Learn how to blind bake a pie crust so you can avoid soggy bottoms on your homemade pies!

Blind baking a pie crust is an important step for achieving that perfectly cooked bottom for your homemade pies. This technique prevents a soggy bottom while allowing your crust to bake evenly.

In this post, you’ll learn simple steps to blind bake a pie crust flawlessly, ensuring a delicious base for any filling.

This guide will help you master the art of blind baking for even batter pie-making. Get ready to elevate your baking skills and create stunning pies that impress every time.

What is blind baking?

Blind baking is the when you pre-bake a pie or tart crust without putting any filling in it.

This technique is essential for ensuring the crust cooks evenly and avoids sogginess once the filling is added.

It’s simple enough to do, but there are some important things to remember while blind baking so everything turns out perfectly.

How to blind bake pie crust

Time needed: 15 minutes

Line your pie plate
Line your pie plate with the pastry dough of your choosing. Crimp the edges whichever way you’d like.
Dock the dough
Docking is when you poke small holes throughout the dough. This helps steam escape during baking.
To dock your pie dough, all you need to do is use a fork and poke lightly on the surface of the dough. Make sure to dock the base of the pie as well as the sides.
Pie weights
Pie dough can shrink while baking, causing the edges to come down the sides and make your pie shorter than you want. Avoid shrinkage by filling your uncooked pie crust with something that will weigh it down.
Before adding weight, first line the crust with parchment paper that has been crumpled up then flattened so it forms to the crust better. Then fill the crust with 4 cups (~2 lbs) of uncooked rice. You can also use dried beans.
Bake
Bake your pie crust filled with pie weights in a 375° F oven for 8 minutes. Then, remove the crust from the oven. Carefully remove the pie weights from the crust by lifting them out using the parchment paper and set the parchment and weights into a large bowl to cool. Then, bake the crust the for 2 – 3 minutes more, or until the bottom looks dry.

Tips

Roll your pie dough thinly: For the best, most even bake, make sure to roll out your pie dough to a thin, even thickness.
Chill before baking: Chilling your dough once it’s in the pie plate and prior to baking helps you avoid shrinking even more. All you need to do is pop the dough lined pie plate into the fridge for about 10 – 15 minutes to chill it well.
Dock generously: Docking helps the crust bake smoothly and helps you avoid big bubbles in the surface of the baked crust.
Fill with lots of pie weights: Pie weights really, really help keep your pie crust in place while baking. Don’t skimp on them! You need to FILL UP that pie plate. Add at least 4 cups (or 2 lbs) of uncooked rice if blind baking in a standard 9″ pie plate. And don’t worry, you can still cook and enjoy this rice later after it’s been used as pie weights.