Blind Baking Pie Crust

Blind baking refers to the baking the pie crust by itself in preparation for use with pies that do not require the filling be baked.   A good example would be a chocolate cream, or lemon meringue pie.

Once the pie crust has been made and set in the pie plate, it should be baked in a 400 degree oven until nicely browned.  One of the classic problems with blind baking is that the bottom of the crust has a tendency to rise and "poof" up, creating an uneven crust.  One method for dealing with this is to pierce the bottom of the crust with a fork prior to placing in the oven, but this is a less than satisfactory solution.

A better solution is to line the crust with parchment paper (available at most supermarkets), and fill the lined pie crust with one pound of dried beans - any kind will do.  The beans will weigh down the crust preventing it from rising.  Start off with 30 or so minutes in the oven. When the outer edges of the crust begin to brown remove the beans and parchment paper and return the crust to the oven for an additional 10-15 minutes, so that the center has a chance to brown.

Set the crust aside to cool thoroughly before filling.  Reserve the beans for additional blind baking in the future.