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Freezing Pies
Linda Question:
Wanting to make raisin pies early for Christmas and not sure if they will freeze. Can you help as I hate to waste anything.
Rose Reply:
hope this reaches you in time but at least you’ll know for the future: you can freeze unbaked pies and add about 20 minutes to the baking time depending on how deep the filling is. it’s actually an advantage because the bottom crust starts baking before the filling thaws giving it a chance to get crisp and brown.
i wouldn’t freeze a baked pie because the dough loses much of its charm and all that remains is the filling and calories!
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Thanks Rose! Warm pies always taste better anyhow. Hope it works!
Reply to this Posted by: Jan | May 18, 2008 1:30 PM #
you should probably reheat them before serving--i personally find that freezing baked pies compromises the crust so reheating may help to bring it back to life. say 10 minutes at 350F preheated oven if they are at room temperature, 15 min. if refrigerated.
Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | May 18, 2008 9:03 AM #
OK, we're going camping for Memorial weekend, and I like to prepare a lot of things ahead of time. Today, I baked two rhubarb pies (single crust). My plan was to freeze them and pack them in a cooler when we leave on Thursday. My plan was to thaw them next Saturday morning for dinner that night; think they'll be ok?
Reply to this Posted by: Jan | May 17, 2008 9:47 PM #
if it's still unbaked here's my advice: bake it from the frozen at the usual temperature but add about 20-30 minutes to the baking time. bake until bubbling so the cornstarch activates fully to thicken the filling.
Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | May 17, 2008 2:50 PM #
I have a Cherry pie that is unbaked and frozen I made last spring '07. How long should I bake it for and what temps.?
Thanks
Reply to this Posted by: Jerry | April 18, 2008 9:08 AM #
Thanks for the reply, Rose. That is probably the safest bet.
I was trying to avoid this because my fear is that thawing it will increase the likelihood for a soggy bottom crust.
What effects can I expect if I thaw the pie rather first?
(I am willing to be a guinea pig and report back, of course)
Reply to this Posted by: mike | November 19, 2007 10:54 PM #
i checked the chantal website and they say the warantee is voided if subjected to extreme temperature changes. Probably the best thing to do is to let it thaw overnight in the frig and then bake it chilled but not frozen.
Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | November 19, 2007 10:29 PM #
Unfortunately, I froze the pie without the plastic wrap underneath. What to do?!
I am trying to find out from Chantal whether it can go from freezer to oven, but I am betting that they'll recommend I don't do it.
Would starting it in a cold oven help? I am also thinking of running warm water on the underside of the dish to try to unstick the pie. Any tips of what to do here?
Reply to this Posted by: mike | November 19, 2007 10:18 PM #
i don't recommend freezing baked pies or baked pie crusts. i would freeze the unbaked pie crust and prebake it frozen as it holds it's shape best.
Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | November 19, 2007 1:15 PM #
No, I am afraid I have not heard back...
Reply to this Posted by: Becca | November 18, 2007 4:21 PM #
Hi, I enjoyed reading about you and your family. Did you get an answer about freezing pecan pies?
Thanks
Reply to this Posted by: P.A. | November 18, 2007 3:48 PM #
Hello Rose, I hope you get this soon. I currently have my butter and flour mixture freezing for the crust...
I know it is fine to freeze pecan pies. My question is should I prebake the crust, add the filling, freeze solid, and then bake? Or should the crust be completely unbaked before freezing?
Reply to this Posted by: Becca | November 16, 2007 10:21 AM #
no no no !!!
Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | September 18, 2007 9:35 PM #
Can I freeze unbaked pound cakes?
Reply to this Posted by: Jan | September 18, 2007 9:20 PM #
Can I freeze unbaked pound cakes?
Reply to this Posted by: Jan | September 18, 2007 9:19 PM #
Can I freeze unbaked pound cakes?
Reply to this Posted by: Jan | September 18, 2007 9:19 PM #
it really depends on your freezer--how low the temperature etc. but in most any freezer it can last at last one month. i have a sub zero and a kitchen aid and find a frozen fruit pie is fine for at least 6 months.
Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | September 14, 2007 1:53 PM #
I have baked a blackberry pie and it is now in my freezer. What I need to know is how long can it stay there?
Thank you for your time.
Reply to this Posted by: Jean Morando | September 13, 2007 5:40 PM #
unbaked
Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | June 24, 2007 8:55 PM #
How do you freeze a blueberry pie?
Reply to this Posted by: darlene snyder | June 23, 2007 4:06 PM #
if they're not my recipe i can't tell you for sure but i'd use the same oven temp. as unfrozen but add 15-20 min. or until bubbling.
Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | December 10, 2006 11:51 AM #
I have frozen blueberry pies. How long and at what temp. should they bake on? Thank you "berry" much!
Reply to this Posted by: Mary Beth | December 10, 2006 11:47 AM #
i wouldn't freeze the pumpkin pie as i don't think a custard based pie would freeze well though i could be wrong.
you can still use the egg white wash and certainy macerate and reduce the juice. but don't bake on the floor of the oven--a baking stone should be fine on the lower shelf as the extra baking time from the frozen will be enough to bake the crust.
Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | October 18, 2006 6:05 PM #
I just bought your book and am very exciting to start baking. This year for the holidays I want to freeze the pies ahead. I want to make the Apple Crumb, Cherry, and Pumpkin pies. I do have some questions for you:
If I plan to freeze:
(I plan to freeze in pie dish with plastic on bottom and top and pop out of dish and put in freezer zip lock bags)
-Do I still prebake the crust?
-Use egg white wash to seal in crust?
-macerate juices?
When baking:
-Use oven temp of 425 Prebake and leave at 425 the whole time?
-I plan on using Chantal ceramic dish --do you suggest cooking on bottom floor of oven for a frozen pie for the first 20 minutes? or is baking stone on lowest level better for frozen pie?
Do you have any other freezing and baking with frozen pie tips to add?
Thanks!
Reply to this Posted by: Lucy | October 16, 2006 4:09 PM #
sounds like a lot of wonderful pies to come!
Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | September 24, 2006 8:54 AM #
Thanks so much for the freezing pie suggestions. I have overpicked (is that possible?) the wonderful apples grown locally and was trying to plan ahead for the busy holiday season coming up.
Thanks again. Cynthia
Reply to this Posted by: Cynthia | September 24, 2006 8:01 AM #
Thanks, the thoughts on the rolls are very concise and helpful.
So here's another dilema. I was so very proud of myself because I just froze my first ever pie crust. I remembered Rose's instructions, and was happily imagining some Sunday morning with unexpected guests. No problem, I'd have a frozen, formed pie shell ready to go for a nice breakfast quiche.
The only glitch is...I forgot to line my Pyrex pie plate w/ plastic wrap! Now, what to do? Can I just keep it frozen in the Pyrex, and when I need to use it, let it defrost a bit in the fridge before putting in the oven? I still would't put it on the tiles, but I'm interested to hear what you suggest.
Thanks for everything!
Reply to this Posted by: Laura | June 17, 2006 1:20 PM #
thanks theresa--very helpful. i'd only add that from my experience an oil spray gives the best release. if using butter, i use clarified as the milk solids in melted butter are what carmelize and can cause sticking.
Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | May 29, 2006 9:48 AM #
Hi, just a couple thoughts for Laura! I've been making my holiday rolls in advance for years. The rolls I make are soft white dinner rolls. I bake them at a low temperature, 275 Fahrenheit, for 10-15 minutes, just until they are set, but before they brown. (If they start to brown a little before you catch them, though, no big deal.) I use shiny muffin tins, and grease them well with butter. I have found that oil does not release as well. This helps them to come out easily and retain their perfect "skin," and the butter adds a nice flavor. If they do stick a little and get a few knife marks from your efforts to remove them, again, it's not a big deal -- they will still taste great. After taking the pans from the oven, I only let them cool for a few minutes before removing the rolls from the pan to cooling racks. I then put the racks with accompanying rolls, uncovered, right in the freezer to firm up for 30-60 minutes before removing the rolls, wrapping them in groups of 6 or 12, and then putting the wrapped rolls in a freezer bag in the freezer until needed. When you are ready to use them, they only take about an hour to defrost, but it doesn't hurt to take them out before then -- I usually take them out the morning of the "event" and they sit around wrapped until I need them. Then, as Rose says, you can just brown them at 350 or so for 5-10 minutes. If you don't have room for them in your ice chest with the pies, they probably wouldn't suffer too much if you had to defrost them the day before you use them. The browning should freshen them up. Hope this is helpful ... Rose, of course, feel free to edit or add!!!
