How Long To Bake A Pie Crust Without Filling

Last Updated on 23rd April 2022 by

Craving for some baked pie but don’t know how to bake pie crust without filling? Let me help you!

Somewhere along the way, people believed that making a pie crust from scratch was difficult. With only a few simple ingredients, you can make a pie crust that’s as delicious as it is easy. It’s simple to make and well worth the time and effort. You can have a crispy, buttery, and soft crust with no effort.

What is a Pie Crust?

A pie crust is the outer layer of a pie that serves as a wrapper for the dessert’s components. I usually make it with flour mixed with butter and water. The most usual forms of pie crusts I make are single and double pie crusts.

Single crust pies have no top crust. The bottom crust is all that’s left, and it’s what holds the pie filling in place. Once the bottom crust has been placed on the pie plate, I usually cut the edges of the crust to give it that polished appearance.

A pie with only a bottom crust will almost always have some topping, whether baked into the pie or served on top of it. Meringue and whipped cream are two of the most common toppings.

Aside from a single pie crust, there is also a double pie crust. I usually make this pie crust by rolling out the dough or a prepared sheet of crust and molding it into the shape of the pie dish I want.

I cover the bottom crust with the fruit or creamy ingredients used to fill and place another pie crust on top of the pie filling before baking.

I trim the top and bottom edges of the crusts once they’ve been assembled to be crimped tightly together and sealed together evenly.

How To Bake A Pie Crust Without Filling

An ideal pie crust is a crispy, delicious, and golden brown crust. An undercooked crust may have a soggy bottom, and we should avoid that.

Unlike graham cracker or cookie crusts, pastry crusts take an exceptionally long time to bake until golden brown and crispy on the outside. Also, some fillings soften and settle down to a moderate simmer while the crust slowly bakes to perfection in the oven for a lengthy period.

However, certain fillings may be cooked on the stovetop, such as chocolate cream pie’s rich and thick filling. Some other pies, such as custard or quiche, need to be baked, but they don’t spend enough time in the oven at a high enough temperature to provide a well-cooked, brown, and crispy pie crust.

How Long To Bake A Pie Crust Without Filling

I will give you a tip to make a crispy pie crust without filling, and the secret is to pre-bake it. Now, when pre-baking pie crust, how do I do it?

The pre-baking of your crust may depend on the recipe of the pie you’re making. A parchment-lined pie crust dough must first be rolled out and flattened into a pan.

After doing this, it’s essential to let it chill for at least 30 to 40 minutes to let it rise and firm up, so don’t neglect this step. Then, make a crimp or a flattened edge on the cut piece to make a pie crust edge design.

After letting the pie crust dough rise, preheat your oven and bake the crust for about 20 to 30 minutes at 375 degrees Fahrenheit. A partly baked crust is ideal for pies with heavy fillings and a thin, floppy bottom crust when they’re finished. For pies without filling, a crispy pie crust is suitable.

Remember to prick the bottom of the crust with a fork to prevent bubbles from forming during the pre-baking process. Reheat the crust for 20 to 25 minutes again, or until it is golden brown on all sides. Then, remove from the oven and cool completely before serving.

There is a tendency for the pie crust to sag and shrink or the lining of the pie crust to continue to slide down the pan’s interior. Bake the crust upside down to fix this and prevent it from happening.

To do this, you’ll need two pie plates with flat rims that are similar or nest beautifully. Then, secure your rolled-out or flattened-out crust to the pan’s edge using a fork-tine crimp. You may use parchment paper, aluminum foil, or coffee filters to make a liner. Then, nestle the second pan into the first pan.

Once the crust has been nestled between the two pans and flipped upside down, it is ready for pre-baking. Like the first method, bake the crust for about 20 to 30 minutes at 375°F. This kind of baking is best done using simple metal pie pans since they’re less likely to shatter, and their edges are perfectly level.

How Long To Cook A Pie Crust Without Filling

If you have pre-baked the pie crust without filling, it will take around 30 to 40 minutes before the oven’s heat would thoroughly cook it. To remove the pans from the oven after 30 to 40 minutes, you must gently flip them over and remove the liner from the pan. By now, your crust has been pre-baked to a certain extent.

If you are not yet satisfied with the crispiness or color of the pie crust, put it back in the oven for another 10 to 20 minutes and wait until it is golden brown.

Aside from pre-baking the pie crust without filling, another term we can use to call it is blind-baking. It refers to pre-baking a pie crust putting no filling in it.

You might wonder why we bake the pie crust first without filling when we can bake them together with the filling. Can’t we just put the filling in the crust and bake it all at once, no matter what pie we make?

The answer to this question is that some pies have delicate contents that need a brief simmer on the stovetop before they are ready to serve, so we need to bake the pie crust first without filling.

Baking a pie crust without filling is straightforward and usually takes only 30 to 40 minutes. Whether you bake a single or double pie crust, it is best to avoid undercooking or over-baking it to give it that crispy texture and golden brown color.

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Pauline

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I'm Pauline, a mother of four grown children, my passion for cooking stemmed from the joy i get cooking for my family. I love to try new dishes, especially when dining out but creating and sharing my own recipes is my favourite thing to do!