Blind Baking Pie Shell. Not simply because the gluten in the dough needs a chance to relax but also so the butter will melt at the proper rate. Many recipes for fall pies and tarts call for blind baking which refers to prebaking the crust before adding the filling.
Pie crust generally needs 45-60 minutes or more to fully bake. The empty pie shell is partially pre-baked for a few minutes prior to pouring the filling into the shell. But dont worry you shouldnt have to guess very often.
Partway through baking.
This also depends on what is to be baked because one may choose between partially prebaking or fully baking the crust before filling it in. You can blind bake a crust up to three days ahead of time. What does it mean to blind bake a pie crust. But dont worry you shouldnt have to guess very often.