Knead to Know: Blind Baking 101

Why You Need Beans in Your Pie Game 🥧

When a recipe tells you to “blind bake” your crust (that’s baking it before adding the filling), it’s not trying to be mysterious—it just wants you to weigh that sucker down so it doesn’t puff up like a pastry pillow.

Enter: beans.
Not the green kind, ding dongs. You want dried beans—any cheapo variety like black beans, kidney beans, or pintos. These aren’t for eating afterward (they’ll taste like regret), but they’re perfect little weights. Just line your crust with parchment paper, pour in the beans, and bake.

Pro tip: Store them in a jar and label them “Pie Weights” so no one tries to cook chili with them later.

When Do You Blind Bake?

• Do it when your filling doesn’t bake (like chocolate cream) or is super wet/slow to cook (custards, quiches).

• Skip it when filling and crust bake happily together—think pumpkin or apple pie.

Partial vs. Full Blind Bake

• Partial bake = crust is set and just golden. Use this when the filling still needs oven time.

• Full bake = crust is crisp and golden. Use when the filling’s not getting baked at all.

Rule of thumb:
Filling goes in cold? Full bake.
Filling goes in raw? Partial bake.

Treat your crust right, and the rest is easy as pie. Good luck—you’ve got this!

Now go forth and bake—may your beans be heavy and your crusts forever flaky.