This method has the added advantage of allowing you to invert the two forms so that you can bake them upside down on a baking tray. While the form holds the bottom of the pastry in place, gravity works in your favor by pulling the sides of the crust down, protecting against shrinkage.

These are basically just round little ceramic discs with holes in them for air circulation during baking (just like real pie weights). If you’re tight on time or just don’t have any baking beans available, meringue powder can be a lifesaver. Blind baking is the process of pre-baking a pie crust or tart shell before its filling is added. It gives the crust a head-start over the filling, and gives you more control over how the crust is baked. Well, few of us are strangers to the disappointing soggy pie-crust base that can result from recipes that contain very wet fillings. Quiche and certain fruit pies are particularly vulnerable to this problem.Here we have two related problems, both solved by blind baking. By pre-baking a pie crust we make sure that it is fully baked and crisp before we add our wet fillings. A pie crust can also become soggy (see my tips for preventing this from happening) if the filling is too wet, as with quiche and some fruit pies, and blind baking helps to prevent this. Why Do I Need Pie Weights?

Baking Blind" redirects here. For the cookery project for visually impaired people, see Penny Melville-Brown. Pie shell after blind baking Pour your baking beans/dried beans/dried pasta on top. This will help weigh it down and stop the pastry from puffing up when it’s baking. If using pie weights, you may need to adjust how many you use in proportion to their weight. Steel or ceramic balls will likely be heavier than dried beans, so you may need to use several layers to compensate. But don’t fear. While there’s a large variety of different pie weights (see how they’re typically used) available today for the home baker, there are plenty of substitutes that you can use if you’re in a hurry, and different techniques you can use for blind baking. Other fillings may require only a short period of baking or a lower temperature than the crust, and so the crust will need a head-start if it is to become crisp. Custard pies for example can curdle if baked for too long.Blind baking pastry for a showstopping dessert? Create golden pastry using a basic egg or milk wash. We are all pressed for time occasionally, and it may be tempting in such circumstances to skip the blind baking step. The results of doing so could range from passable to disastrous, depending on the type of pie that you are baking. Remove it from the oven and, using the greaseproof paper to protect your fingers, take out the beans. Then bake the pastry for a further five minutes. To ensure that your crust comes out looking even, golden, and crisp, you need to either allow the steam to escape or hold the dough in place. Different methods of blind baking

This is especially important if you’re making something like a quiche because it needs to stay contained within its own boundaries during cooking time otherwise it may end up leaking over into another dish while they cook together inside your oven! Meringue PowderThey can be used in place of traditional blind baking beans by simply placing them on top of your pie dough before baking.