Some pie recipes recommend pre-baking the pie crust. Here is how Pie recommends that you pre-bake your pie crust. I’ll reference this page when I have recipes that call for a pre-baked pie crust!

pre-baking pie crust
from PIE, by Ken Haedrich

you will need:

1 single crust pie crust
pie plate
2 16-inch strips of aluminum foil
pie weights or dried beans
1 egg white, optional

Refrigerate your dough for 45 minutes or until firm. Preheat oven to 400.

Roll pie crust into a 13-inch circle and place in a 9-inch pie plate, carefully tucking the pastry into the corners of the pie plate. Freeze for 10 minutes.

Carefully lay aluminum foil across the pie crust and gently press the foil into the corners of the pie. Let the edges of the foil flare like wings over the edge of the pie crust. Fill the foil with pie weights or dried beans. (I keep a reusable foil packet of dried beans in my pantry for future uses!) Bake for 15 minutes.

Remove the pie weights and foil and lower the temperature to 375F. Use a fork to prick the bottom of the crust multiple times. Bake the pie crust for 10-12 more minutes for a partially-baked crust or 15-17 more minutes for a full baked crust.

After the crust comes out of the oven, you can cover it with egg white to help seal the crust and keep it crisp.