Blind baking

Why a raw case fails under a wet filling

Pastry crisps by losing water. A wet filling sitting on raw pastry keeps the base saturated, so the starch gelatinises into a soft paste instead of drying into a crisp layer, and the fat leaks out rather than creating flakes.

The filling also sets long before the base has had time to cook. By the time a quiche is set, an unbaked base has been steaming for forty minutes.

Blind baking dries and sets the case first, so the filling meets a surface that is already cooked and can resist it.

The method

1. Line the tin with pastry and press it into the corners without stretching it. Stretched pastry shrinks back in the oven.
2. Leave the excess hanging over the edge and trim it after baking. This is far more reliable than trimming first.
3. Chill the lined case for at least half an hour, and preferably freeze it for fifteen minutes. Cold pastry holds its shape.
4. Prick the base all over with a fork — docking — so steam can escape rather than lifting the pastry.
5. Line the case with baking parchment, crumpled first so it sits into the corners, and fill it with baking beans, rice or dried pulses right to the top edge.
6. Bake until the edges are set and pale gold, then lift out the paper and beans.
7. Return it to the oven for another five to ten minutes to dry and colour the base. This second stage is the one people skip and it is the one that matters.
8. For a very wet filling, brush the hot case with beaten egg white and return it briefly. It seals the surface.

What goes wrong

Shrinking down the sides

Pastry stretched into the tin, or not chilled. Press rather than stretch, and chill hard.

Puffed base

Not docked, or the beans did not reach high enough. Prick it and fill the case fully.

Slumped sides

Beans not filling to the top edge, or the case not chilled enough.

Pale base after the beans come out

The second stage was skipped. It needs five to ten minutes uncovered.

Cracks

Pastry rolled too thin or handled too much. Patch cracks with raw pastry before filling.

Soggy anyway

Filling added to a warm case, or the case not baked long enough. Egg-white glaze helps.

When you do not need it

• A double-crust pie with a dry filling — the top crust and the long bake handle it.
• A fruit pie baked long and hot on a preheated tray or a stone, which cooks the base from below.
• Anything with a biscuit base, which is pressed and chilled or briefly baked rather than blind baked.
• A very short bake with a set filling, such as a frangipane tart, where some cooks bake from raw successfully.
• Puff pastry cases, which are usually baked and then filled rather than blind baked with beans.

Common questions