Blind baking, also known as pre-baking, is the process of baking a pie crust before adding the filling. This technique is used to ensure that the crust cooks fully and remains crisp, especially for recipes where the filling might not bake long enough to properly cook the crust or where the filling is too moist. During blind baking, the crust is typically lined with parchment paper or aluminum foil and filled with pie weights, dried beans, or uncooked rice to prevent it from puffing up or shrinking.