Baking Blind Pastry

[Smowball]

I've never made a quiche from scratch before but am going to try today. A recipe on BBCFood website says to put pastry in case , add cheese, bacon etc...., but doesn't say to bake blind and someone's added a comment saying you have to or else it will be soggy. Your thoughts?

[Eleena]

I agree Smow, if you haven't any baking beans, just prick all over and stick some tinfoil with teaspoons on the top. That's what I used to do.

[Islay]

Yup bake blind or you will end up with a soggy bottom

[Eleena]

... ^^ and you don't want that! :0?

[seekeerz]

And you definitely do NOT want a soggy bottom, Smow :))

[Smowball]

Ooh no definitively no soggy bottoms lol! I don't have baking beans but have greaseproof & foil, and am sure I can use rice or similar to weigh down. Won't the pastry burn baking blind and then baking again??

[Eleena]

Yes you can use rice. No won't burn x

[Eleena]

Or cover for the last few minutes if you're worried Smow.

[RobNorth]

I've done both and on balance I'd say it's not worth the bother of blind baking. You need a hot oven 225 to start for 15 min and then 190 to finish. The heat conductivity of the case/dish has a big influence on whether or not your bottom is soggy - I wouldn't use foil cases, rather Pyrex or ceramic.

[Islay]

225 is too hot for pastry!!
If you baked for 15 minutes at that temp it will be far too brown!

[Smowball]

Now see I'd have said use foil of an aluminium flan dish....

[diddlydo]

Definitely flan tin - not ceramic or glass. No need for foil or baking beans. Just prick all over base with fork and blind bake. St Delia's way.

[Smowball]

It was almost a disaster. I put pastry in dish with greaseproof later and rice. Could see after 15 mins that outside crust was lovely and golden but when I removed greaseproof the bottom of pastry was soggy and wet!! Had to put back in oven as it was to try and crisp up which it did. So in theory the Deliah Way worked lol

[Smowball]

Greaseproof paper

[Jackdaw33]

What on earth does 'baking blind' mean?

[Smowball]

It basically means crisping up the pastry before you put the filling in ie as in a quiche because the bottom would stay soggy and you wouldn't be anle to slice it