Blind-Baking

Blind baking, also called pre-baking, bakes a pie crust or pastry shell before it is filled. It is necessary when a pie will hold an unbaked filling such as pudding or cream, and used in partial form when the filling itself needs less time in the oven than the crust does, and it also keeps a crust from turning soggy once a wet filling is added. Common methods line the crust with foil or parchment paper weighted down with ceramic beads, metal weights or dried beans to hold its shape, or invert a second pie tin on top of it, or pierce the dough with a fork to let steam escape, though piercing does not work well on a soft dough such as pate sucree.