Learn To Cook: Blind Baking a Pie Shell, by America's Test Kitchen on YouTube. 2 min 7 s.
- Video length
- 2 min 7 s
- Time to do it
- 45 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 8
What you need
Steps
Heat the oven to 375 F (190 C) with a rack in the middle. Roll the chilled dough on a floured counter to about 1/8 inch thick and roughly 12 inches across.
Lift the dough into a 9 inch pie plate and press it gently into the corners without stretching. Trim the overhang to about 1/2 inch, fold it under and crimp the edge.
Chill the lined plate in the fridge for 15 to 30 minutes, or in the freezer for 10, until the dough feels firm. This keeps it from slumping in the oven.
Cut a piece of parchment a little wider than the plate and press it down onto the dough. Fill it almost to the rim with pie weights, dried beans or dry rice, spreading them to the edges.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the rim of the crust looks pale golden and set. Put on oven mitts before you touch the plate.
Lift the parchment out by its corners and tip the weights into a heatproof bowl. They will be very hot, so keep your hands and face clear.
Prick the base all over with a fork and return the shell to the oven for 5 to 10 minutes, until the bottom looks dry and lightly golden.
Set the shell on a wire rack and let it cool completely before you add the filling, or follow your recipe if it needs a hot shell.
Tips and common mistakes
Use enough weights to reach the top of the crust, or the sides will slip down as the dough bakes.
Chilling the lined shell is the easiest way to stop shrinkage and keep a neat crimped edge.
Keep the weights in a jar once cool and reuse them, but never eat beans or rice used this way.
For a very wet filling, brush the hot shell with a little beaten egg white and bake 3 more minutes to seal it.
Questions
Can I blind bake a pie crust without weights?
You can, but the base will puff and the sides will slide down. If you have no weights, dried beans or dry rice work just as well and cost less.
How far ahead can I blind bake a shell?
A baked, cooled shell keeps for a day or two at room temperature in a sealed tin, or a few days in the fridge. Warm it briefly to crisp it up again.
Do I prick the crust before or after adding the weights?
After. Pricking first lets the dough bubble up through the holes, so wait until the weights come out, then prick and finish baking.
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.
