Blind-Baking or Pre-Baking Pie Crust
Pre-Cooking for Perfect Bottom Crusts
Bakers often forget that it takes time for heat to penetrate a pie. Unlike cakes or cookies, a baked pie top does not necessarily mean a baked pie bottom. Pre-baking, known in the business as blind-baking, is the best way to avoid this.
Blind-baking can be done in two ways. A fully cooked shell is used for a pie filling that doesn't get baked at all, such as cream pies. A pie shell can also be cooked half way for pie fillings that get baked, but only for a short time, including custard pies, and classic pumpkin pie. Partially baking a shell is also good insurance for common fruit pies, because the filling often looks bubbly, hot, and cooked through before the crust is done.
Faux-Filling
To blind bake a pie shell, line the pan with dough as usual, decoratively crimp the edges, and chill until firm. Line the chilled shell with foil, parchment paper, or heavy-duty plastic wrap (it shrinks, but doesn’t melt). Next, fill the pan to the rim with dried beans or rice. The weight of this "faux-filling" will keep the shell from melting, shrinking, and bubbling up.
There are several pie weights available at "gourmet" cookware stores, including aluminum beans and ceramic beads. Save your money! The shell needs to be filled to the rim, but most of these products don't provide enough pieces. Rice or beans works as well, or better, and are much more cost-effective.
Baking Blind
The term "blind" means you cannot see the bottom of the shell. Luckily, there is no need. Bake at 350°F until the edges are golden brown, about 15-20 minutes. At this point the shell is half cooked. To cook it completely, carefully remove the weights, then return the pan to the oven until the bottom is browned.
When you Can't go Blind
Blind baking does not work for a double crust pie because the top crust must be pinched and crimped to the bottom crust, which can only be done if the dough is raw. To be sure the bottom of a double crust pie is cooked, be sure to bake it long enough. How long is that? It should be long enough to get the pie filling really bubbly, and to turn the top crust a deep, dark golden brown.
When you think your double-crusted pie is done, leave it in another 5 minutes to be sure. If you feel the top crust is getting too dark, cover it with foil. Then, if your oven allows, move the pie off the rack and cook it 5 more minutes directly on the floor of the oven. This final direct burst of heat is perfect crust insurance.
