tartlet shells?

Anyone have tips on how to keep tartlet crusts from slipping/shrinking during blind baking? Or a great pate sucre or other suitable dough they'd like to share?

One of my textbooks suggests putting an empty tartlet tin on top of the dough, making a tin/dough/tin sandwich. Seems like it might work well, though it will mean doing half as many shells at a time...

That's typically how I do it and it works beautifully. Sur la Table sells tiny tartlet pans that come in a package of 24. I have 3 sets and so I can do 36 at a time.

You can also freeze the unbaked dough and pop them into the oven straight from the freezer. I just find it quicker to do it with the 2 tart pans.

HI,

I blind bake pie shells by putting in some foil, then throwing in some beans to weight it down.

I believe the shrinkage is from overworked dough where the gluten has had an opportunity kick in. You can overcome this by either working the dough quickly with a light hand or letting it rest for an extended period of time. Using soft wheat flour, which has less gluten, might also help.

Regards,

In school, we were taught to not over mix the dough and then refrigerate and let it rest overnight. When rolling it out, make sure your use of flour is minimal and don't overwork it. Make sure to dock it after rolling it out. I have not had to use anything to weigh the dough down.

I do have good pate sucree (including chocolate) and pate sable recipes but they are in metric. If you're interested, please let me know.

i use an empty tart shell pressed gently but firmly inside the one being baked. the shape of the pan also can help figure out what to do. if using a scalloped pan, for example, (and i do this with 10" quiche pans), i lift a little dough, maybe every 4th scallop over the top of the pan as well as using a pan inside, to help keep the dough up. justjoan

I have a great recipe that has the consistancy of a cookie so it holds it shape well, but is still tender. Depending on the size of the tartshell it should work fine. You can also substitute/add coco powder for a chocolate crust. I can email the recipe if you need it. This dough has a short rest time as well, but the longer you let it sit the easier it is to handle due to the amount of butter in the recipe

Ditto!

I read about this novel method last year. I tried it once and it was pretty successful.
You press the dough into the tartlet shells and then freeze the shells for about 10-15 minutes. Then, (this is the different step) - you invert the tart molds onto your baking sheet, and bake as usual.
Good luck.