My Top 3 Pie Baking Tips BY: CECE KIRKWOOD THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS.

As we near the end of the summer season and welcome in my absolute favorite time of year, I thought it would be fitting to talk about my top 3 tips for pie baking!

I used to be terrified to bake pie, but with time and loads of recipes, I’ve learned three magic rules that, if followed, will put you in a great spot to start your own pie baking adventure.

Blind bake the pie crust… no matter what!
Bake the pie on a baking sheet.
Avoid overly browned edges with a tin foil hat for the crust.

Look, some recipes are going to try to convince you that you don’t need to blind bake. But I’ve never met a pie that I didn’t first take on a blind date to the oven.

The few times that I did “trust” recipes and skip the blind bake… guess what? My pie ended up having a soggy bottom and a chewy outer crust. An absolute no-go for Pie Season.

What is a Blind Bake?

Blind baking is essentially “pre-baking” the crust. It is used when the filling is a “wet” filling as it prevents the crust from getting soggy when everything is baked. Think apple, cranberry, pumpkin pie fillings… you definitely don’t want to add those ingredients to the crust without a blind bake first.

The blind bake preserves the flakey, buttery goodness that a pie crust should have and it gives you time to create the pie filling!

How do I blind bake a pie?

Tools needed: Parchment Paper & Pie Weights or Dried Beans

Before putting the pie crust in the oven for the first time, simply place a layer of parchment paper on top of the dough crust. Then fill it up with the weights and bake away. After the first bake, remove the parchment paper and weights and continue on with the directions.

P.S. It’s good to blind bake tarts too! Check out my Lemon Tart Recipe to learn more!

#2. Bake the pie on a baking sheet.

Ever fumbled with trying to remove your tart from the oven, while juggling the oven mitts? Or even just putting the pie pan in the oven! Woof! It can be a hassle.

Well my simple trick is to place the pie pan onto a baking sheet before sticking it in the oven! This will make it much simpler to get in and out of the oven every time.

Just be sure to pull the tray out slowly and carefully from the oven as you don’t want the pie pan to slip right off the baking sheet!

It also helps to use a baking sheet with a lip, if you can. This will minimize the chance of pies falling off the baking sheet even more!

#3. Avoid overly browned edges with a tin foil “hat” for the crust.

Yes, you could buy a super fancy and expensive pie baking crust lid to protect the pie edges from over browning… but, if you are only baking a few pies a year, I suggest aluminum foil instead!

Grab a large sheet of aluminum foil. Then fold it in half and fold it in half one more time.
Then using scissors, cut the outer edge into a soft curve. It helps to make this pie hat before you start baking so you can use the pie pan as a stencil to ensure the right sized hat is cut!
Next, cut another curve about three inches away from the first edge and new curved edge of the aluminum foil.
Unfold this outer edge and you’ll be left with the perfect tin foil hat for your pie!
When the pie goes in for its final bake, with the filling, you’ll want to keep a close eye on the edges. If you notice them starting to brown, pop open the oven, throw on the tin foil hat and let that pie continue to bake.