Baking Beads Ceramic Pie WeightsBrand: BIRKMANN Ceramic Pie Weights are important for a perfect pastry crust. Serve as a temporary filling during the first round of baking, preventing puffing. Its Chemistry As dough bakes, fat melts at a different rate than rest of the ingredients. This is a good thing, because steam is responsible for the flaky layers you associate with a perfectly prepared pastry crust. When there is no filling to weigh it down, steam will cause the crust to puff