Baking & Pastry

Pie Dish

Sloped round dish for crisp-bottomed pies and quiches

A shallow, sloped round dish sized for pies, quiches, and galettes. Glass and ceramic conduct heat gently for a fully baked bottom crust. Choose a wide rim so you have room to crimp a sturdy edge.

A pie dish is a shallow, sloped round vessel sized to hold a pie, quiche, galette, or deep tart, with a wide rim for crimping a sturdy edge. The material matters more than it seems: glass and ceramic conduct heat gently and steadily, which is exactly what a bottom crust needs to bake through fully rather than staying pale and soggy under a wet filling. Glass has the bonus of letting you peek at the underside to confirm it's browned. The standard nine-inch dish suits most recipes, with deep-dish versions for towering fruit pies. Whatever you choose, a properly baked bottom crust is the goal, and the dish is half the battle.

Types & varieties

Tempered glass

Even, gentle heat and you can see the bottom crust brown; thermal-shock sensitive.

Glazed ceramic/stoneware

Holds heat and looks handsome at the table; can bake the bottom slowly.

Metal pie pan

Conducts heat fast for a crisp, browned bottom; great for blind baking.

Deep-dish

Extra depth for tall fruit pies and quiches with abundant filling.

What to look for

A wide, flat rim gives you room to build and crimp a sturdy decorative edge that won't slump — a too-narrow rim makes a fluted crust nearly impossible. For the crispest bottom crust, glass and metal outperform thick ceramic, which insulates and can leave the base underdone. Choose glass if you like to watch the crust color; choose metal for blind baking and the fastest browning.

Getting a crisp bottom crust

A soggy bottom is the pie baker's nemesis. Bake on a preheated sheet pan or pizza stone in the lower third of the oven to drive heat into the base. Blind-bake the shell with pie weights for custard and cream pies so it's set before the wet filling goes in. Glass and metal dishes transfer heat to the bottom better than thick ceramic, helping the base bake through.

Set the dish on a hot sheet pan or stone to crisp the bottom
Blind-bake with weights for liquid-filled and custard pies
Bake in the lower third of the oven for more bottom heat

Common uses

Double-crust fruit piesCustard and cream piesQuiches and savory tartsRustic galettes and crostatasPot pies and deep-dish bakesCobblers and crumbles

Tips & pitfalls

Pick a dish with a wide rim so you have room to crimp a tall, attractive edge
Chill the formed crust before baking to help it hold its shape and stay flaky
Shield the rim with foil or a crust guard if the edges brown before the center sets
Don't set a hot glass dish on a cold or wet surface — thermal shock cracks it