So I get it, the whole "when do I pre-bake something" is super confusing.Think of it this way: poor pie dough wouldn’t stand a chance (aka be a soggy mess) with a custard filling if we don’t give it a head start. Hence why we pre-bake, because custard pies are too delicious to have soggy bottoms.Custard pies = pumpkin pies. Chocolate cream pies. Banana cream pie. Any cream pie really or pie that has a liquid-type filling that needs to be baked.You also pre-bake a pie crust for no-bake FRESH fruit filled pies. (Think fresh strawberry pie lathered in sticky glaze.)You do not need to pre-bake a pie crust for an apple pie or any baked fruit pie really, but we do freeze the dough to help it stay put. Pre-baking the pie crust is only required when making a custard pie OR when making a fresh fruit pie.you should probably get: Pie weights are super helpful to have for pre-baking. Pie weights are usually little ceramic balls, but if you don’t have them or can’t find them, dry rice or dry beans work really well too, but there’s just nothing like those cute little ceramic balls!partially pre-baked vs totally pre-baked: There are two ways to pre-bake a pie shell.partially pre-baked: The first way is to not fully bake the pie crust (otherwise known as a "partially pre-baked crust" or a "partially baked crust") because the filling will need time to cook too. For example, a pumpkin pie. If we fully baked our pie crust, it would be cardboard dry by the time our custard was done baking. This method is to just give our pie crust a head start in the baking process before we load the liquid custard in.totally pre-baked: The second way to pre-bake a crust is to fully cook the crust. This method is used for fillings that don’t need to bake, but need to chill instead. (ie, fresh fruit pies, pudding pies). Another example is a chocolate pudding pie, in which case the pudding has already been cooked, it just needs to set and chill. A good rule of thumb for knowing when you’ll need a fully baked pie crust instead of a pre-baked pie crust is when the filling itself is pretty solid, and not liquid at all and really, whether or not the filling needs to bake.the how: Preheat oven to 425°F and place a cookie sheet inside the oven to get nice and hot. In a small bowl whisk together one egg white and 1 teaspoon of water. Have a pastry brush next to your egg wash cause we’ll need it soon.Once buttery flakey pie dough has been chilled, take one disc of dough from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for 10-20 minutes.Roll one disk out into a 12-inch circle at about ⅜-inch thick. (The length of time out of the fridge depends on how hot or cool your kitchen is.) Roll dough out with a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface until it is roughly 12-inches / 30cm in diameter.Fit crust into a 9-inch pie dish, taking care not to stretch or pull the dough, or press dough in hard or too much, or the pie crust will shrink when baked. Cut excess dough so there is only a ½ to 1-inch overhang. Leave overhang, cover with plastic wrap and stick in the fridge for 30 minutes.After dough has rested, crimp the edges of the dough, and prick the bottom and the sides of your pie shell at least 15 times. Line a piece of aluminum foil around your crust and fill with pie weights.Place your pie crust on the pre-heated sheet pan and bake for 20 minutes. Quickly take the pie out of the oven and remove foil and pie weights and brush the bottom and sides with your egg white mixture.Return pie crust to oven, uncovered and continue to bake for 3 more minutes.The only difference here is if you wanted to fully bake the pie crust, you’d bake it for 20 more minutes instead of 3 minutes.And there you have it! Pre-baked goodness. See? That wasn’t so bad.
FAQs
Place your pie crust on the pre-heated sheet pan and bake for 20 minutes. Quickly take the pie out of the oven and remove foil and pie weights and brush the bottom and sides with your egg white mixture. Return pie crust to oven, uncovered and continue to bake for 3 more minutes.
How do you keep pre baked pie crust from getting soggy? ›
Brush Your Pie in Egg Wash
Once you've pre-baked your pie, brush the bottom and sides of the crust with egg wash, then reheat at 400° for 4 minutes to set the glaze. This creates a seal between the crust and the filling so that your crust stays crispy and golden once the filling is added.
How long do I blind bake a pie crust? ›
Line with the parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans, filling right to the bottom of the crimps. Place the pie tin on a baking sheet, and place in the oven. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until the edges are slightly golden brown. Remove from the oven, remove the parchment paper and beans.
What happens if you don't chill pie crust before baking? ›
Non-chilled crust is fairly crumbly and less smooth, which makes it harder to roll out and means it may not look as polished. It will brown more quickly and the final product will likely be tougher, heavier, and more doughy – none of those in a bad way. It will likely have a more intense, butter flavor.
Should pie crust be room temperature before baking? ›
The ideal temperature is usually “room temperature”—generally considered to be 68-72°F. Before you roll out the dough, you want the dough disc to feel like a cold stick of butter.
What temperature do you blind bake pie crust? ›
Stella advocates lining a frozen crust with foil, filling with pie weights, and then baking at an even 350°F temperature for the entirety of the baking time. No removing of the pie weights mid way, no poking the bottom with a fork. It works!
What happens if you don't bake the pie crust first? ›
"Blind baking" is the term for baking a piecrust before you add anything to the pie. If you don't blind bake the crust, the liquid from the filling will prevent the pastry from becoming flaky and crisp. You'll be left with a pie that has a soggy bottom. (It tastes just as bad as it sounds).
How to quickly chill pie dough? ›
Chilling dough after it is rolled is quick. Putting the whole pie or just the crust into the refrigerator for about 15 minutes will do the trick.
Why is my pie crust so crumbly after baking? ›
If it's too crumbly, add a little more water. Once your pastry has come together, don't then ruin it when rolling it out.
