Blind baking is when a pastry, like a pie crust, is baked before adding filling. The dough is placed in a dish, partially or completely baked, then cooled and used to finish the dish. It’s done with a filling to keep the correct shape while cooking and can be done with weights made of metal beads, dried rice, beans, or lentils. The crust is baked at around 204°C for about 20 minutes.
Blind baking is a process by which a pastry, typically a pie crust, is baked before any type of filling or other ingredients are added. This is usually done to firm up the dough or to bake a crust for use with a pie filling that requires only a short cooking time or no cooking at all. The crust is placed in a pie pan or similar pan and is baked partially or completely, then allowed to cool and used to finish the dish. Blind cooking is called for in several types of recipes and is quite simple.
The first step in blind baking a pastry or pie crust is actually making the dough for the final product. Different types of pastries require different ingredients and processes to make the dough, and proper handling and preparation will depend on the recipe. Once the dough is prepared, it should be placed in an oven-safe dish. Most recipes will suggest the temperature and time requirements as well as the appropriate dish for use in blind baking, but for a generic pie crust it should be placed in a pie pan.
This is most easily accomplished by rolling out the dough to the desired size, rotating the dough or rolling pin to distribute the dough evenly in all directions. Once the dough is the right thickness and size to properly fill the inside of the pan you are using, it should be folded slightly in half once, then in half in the other direction to create a quarter circle. This can easily be scooped up and placed inside the pan, with the quarter-circle shaped tip in the center of the pan and opened, then adjusted to fill the pan.
Blind cooking is therefore typically done with some type of filling to keep the correct shape while cooking. Some recipes also recommend chilling the dough in a freezer for about half an hour to help it hold its shape during blind baking. The dough should be covered inside with parchment or wax paper, then this is covered with something to weight the dough down. While baking weights made of long strings of metal beads are available for this purpose, dried rice, beans, or lentils will work just fine.
The crust can then be baked for a certain amount of time, at the temperature specified by a recipe. A general guideline is to cook at around 204°C for about 20 minutes. You may need to pierce the bottom of the dough or crust a few times to release any built-up steam, and you may need a longer blind bake to fully cook the dough. If the crust will be rebaked for a short time with the filling in it, the outer crust should be covered with aluminum foil or a cooking shield to prevent scorching.
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