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So you want to bake a pie. Great! Need to blind-bake that pie crust? No problem. Just FYI: You’re gonna need some pie weights. While not all crusts require a blind bake (it depends on what kind of pie you’re baking; more on that below), when necessary, it’s a step you can’t skip, and pie weights are pivotal to its success.
Pie weights perform the necessary function of weighing down an empty pie crust while it parbakes, helping the pie shell keep its shape. They also prevent air pockets from forming and encourage the crust to crisp (no soggy bottoms here). While you can buy weights made explicitly for pie baking, many bakers turn to pantry staples like dried beans, rice, or even popcorn kernels in their place. But as it turns out, the best pie weights aren’t any of these. More on that in a minute, but first:
The primary goal in baking a homemade pie is to achieve a golden brown crust and a perfectly set filling. But what if the pastry requires a longer bake time than the stuff inside of it? That’s where blind baking comes in.
Blind baking (or parbaking) allows the crust time to set its shape and turn crisp before the pie filling ever comes into play—think of it as a head start in the race toward browning. Whether or not you should parbake the crust depends on the type of pie you’re making. Most fruit pies (like blueberry, peach, and apple pie) call for a very long bake, with ample time for the filling to thicken and the crust to turn crisp and brown. But egg-based custard pies (like lemon meringue, pecan, and pumpkin pie) can be more temperamental. Pour the filling for a custard pie into a raw pie shell and by the time the crust has crisped, the filling will have become sweet scrambled eggs. Prebaking the crust ensures sufficient time to cook it through without overcooking the pie filling.
In addition, without the presence of a filling, pie crust can slump down into the dish as it bakes. Pie weights help hold the crust in place during its preliminary bake, preventing air pockets and a shrunken shell.
The problem with traditional ceramic pie weights is that they’re expensive and you somehow never seem to have enough of them. You’d have to buy at least four standard packages to fill a 9" pie shell—at $7.99 per pack, that adds up. A pie chain, a long strand of metallic pie weights, is slightly heavier than the ceramic balls but doesn’t support the sides of the pie and can lead to slumping. Common pie weight substitutes like dried beans are a budget-friendly option, but keep them around for too long and they’ll eventually go rancid, imparting your pie with a less-than-pleasant aroma.
Our genius solution? Small stainless steel balls that can be purchased at any hardware store (or online).
Steel Shot Slingshot Ammo Balls
Otherwise known as ball bearings, these tiny oven-safe stainless steels balls—which, fun fact, are also used as slingshot ammo—are much heavier than ceramic weights. One package of Mrs. Anderson’s ceramic pie weights clocks in at a third of a pound; that doesn’t hold a candle to 7 pounds of pure steel balls (bonus: they’re virtually indestructible, i.e., reusable for life).
These steel balls are smaller than conventional pie weights, allowing them to fill in the grooves between crimps or the flutes of a tart pan. Former BA staffer (and current YouTube baking star) Claire Saffitz discovered the baking benefits of ball bearings a few years back when the regular test kitchen weights went missing and she spotted a pack of these in the back of a cabinet. Saffitz found that in addition to supporting the sides of the crust and preventing the bottom from puffing, these steel balls do a better job of conducting heat than traditional pie weights, baking the crust from all sides. (It’s the same reason we recommend baking in a metal pie plate over glass: “Metal pie pans are a must because they are excellent conductors of heat, ensuring a properly browned crust,” writes BA food editor Shilpa Uskokovic.) The result is a drier, crispier, more beautiful crust, far less prone to sogginess.
At $27 for a 1,000-piece set, these stainless steel balls are a worthy addition to your bakeware collection, even if you only break them out once a year for Thanksgiving. One 1,000-piece package of these stainless steel balls will fill a standard 9 or 10-inch pie dish, but they also work for quiche crust or tart shells.
No matter what type of pie you’re baking, start with our perfect pie crust recipe. Roll out the pie dough and transfer it to the baking dish, crimping as you please. To create a barrier between the weights and the crust, line the pie shell with 2 crumpled pieces of parchment paper, leaving plenty of overhang. Fill the shell with stainless steel balls, spread evenly, and blind bake as directed in the recipe (or follow our all-purpose blind-baked pie crust recipe). You’re looking for the crust to achieve a light golden shade, which will turn golden brown in the second phase of baking. If you overdo it in this first phase and the crust is browning too much once you add the filling, tent the edges with aluminum foil or use a silicone pie crust shield.
For a pudding pie or cream pie that requires a fully baked crust, parbake the crust for 20 minutes, then remove the weights. Egg-wash if desired and continue to bake for 15–20 minutes or until deeply golden brown and crispy all over. If at any time you find the parchment sticking to the pie crust, slide it back into the oven for a few minutes. When the parbaking step is complete, you should be able to lift the parchment with ease.
Now all that’s left to do is set yourself up for success. Peruse our favorite pie recipes and our favorite baking tools and gadgets.
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