Reply to this Posted by: Theresa | May 22, 2006 11:59 AM #
Great, thanks! That's a handy trick in general. I'll be sure to report back on how everything works. In the meantime, practice makes perfect so I'll work on those summer berry pies!
Thanks for all your attentive assistance.
Laura
Reply to this Posted by: Laura | May 21, 2006 8:41 AM #
nope! i was wrong. the manufacturer does not recommend it to go from freezer to oven but here's how you can get around this restriction--i do it all the time! line the pie plate with a big piece of plastic wrap before placing in the dough. add the filling and topping if using and cover with another piece of plastic wrap. freeze it until solid at which point you can lift it right out of the pie plate and store it in a freezer weight storage bag. that way you have use of the pie plate for other things. when ready to bake, simply remove the plastic wrap from top and bottom and set it in the pie plate. in your situation where you want to freeze the pie and then bring it frozen in a food chest, if you have a lot of ice and it stays frozen i'd wrap it in bubble wrap and set it in the pie plate as soon as i get to the location where i'm going to bake it. if it's going to start defrosting youll need to set it in the pie plate before traveling with it.
Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | May 20, 2006 3:07 PM #
i'm 99.9% sure you can go from freezer to oven with my pie plate. it was one of my criterion. i'm checking with the manufacturer and will give you the final answer soon. luckily thanksgiving is a way away!
Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | May 18, 2006 9:16 PM #
Fantastic, thanks! Great idea about the oven themometer, I might have forgotten that!
One last question: Are your new pie pans safe to go from freezer to oven, or are metal best?
Many thanks, I'll be sure to do some test runs in advance! Yum!
Reply to this Posted by: Laura Jones | May 18, 2006 9:53 AM #
i love your advance planning. clearly you are dedicated to eating well!
i like your idea of freezing the unbaked apple pie as it will stay well in the cooler and even if still frozen--all the better as the bottom crust has the chance to get a head start crisping before the apples start softening. don't forget though that the apple pie will take a long time to cool enough to cut nice slices. maybe after all you should bake it wed. am. that way you won't have to worry about chancy ovens for both pies.
but good idea re handling the pumpkin pie the way you suggested.
the cranberry pie would also be terrific. pecan pie is excellent made ahead and everyone loves it.
the rolls are best underbaked slightly (til pale golden) and then finished for about 5 minutes in a 350 oven. you might want to try a batch ahead just to see how you like them best. they freeze very well too.
sounds like a wonderful thanksgiving in the offing!!!
be sure to bring an oven thermometer as you never know what unfamiliar ovens will offer.
Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | May 16, 2006 10:33 PM #
My family is planning to travel to a cabin in the mountains this Thanksgiving, and I am trying to plan to have as much food made ahead as possible. We will need to travel 2 hours by car Wednesday night.
What pies would fare well during travel, and how would you prepare them in advance? (I own the Pie Bible)
I was thinking of assembling an unbaked apple pie and freezing, then packing in a cooler for the ride. I was also thinking of pre baking a pie crust for a pumpkin pie, having the filling ready and chilled, and assembling and baking at the house.
As an alternative, I could try to bake both pies the AM of the Wednesday before, and travel with them cooked.
Also, any thoughts on advance prep of rolls? Should they be cooked in advance, or should the dough be frozen and cooked there?
Thank you for any help! I'm writing early in the hopes you will have the time to respond!
Laura Jones
Reply to this Posted by: Laura Jones | May 15, 2006 11:24 AM #