How do you pre bake a pie crust without shrinking it? ›
Bake with weights in the center.
Add pie weights, dry rice, dried beans or (as I've done here) dry wheat berries, enough to fill the pan 2/3 full. Chill the crust for 30 minutes; this will solidify the fat, which helps prevent shrinkage. Bake in a preheated 375°F oven for 20 minutes.
Wrapping the crust edge is recommended for all kinds of pies: fruit pies and meat pies, frozen and fresh, homemade and store-bought. Without wrapping the crust, the edges will likely burn if you try to bake the pie until the center crust is browned. The crust edge is thinner and easily burns.
What is the most important rule in making a pie crust? ›
PIE DOUGH RULES
As important as not overmixing is staying chilled, literally!! That means keeping all elements cold— your counter, ingredients, hands, heart (just kidding!). No, but seriously, cut up your butter into little cubes and chill them before you incorporate them into the flour.
How do you keep a baked pie crust fresh? ›
Let the pie cool completely before you freeze/refrigerate it. Pie crust does not NEED to get pasty. You can avoid putting sugar (pate sucree) into your pie crust, as sugar is hygrophilic, and caramelize the crust at high temps when baking to ensure that it dries out and puffs up completely.
How do you keep puff pastry from getting soggy on top of pie? ›
Make sure it's fully cooked before you take it out. More specific advice: Make sure that you don't open the oven during cooking, and make sure that you don't take it out too soon. If you have a window on your oven, try gauging the doneness before opening the door.
How do you Prebake a pie crust without shrinking it? ›
Tip 4: Bake Low and Slow
High heat encourages the pie dough to shrink and puff, reducing its capacity for filling, distorting the decorative border, and creating air pockets all over the bottom and sides of the crust. I vastly prefer blind-baking for an hour at 350°F (175°C), with pie weights in place the entire time.
How do you make pre made pie crust better? ›
For a slightly richer tasting crust, brush lightly with melted butter. Refrigerate until firm before filling the crust as desired. Repeat the dusting and rolling process with the second crust, and drape it over the pie filling.
So I get it, the whole "when do I pre-bake something" is super confusing.Think of it this way: poor pie dough wouldn’t stand a chance (aka be a soggy mess) with a custard filling if we don’t give it a head start. Hence why we pre-bake, because custard pies are too delicious to have soggy bottoms.Custard pies = pumpkin pies. Chocolate cream pies. Banana cream pie. Any cream pie really or pie that has a liquid-type filling that needs to be baked.You also pre-bake a pie crust for no-bake FRESH fruit filled pies. (Think fresh strawberry pie lathered in sticky glaze.)You do not need to pre-bake a pie crust for an apple pie or any baked fruit pie really, but we do freeze the dough to help it stay put. Pre-baking the pie crust is only required when making a custard pie OR when making a fresh fruit pie.
you should probably get: Pie weights are super helpful to have for pre-baking. Pie weights are usually little ceramic balls, but if you don’t have them or can’t find them, dry rice or dry beans work really well too, but there’s just nothing like those cute little ceramic balls!partially pre-baked vs totally pre-baked: There are two ways to pre-bake a pie shell.partially pre-baked: The first way is to not fully bake the pie crust (otherwise known as a "partially pre-baked crust" or a "partially baked crust") because the filling will need time to cook too. For example, a pumpkin pie. If we fully baked our pie crust, it would be cardboard dry by the time our custard was done baking. This method is to just give our pie crust a head start in the baking process before we load the liquid custard in.totally pre-baked: The second way to pre-bake a crust is to fully cook the crust. This method is used for fillings that don’t need to bake, but need to chill instead. (ie, fresh fruit pies, pudding pies). Another example is a chocolate pudding pie, in which case the pudding has already been cooked, it just needs to set and chill. A good rule of thumb for knowing when you’ll need a fully baked pie crust instead of a pre-baked pie crust is when the filling itself is pretty solid, and not liquid at all and really, whether or not the filling needs to bake.the how: Preheat oven to 425°F and place a cookie sheet inside the oven to get nice and hot. In a small bowl whisk together one egg white and 1 teaspoon of water. Have a pastry brush next to your egg wash cause we’ll need it soon.
Once buttery flakey pie dough has been chilled, take one disc of dough from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for 10-20 minutes.Roll one disk out into a 12-inch circle at about ⅜-inch thick. (The length of time out of the fridge depends on how hot or cool your kitchen is.) Roll dough out with a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface until it is roughly 12-inches / 30cm in diameter.Fit crust into a 9-inch pie dish, taking care not to stretch or pull the dough, or press dough in hard or too much, or the pie crust will shrink when baked. Cut excess dough so there is only a ½ to 1-inch overhang. Leave overhang, cover with plastic wrap and stick in the fridge for 30 minutes.After dough has rested, crimp the edges of the dough, and prick the bottom and the sides of your pie shell at least 15 times. Line a piece of aluminum foil around your crust and fill with pie weights.
Place your pie crust on the pre-heated sheet pan and bake for 20 minutes. Quickly take the pie out of the oven and remove foil and pie weights and brush the bottom and sides with your egg white mixture.Return pie crust to oven, uncovered and continue to bake for 3 more minutes.The only difference here is if you wanted to fully bake the pie crust, you’d bake it for 20 more minutes instead of 3 minutes.And there you have it! Pre-baked goodness. See? That wasn’t so bad.
