What does it mean to bake the base of a pie without filling?
Many pie recipes call for baking the base without filling, but they rarely explain what that means or why it's necessary.
Baking the tart base without filling means baking it directly in the oven before adding the filling. Afterward, you can add a no-bake filling, or fill the base and bake the entire tart.
An important detail is the risk of the edges burning, especially if the base is baked first and then filled. It's best to keep an eye on it and, if it starts to brown too much, cover it with aluminum foil.
Baking the pastry before adding the filling allows it to cook thoroughly without too much weight accumulating on top, and prevents the top from burning before the base is cooked. This results in a flaky or crispy crust before adding all that moisture.
This technique is useful for tarts whose filling doesn't require baking, such as a no-bake chocolate tart. In an apple tart, however, it's usually unnecessary because the pastry cooks while the filling bakes. If the crust is soft, it's easier to use a metal pan instead of a glass one.
Special weights are used for blind baking, although they are not essential. Crumble bases, like that of a cheesecake, don't need them. In dough, the weight prevents steam from forming large bubbles, and they can be replaced with raw dried legumes, which serve the same purpose and can then be cooked and eaten.
