How to blind bake pastry

How to blind bake

  • Last updated
    18 March 2022

About this technique

Skill level

Intermediate

Equipment

Scissors

Baking parchment

Baking beans/dried beans/uncooked rice

Love a tart? Watch our video to learn how to blind bake pastry and avoid the dreaded soggy bottom.

Baking blind is a method of cooking a pastry case before adding the filling. The pastry is lined with baking paper that's weighted down to stop the pastry from bubbling up.

Start with a pastry-lined tin. Watch our videos on rolling out pastry and lining a tart tin with pastry if you need help with these steps.

- Make sure the pastry case has had 15 minutes in the fridge before baking. This helps prevent shrinkage.

- Use a fork to prick small holes all over the base of the pastry. These will close up during baking, but help steam escape so the base is less likely to bubble up.

- Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/Gas 6

- Cut a square of baking paper slightly larger than the tart tin. Scrunch it up into a ball, then smooth it out again.

- Place the paper into the pastry case to cover the bottom and sides of the pastry case.

- Put a cupful of uncooked rice, dried beans or ceramic baking beans on top of the paper.

- Bake the pastry case for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven.

- Carefully remove the paper containing the rice/beans from the pastry case. Return the pastry case to the oven for another 5-7 minutes. Remove from the oven and continue with the filling.

Recipes using this technique

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