blindbaked

Blindbaked, or blind baking, is the technique of baking a pie crust or pastry shell before adding a filling. The purpose is to develop structure and prevent a soggy bottom when the filling is moist or requires only partial cooking.

To blind bake, the dough is rolled and placed in the pan, then chilled to prevent shrinkage. The crust is lined with parchment paper or foil, and weights are added to keep it from puffing or shrinking. Common weights include ceramic or metal pie weights, dried beans, or rice. The crust is baked until the edges set and just begin to color. The weights and liner are removed, and the crust is returned to the oven to finish cooking, either partially (par-baked) or fully baked, depending on the filling. Docking the dough with a fork helps prevent air pockets during prebake, especially for plain pastry.

Blind baking is commonly used for custard pies, cream pies, and fruit pies with juicy fillings, and for tart shells intended to be filled later with delicate fillings. It is less typical for fillings that bake long enough to set the crust on their own. Alternatives include using store-bought prebaked crusts or no-bake fillings that do not require a fully baked shell.