How to Blind Bake a Pie Shell ~ Pies Giving~ Noreen's Kitchen, by Noreen's Kitchen on YouTube. 5 min 4 s.
- Video length
- 5 min 4 s
- Time to do it
- 30 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 7
What you need
Steps
Heat the oven to 425 F (220 C). Roll the chilled dough on a floured surface to about 1/8 inch thick, then fit it into the pie plate and press it gently into the corners.
Trim the overhang to about 1/2 inch and crimp or fold the edge. Chill the lined plate for 15 minutes so the fat sets and the crust holds its shape.
Prick the base and sides all over with a fork. This is called docking, and it lets steam escape so the pastry does not balloon upward.
Crumple a sheet of parchment paper, flatten it out again, and press it into the crust so it covers the base and runs up the sides.
Fill the paper with dried beans, rice or ceramic pie weights, spreading them right to the edges. The weight keeps the pastry flat as it bakes.
Bake for 15 minutes, then lift out the paper and the weights.
Return the crust to the oven for 5 to 10 minutes, until it is pale golden and dry to the touch. Cool it completely before adding a cold cream filling.
Tips and common mistakes
Keep the beans or rice you use for weighting in a labelled jar. Once they have baked in the crust they take on fat and should not be cooked or eaten.
If the sides slump during baking, press the dough back up with the back of a spoon while the crust is still hot.
Patch small cracks with a scrap of raw dough while the crust is warm, then return it to the oven for a minute.
For a custard pie that goes back in the oven, pull the crust out early and leave it only partly baked.
Questions
Do I have to buy pie weights?
No. Dried beans, uncooked rice or a smaller pie tin set inside the crust all work. Keep whatever you use for baking only.
How do I know when the crust is done?
It should look pale golden and feel dry and set when you touch the base, not raw and shiny.
Can I blind bake the crust ahead of time?
Yes. Bake it a day ahead, cool it completely and store it loosely covered at room temperature so it stays crisp.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
