Baking an Empty Pie or Tart Shell

Baking “Blind”

Appears in
Baking

By James Peterson

Published 2009

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For some pies and tarts, the shell is baked empty, something bakers call baking “blind,” before any filling is added. Blind baking the shell is necessary when the filling needs no baking, such as the filling in a banana cream pie or the filling and fruit in a raw fruit tart. When liquid or semiliquid fillings are cooked in a shell, the shell must be prebaked or the filling will keep the shell from getting hot enough to become crispy.
When baking blind, place a square of parchment paper or aluminum foil over the pastry dough. Make sure the parchment paper is large enough that it’s easy to pick up by the ends when it’s time to remove the weights. Don’t use waxed paper, which smokes. Use dried beans or rice to keep the shell from puffing up in the oven. You can reuse them, but don’t try cooking and eating them. Don’t bother with those little aluminum beans made especially for bakers—they’re too heavy and leave indentations in the dough.