Many recipes for fall pies and tarts call for “blind baking,” which refers to prebaking the crust before adding the filling. This process helps to prevent a soggy shell, producing a flaky, buttery crust instead.
The unbaked crust is lined with foil or parchment and filled with pie weights (or a similar substitute), which keep the crust from bubbling and help prevent shrinkage. Partway through baking the foil and weights are removed, then the crust is baked until golden brown. The process may seem daunting, but is easy once you understand the process. Here’s how to do it:
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Try out the technique with these seasonal pie and tart recipes:
- Ultimate Pumpkin Pie with Rum Whipped Cream
- Sweet Potato Pie with Pecan Streusel
- Pear and Frangipane Tart
- Classic Pecan Pumpkin Butter Pie
13 comments
[…] tart shell and fill with pie weights. Here is a helpful resource with step-by-step pictures about how to blind bake a tart crust using pie […]
[…] steps and may take a couple tries to really get it down. For really good visual instructions, click here. Save this recipe for a lazy Sunday morning or break it up into two days. Make the dough the night […]
[…] How to Blind Bake a Pie or Tart | Williams-Sonoma Taste – Sep 29, 2011 · Many recipes for fall pies and tarts call for “blind baking,” which refers to prebaking the crust before adding the filling. This process helps to …… […]
[…] and chill the lined pie plate before filling the pie or doing any blind-baking. This will help the pie keep its shape when […]
[…] How to Blind Bake a Pie or Tart, via Williams-Sonoma […]
[…] Because this is pure cheesy-eggy goodness, I didn’t make the quiche very deep–a little goes a long way. But if you want more volume to your version or you’re using a larger pan, you could surely up the eggs to 4 and the liquid to 1 cup with good results. Bake time might take a few minutes longer. I wasn’t patient enough to do a partial blind bake of the pastry shell this week, but it’s always best with a wet filling like this one, avoids a soggy bottom to the crust. Found a nice how-to here. […]
[…] Blind baking is a great way to avoid a soggy crust, because the pie crust has a chance to become crisp before the wet filling is added. If your recipe won’t allow it, try refrigerating the crust for about 15 to 30 minutes before baking, or lightly brush the bottom with a beaten egg white to seal it before baking. […]
[…] ¾ cup sugar ¼ cup light brown sugar 4 eggs 1 12-oz can evaporated milk ¼ cup bourbon 1 tsp vanilla ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg pinch, or two, ground cinnamon pinch salt 1 9-inch pie pastry, partially blind-baked* […]
[…] Blind baking is a great way to avoid a soggy crust, because the pie crust has a chance to become crisp before the wet filling is added. If your recipe won’t allow it, try refrigerating the crust for about 15 to 30 minutes before baking, or lightly brush the bottom with a beaten egg white to seal it before baking. […]
[…] will need a pre-baked pie pastry, which you can either prepare and blind-bake yourself, or you can go the refrigerated/frozen pie crust route. I won’t judge you, but […]
Love the cooking tips just found this site for hints
Can the bottom crust of a fruit pie be prebaked before filling with the fruit filling and adding top crust.
Yes. I do this all the time because I really dislike the bottom of my pies being soggy.