Just over a year ago, I used a loose-bottomed tart pan for the first time. What impressed me the most about this kind of pan is how you can remove the whole pie from the pan to serve, revealing a beautiful fluted edge of golden pastry. The trouble is, lining a tart tin is a little different than lining an ordinary pie plate. Here's an easy method that works with un-enriched and many enriched pastries.
- Start by placing the round base of the pan on a large sheet of parchment paper. Sprinkle flour over the base and parchment, smoothing the flour on the base to coat it evenly. If you're using an enriched sweet pastry, you will probably have to use extra flour.
- Place the disk of pastry in the center of the floured base, sprinkle some flour on top, and begin to roll it out.
3. It should be fairly thin--no thicker than ⅛" at the most. To see if the pastry has stuck, slide a thin, floured spatula under the edge all the way around. Add extra flour underneath if necessary.
4. Next, fold the edges of the pastry onto the base to make a hexagon shape. Pick up the base and put it inside the fluted part of the pan.
5. Then, unfold the pastry over the sides of the pan. Make sure it goes right into the corner between the base and sides by lifting up the edge of the pastry and gently pushing it into the corner with your fingers. Do this all the way around the pan.
6. Use the side of your index finger to help push the pastry into the pan's fluted edges.
7. Trim off the excess pastry by rolling your rolling pin over the top of the tart pan. The edge of the pan will cut off the excess in a jiffy. Gather up the scraps and save them for another bake.
8. Then, gently press the pastry into the fluted edge with the side of your finger again. This ensures a lovely fluted edge on the baked tart.
Now, the pan is fully lined and ready to be chilled and baked.
I hope these techniques will help you line a tart pan with ease and precision. Feel free to share any tips and tricks you have for lining a tart pan in the comment section below.
Recipe
How to Line a Tart Pan
Ingredients
- Homemade or store-bought pastry, chilled
- All-purpose flour, for dusting
Instructions
- Start by placing the round base of the pan on a large sheet of parchment paper. Pinch off a small piece of dough and stamp it all over the base. This will help the flour stick more evenly to the base. Sprinkle flour over the base and parchment, smoothing the flour on the base to coat it evenly. If you're using a sweet pastry, you will probably have to use extra flour.
- Place the disk in the center of the floured base, sprinkle some flour on top, and begin to roll it out. It should be no thicker than ⅛ inch.
- To see if the pastry has stuck, slide a thin, floured spatula under the edge all the way around. Add extra flour underneath if necessary.
- Next, fold the edges onto the base to make a hexagon shape.
- Pick up the base and put it inside the fluted part. Then, unfold the pastry over the sides. Make sure it goes right into the corner between the base and sides by lifting up the edge and gently pushing it into the corner with your fingers. Do this all the way around.
- Pull off some the excess and ball it up. Use this piece to help push the pastry into the pan's fluted edges. Then, repeat the process, using the side of your index finger instead.
- Trim off the excess by rolling your rolling pin on top. The edge of the pan will cut off the excess in a jiffy.
- Gather up the scraps and save them for another bake. Then, gently press the pastry into the fluted edge with the side of your finger again. This ensures a lovely fluted edge on the baked tart. Chill for 10 minutes, then bake.
Nutrition
Serving sizes and nutritional information are only an estimate and may vary from your results.
Ann Cammarata Reilly
What is the best way to blind bake a tart crust?
Emma
Prick the base with a fork, then chill 10 minutes. Line the crust with parchment and weigh down with baking beans or dried beans. For a fully cooked crust, bake at 400°F for 10-15 minutes, or until light golden around the edges, then remove the beans and paper and bake for another 5-8 minutes to dry out the base. For a partially cooked crust, omit the second baking.
Adrian P. Mollo
Very helpful guidance re: placing crust into a tart pan. I, too, am new to using tart pans, and these tips and tricks saved me time and made my end product much more visually appealing. Thank you!
Emma
I'm glad you found it helpful, Adrian! Happy baking!
Helen Calcaterra
Will that help from 1/2 dripping out?
Emma
I'm sorry--I'm not sure to what dripping you're referring. The pastry, as long as there are no holes in it, should keep any fillings from leaking. I'll be happy to troubleshoot with you!
Beth
This looks super good. Thanks for showing how to line a tin with pastry.
Emma
You're very welcome, Beth! I'm always glad to help others learn new kitchen skills. Have fun baking!