Always spread your weights evenly, so the crust doesn’t have any hills or valleys.” For more info, check out our primer What Are Pie Weights.

Pie weights will also keep your pie crust from shrinking down around the edges. “If you don’t have appropriate weight to keep the crust in place, the fat will melt in such a way that your pie crust contracts — leaving you with an uneven edge and less filling space,” Tunç explains.

Keep an eye on browning.

Look out for overly browned edges. “If you are par-baking and then baking again with a filling, keep an eye out on the color of the top of your crust,” Tunç says. “You may need to cover the edges with aluminum foil if it’s browning before the pie filling has baked.”

Storing and Reusing Blind Baked Crusts

Unfilled baked crusts can be stored at room temperature for 2 to 3 days or wrapped in plastic wrap and frozen for up to 3 months. However, Tunç recommends using freshly blind baked crusts and not storing them for future use. “While I will happily keep my [un-baked] pie crusts in the freezer for a couple of months at a time, ready to be rolled into a delicious dessert, I always bake the pie crust fresh to get the best flake,” she says. “Otherwise, you’ll encounter stale crust, even if it lasts a few days without going bad.”

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