You've spent forty minutes chilling the dough. You painstakingly crimped the edges until they looked like something out of a Pinterest board. Then, you slide that beautiful crust into the oven for a blind bake, and ten minutes later? It’s a slumped, bubbly mess at the bottom of the tin. We’ve all been there. It’s frustrating.
Basically, if you’re making a custard pie, a silk pie, or anything where the filling doesn't cook at the same rate as the crust, you need to blind bake. And to do that, you need weight. But if you don't own those fancy little ceramic beads, you're probably standing in your kitchen wondering, what can i use for pie weights that won't ruin my dessert?
Honestly, you probably have three or four perfect substitutes sitting in your pantry right now. You don't need to run to a specialty kitchen store. You just need to understand how heat transfer works so you don't end up with a soggy bottom or a burnt rim.
The Dried Bean Method: An Old Reliable
Ask any grandma what she uses, and she’ll point to a bag of dried kidney beans. It's the classic.
Dried beans are heavy. They’re cheap. They fit into the corners of a fluted tart pan perfectly. You just line your crust with parchment paper—please, never put the beans directly on the raw dough—and fill it to the brim.
Here is the thing people forget: you can’t eat those beans afterward. Well, you can, but they will be terrible. The dry heat of the oven "toasts" the starches in a way that makes them stay rock-hard even after hours of simmering in a pot of chili. Save them in a mason jar labeled "Pie Beans." You can reuse them for years. I have a jar of black beans that has seen at least fifty pumpkin pies. They smell a little bit like toasted crackers now, but they still get the job done.
Rice is the Secret for Even Heat
If you want the most contact with the dough, go with rice.
Because rice grains are so small, they act almost like fluid. They settle into every single nook and cranny of your crust. This is huge if you’re using a detailed tart tin with lots of ridges. It prevents those tiny air pockets from forming, which are the main culprits behind a shrinking crust.
Some bakers, like the folks over at King Arthur Baking, have noted that rice can sometimes smell a bit "toasty" or even slightly burnt if the oven is too hot. Keep an eye on it. Just like the beans, once you bake rice, it’s no longer for dinner. It’s officially a tool.
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The Great Penny Debate
Can you use coins? Yes. Should you? Maybe.
Copper and nickel conduct heat incredibly well. If you fill a parchment-lined crust with a few handfuls of pennies, the base of your pie will cook faster than it would with beans. This is a pro move if you struggle with a pale, doughy bottom.
However, money is dirty. Extremely dirty. You have to be meticulous about the parchment paper barrier. Also, the weight is intense. If you have a very delicate, high-butter-content shortcrust, the sheer weight of a pile of quarters might actually compress the dough too much, losing those flaky layers we all crave. It’s a bit of a balancing act.
Sugar: The Genius Hack You Aren’t Using
This is the trick that changed my life. Stella Parks, the legendary pastry mind behind BraveTart, popularized the idea of using granulated sugar as a pie weight.
It sounds crazy. It’s not.
Sugar is dense. It’s heavy. It's cheap. But the real magic is what happens to the sugar. As it sits in the oven inside your pie crust, it undergoes a very slow, very subtle caramelization. It doesn't melt—unless you're cranking your oven to insane temperatures—but it turns a pale ivory color and develops a complex, nutty aroma.
After the pie is done, you pour that "toasted sugar" back into a container. You can use it in your coffee, in your next batch of cookies, or for a meringue. It’s the only pie weight substitute that actually improves another ingredient while it works. Just make sure your parchment paper has no holes. Getting melted sugar out of a pie crust is a nightmare you don't want to live through.
What About Glass Marbles?
If you have a kid with a marble collection, you're in luck.
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Glass marbles are excellent because they are heavy and hold heat well. However, you have to be careful about thermal shock. Don't take marbles from a cold garage and throw them into a preheated 400°F oven. They can crack or even shatter.
Wash them first. Dust and dirt from the bottom of a toy box shouldn't be anywhere near your food. Also, since they are round and smooth, they tend to roll around. It’s a bit like herding cats trying to get them to stay put while you’re carrying the tray to the oven.
Steel Chains and Hardware
Some professional chefs actually use heavy-duty stainless steel chains. You can buy "pie chains" specifically for this, but a clean length of chain from a hardware store works if it’s food-grade stainless steel.
The benefit here is removal. You just grab one end (with a mitt!) and lift the whole thing out. No chasing individual beans across the kitchen floor. It’s efficient, though it doesn't provide the same total surface coverage that sugar or rice does.
Why You Shouldn't Just "Prick It With a Fork"
You’ll see recipes tell you to "dock" the dough. This means poking holes in it to let steam escape.
Honestly? It’s risky.
If you’re making a very liquid filling, like a lemon curd or a quiche base, those little holes can act like leaks. The filling seeps under the crust, glues the pie to the pan, and you end up serving a crumbled mess. Using actual weights—whether they are beans, sugar, or pennies—is always the superior method for a professional-looking result.
The Physics of the "Full Fill"
One mistake I see constantly: people only put a single layer of beans in the bottom.
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That won't work. The sides are what slump.
When you're deciding what can i use for pie weights, make sure you have enough of the material to fill the crust all the way to the top rim. You want the weight pressing outward against the sides, not just downward on the bottom. This is what keeps those beautiful crimped edges from sliding down into a puddle of butter.
The Parchment Paper Trick
Before you dump your chosen weight in, crumple up your parchment paper into a tight ball. Then, flatten it back out.
This sounds like a small thing, but it’s a game changer. Fresh parchment is stiff and stubborn. It will poke into your dough and ruin your edges. Crumpled parchment is soft, pliable, and will hug the contours of your pie tin perfectly.
Heat Conductors vs. Insulators
It is worth noting that different materials change how your crust bakes.
- Ceramic and Glass: These are insulators. They take a while to heat up but hold heat for a long time. They give a steady, even bake.
- Metal (Pennies/Chains): These are conductors. They get hot fast. Use these if you want a really crisp, dark crust.
- Organic Matter (Beans/Rice/Sugar): These sit somewhere in the middle. They are the most forgiving for beginners because they don't over-conduct heat.
Steel Pie Weights and Commercial Options
If you find yourself baking three pies a week, maybe just buy the weights.
The commercial ceramic beads are great because they are easy to wash. You can't really wash a bean. If you spill some egg wash on your "pie beans," you basically have to throw them away or deal with a weird smell for the next five years.
There are also one-piece silicone weights that look like a wagon wheel. They are okay, but in my experience, they don't fit every pan size perfectly. Stick to the loose stuff—it's more versatile.
Actionable Steps for Your Next Bake
- Prep the Dough: Ensure your crust is cold. A warm crust will slump regardless of how many weights you use.
- The Crumple Technique: Take a square of parchment paper, ball it up, then smooth it out to line the crust.
- Choose Your Weight: Use toasted sugar for the best flavor payoff, or dried beans for the easiest, most traditional route.
- Fill to the Brim: Don't be stingy. Fill the weights all the way to the top edge of the crust to support the walls.
- The Two-Stage Bake: Bake with the weights for about 12-15 minutes, then carefully lift the parchment out and bake for another 5 minutes "naked" to crisp up the bottom.
- Cool Before Reusing: Let your beans or sugar cool completely before putting them back in storage. Putting hot sugar into a plastic container is a recipe for a melted disaster.
Blind baking doesn't have to be a chore. Once you realize your pantry is full of perfectly good tools, the "scary" French tart recipes suddenly feel a lot more approachable. Just remember to keep your "work" beans separate from your "dinner" beans, and you'll never have a slumped crust again.