First and foremost, good news! It is not necessary to be blind to bake blind. Duh.

You’d think knowing this would make blind baking less daunting, but it doesn’t. I know far too many folks who have abandoned particular pie recipes as soon as they realize they must be blind baked. I was one of those individuals.

Blind baking is an important phase in pie and tart making, therefore it’s only a matter of time until you understand it’s a phobia to be overcome. The term is most likely derived from the French phrase Cuire white, which means to bake a pie crust or pastry without any filling.

I had to blind bake for the first time around eight years ago. That happened when I baked a quiche. I’ve blind-baked several times since then, and it’s become second nature.

In this essay, I will discuss a few hypotheses about the name “blind bake” and how it came to be, as well as quickly explain why and how to blind bake in an attempt to make blind baking a bit easier to swallow for you.

Let’s get this party started!

A Few Theories 

To be truthful, there is no definitive solution to this topic; only reasonable possibilities exist. Others argue that it is a symbolic usage of the term blind since when you bake the pie crust on its own, you have no idea what sort of pie you will get.

Another intriguing hypothesis I discovered was that since the term eye is used to represent the center of anything (as in the phrase the eye of a storm), a blind-baked pie crust lacks its central filling, rendering it blind.

Cuire à Blanc

The most credible argument is that the term originated in French.

The phrase “blind baking” is often attributed to a mistranslation. Cuire blanc, which literally translates to bake white, is the French phrase for blind baking. The French term white sounds close to the English word blind, hence the misconception

Why Do We Blind Bake?

Blind baking is sometimes known as pre-baking or par-baking. As previously stated, we do this by baking the crust before adding the filling. It’s a must when making a pie with a wet, unbaked filling, such a pumpkin pie, custard pie, or quiche.

We blind bake for two primary reasons.

One, so that the pie crust may solidify before adding a moist filling, which can result in a soggy pie bottom.

Two, since the pie filling may take less time to bake than the pie shell, partly baking the crust before adding the filling helps guarantee that the whole pie is uniformly cooked throughout.

How to Blind Bake?

Get yourself some pie weights if you want to blind bake. You don’t need particular pie weights, but you do need something to keep the pie crust down. Some individuals prefer to utilize beans or rice since they are less expensive and more widely available.

Pie weights should be put on a piece of parchment that has been spread in the middle of the pie and covers the whole surface. The butter in the pie crust will melt as it heats, creating steam.

The steam will cause the dough to puff up, which we want to prevent since a raised crust will take up room in your pie that should be kept for the filling.

When you’ve added your pie weights, just place your pie in a prepared oven and bake at 425F for 15-20 minutes. The temperature and quantity of baking time might vary significantly, but the goal is a slightly browned crust.

Check out this tutorial for a more in-depth explanation of how to blind bake.

FAQs

The following are two frequently asked questions about blind baking that you may find useful.

Is blind baking necessary?

When constructing a pie or tart with a wet or uncooked filling, blind baking is a must.

What can I use to bake blind?

Blind baking may be accomplished with store-bought pie weights, beans, grains, or clean coins.

Final Thoughts

After all, blind baking isn’t all that scary, is it? I hope you’ve gained enough confidence to attempt creating pies and tarts again now that you’ve understood why blind baking is named what it is, ideas about how the word came to be, and how to blind bake.

What are your opinions on the term “blind baking”? I’m sincerely interested. Please share them with me in the comments section below!

Angie’s Bio