Baking Empty Pie and Tart Crusts

This is known as baking “blind.” Pierce the dough all over at ½-inch (1-cm) intervals with the tines of a fork. Line the dough with parchment paper, leaving it a little larger than the pan for easy removal, and fill the shell with dried beans. Bake until the dough look dull and dry, then remove the paper and beans and continue baking until golden and baked through. Never use foil, which might crease and cut through the dough. I never partially bake a crust that is to be filled with preparation that needs to be baked. Between the addition of the baking powder to the dough, which makes it press firmly against the bottom of the pan, and baking the pie or tart in the bottom of the oven, the crust always bakes through perfectly.