blind baking

Blind baking is a cooking process where a pie or tart crust is pre-baked before adding the filling. This prevents the crust from becoming soggy and ensures it's fully cooked, especially when using fillings that don’t require additional baking. To do this, the crust is typically lined with parchment paper or foil and filled with pie weights or dried beans to keep it from puffing up. It’s baked in the oven for a specified time, then weights are removed, and the crust is sometimes baked further until golden. This technique is essential for achieving a crisp, well-structured final product.