This doesn’t mean that to be considered professional you have to bake it blindfolded, it just means partially, or completely pre-baking a tart shell before filling it. If you are adding a filling that is not going to be cooked, the tart shell needs to be completely pre-baked. If the filling is going to be cooked, partial pre-baking ensures that the bottom is properly cooked and the shell is crispy. This is particularly necessary for delicate fillings which cook more quickly than the pastry.

For Part-baked:

• Line your tart tin, prick the base with a fork and chill (or wrap and freeze)
• When you are ready to bake, tear of a piece of baking paper about 3 inches larger in diameter than your tin.
• crumple this up in a ball and then unroll it. This will enable your paper to stay in corners more efficiently.
• Weight this down with dried beans that you reserve especially for baking, or use ceramic pie weights
• Bake in a pre-heated oven for 15-20 minutes. The edges should be just colouring and the bottom of the pie shell should be starting to cook
• Remove the paper and pie weights and return the pastry to the oven Bake until just browning. About 10 minutes

For fully-baked:

• Once you remove the paper and pie weights, return the pastry shell to the oven for 8 - 14 minutes. The pastry shell should be dry and nicely coloured, but not too brown.

Times given are approximate, all ovens are different and pastries with a higher sugar content will burn more quickly so watch them! Smaller individual tins would obviously need less time than larger tins. This recipe is based on a rich Shortcrust.

Thank you for trying my recipes.
I hope they fed your mind, body and soul.

Trackback URI | Comments RSS