How to Blind-Baking a Pie Crust

The whole idea of pie crust blind baking may sound somewhat daunting to the inexperienced or anybody without proper baking tutorials. But if you are preparing for Thanksgiving and you are already feeling scared by the notion of baking an entire pie, then I am here to help! Learning how to blind bake is no more than allowing the pie crust to bake within a short time frame before adding the fillings. It is a straightforward procedure made simpler once you learn the crucial stages. Now let’s take a little time to understand more.

How to Blind Bake

All we are discussing here is about, how to bake the pie crust before the addition of your filling. You may be anxious to know why we do not just toss the crust into the oven without any additions — my response would be that during the baking process of the crust, series of steam makes the pastry layers to swell. The swelling is usually very uncooperative especially when the ultimate aim is to add fillings to the pie. Both faces of the pie crust will correspondingly sag after which they begin to crisp, producing a less striking effect. The perfect solution from our pie crust baking tutorials is to line the pies not yet baked with aluminum foil or parchment and press down for the lower part to not puff while avoiding slouch on the sides. You can get individual bargain pie weights, especially for this purpose. You can make use of dry beans (approximately one-half pounds), or you can get a little adventurous by making use of pennies from your savings jar.

With the edges turning golden, it implies the pie crust is ready. You can take away all weights and allow the baking of the pie crust to take a little more time. For a partly baked pie crust, you need the lower part to appear dry and chipped, but still maintaining its pale look. For a wholly baked pie crust, wait for the lower part to have a light golden appearance. The whole baking process would not take more time, ranging from 15 minutes to 25 minutes.

When is Blind Baking a Pie Crust Required?

Occasionally, Pie crust is necessary for Thanksgiving. On regular days, they are two periods when blind-baked pie crust is essential. These two periods are when:

• making custard pie, and
• using A no-bake (icebox) pie or cheesecake filling.

With custard pie, similar to pumpkin pie, moistness in the pie filling can turn the crust damp before it gets to the baking period. Blind baking till it is half-baked aids it in staying solid. With unbaked pie filling, similar to French silk pie, it only ensures the crust wholly bakes before the filling addition.

But do not fear much, with our baking tutorials you do not have to predict so often. Every recipe will practically always let you know if blind baking is essential. If you found a recipe with directions for a “cooled and cooked” pie crust, it is merely an alternative signal that you would need-blind baking for the crust beforehand.

Docking Or Weighting The Pie Crust

You may also find some baking tutorials that demand blind bake through “docking” as an alternative to pie weights. Docking is puncturing around the crust with the teeth of a fork. The tiny holes permit for the escape of steam, thwarting it from puffing, and provides the benefit of being faster and less frilly than making use of pie weights.

In my opinion, I still prefer the use of pie weights due to the additional support they provide as the baking takes place. If you use a very liquid filling, there is the possibility of having the filling seep into any tiny holes making the crust mushy.

Is This All That Is Required for Me to Know?

Well, Yes! For the pie crust, these are the initial stages of blind baking tutorials and also for other recipes you find. So, whenever you want to enjoy some Thanksgiving or other special occasions, blind baking pie crust is always a welcome idea.

I want to believe you learned a thing or two from my baking tutorials, feel free to start practicing and improve your baking skills!!