Prepare the crust as directed in the recipe until it’s ready to use.

Roll the pie crust into a 12-14-inch circle and line a 9-inch pie pan with the dough. Fold the ends under and crimp the edges as desired. Poke the bottom all over with the tines of a fork. Freeze for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, position an oven rack in the bottom third and preheat the oven to 425°F.

Once the oven is hot, remove the pie from the freezer and place on a rimmed baking sheet. Press a square of parchment paper into the frozen crust, making sure it’s high enough to come up to the top of the crust at least. If you’d like, you can also add a layer of aluminum foil. This adds additional structure that helps keep the side from slumping.

Fill the lined crust with enough dried beans or pie weights to fill the center.

Bake for 20 minutes. Take a peak under the parchment by carefully lifting up an edge. If the bottom of the crust is pooled with melted butter, cook for another 5 minutes. (It should still appear wet and under-baked but without pools of butter.)

Remove the pie crust from the oven. Carefully lift out the parchment paper and pie weights and set them aside to cool. At this point, your pie crust is par-baked and could be used in recipes that call for partially baking the crust before filling. (If a shiny crust is desired, you can brush the crust all over with egg wash.)

Return the crust to the oven and continue baking until the bottom appears dry with bubbles or flakes on the surface, and is golden brown in the center, about 10 more minutes.

Let the pie crust cool completely before filling.