Freezing apple pie

[sixelagogo]

Any thoughts on what the rules are for freezing apple pie? Should I freeze before baking, or directly after cooled?

[wyogal]

You can place a large sheet of foil or plastic wrap in the pan before you put the crust in, make the pie, then wrap the foil up over the top. Pop it in the freezer. When frozen solid, remove the pie from the pan. When ready to bake, unwrap the frozen pie, plop it into the pan and bake. That way, you don't need to use very many pie pans.
Or just use foil pie pans.

[MeffaBabe]

My mother for years takes one day and does nothing but make her fabulous apple pies. She ends up making about 25 of them each year and freezes them UNCOOKED... when a holiday/dinner/special occassion arises during the year she takes one out of the freezer and puts it directly into the HOT OVEN to bake... It turns out delicious- crust is crisp, flakey and the insides warm and juicy. I would never freeze an already cooked pie- it would be way to hard to get it back to the delicious flaky warmed goodness of moms!

[kelceyann]

I am thinking about making individual hand pies. Now you have me thinking on the thickener issue. I typically use Minute tapioca to thicken my fruit pies. Anyone have experience freezing with that kind of thickener? It's usually flawless without freezing...so I assume it would be the same without. Just don't want to ruin the sanctity of pie. Especially when I am eating it with my hands.

[JepJonson]

Freezing your apple pie before baking actually helps keep the crust from getting soggy. Taking the pie directly from freezer to oven gives the crust a head start, and it's already partially baked by the time the filling melts. Just make sure your pie plate can handle the temperature change -- aluminum can, pyrex can't, and I don't know about heavy ceramics such as Emile Henry. You'll need to bake the pie a little longer than one that isn't frozen.

[sixelagogo]

when you re-heat a frozen, uncooked pie, do you reheat at the same baking temp. as you would to bake the pie?

and thanks all for the advice

[JepJonson]

Yes, I treat it just like an unbaked pie. I start it off in a 425 degree oven for 10 or 15 minutes, and then lower the temperature to 350. I don't know how long it takes at that temperature -- I just bake it 'til it's done -- but I imagine it's somewhere in the neighborhood of 40 - 60 minutes total baking time.

[chowmel]

During the fall I make and freeze alot of apple pies for the year. Some I freeze unbaked and some I freeze cooked. I wrap them tightly in waxed paper, then in plastic, tin foil, or bags - whatever I have - just be thorough. Both types come out fine. Bottom crusts are never soggy. (I confess to using Pillsburg refrigerated crusts) Pop both types into oven right from freezer.

[Roland Parker]

I bake a bunch of pies at the height of the apple season, usually in September. Freeze most of em and we take out one a month throughout the rest of the year, with the last one usually eaten just in time for the next apple season to begin.

When the pies have cooled, wrap them in plastic, and put in large freezer bags. Reheat as you would a frozen pie from the supermarket, just pop into the oven at 400 for 45 minutes or thereabouts. Never had crust problems, the pies always came out piping hot and crisp.

[jojrma]

Thank you, Roland, I am going apple picking and wanted to make sure I could handle about 3 or 4 pies. Next time maybe more. It is apple time in Maine.

[MsMaryMc]

I've never tried freezing one after baking, but I'd worry about what it would do to the texture of the crust--doesn't it get less crisp after thawing?

I freeze them before cooking, and they come out fine--defrost in the refrigerator and bake as usual. I also freeze unbaked pie shells.

My mom (a.k.a. The Woman Who Made The Best Pies On Earth) always had a couple of pies in her freezer, waiting to be baked. When we got home from her funeral, I baked her last one (it was cherry) and the whole family sat around and ate every crumb. I can't think of a more fitting way to bless and honor her memory than savoring that pie...

[sixelagogo]

I can't think of better honor either....

My question about freezing unbaked pies is this: does the bottom crust get soggy ever? I remember seeing a recipe that stated that you should transfer the frozen unbaked pie directly to an oven to prevent a soggy bottom- no thaw. has anyone heard of this?

[MzH]

I've frozen apple pies uncooked using flour and also instant clear jel. The one using flour as a thickener was runny. Clear jel kept the filling thick. Crust was also flaky. Pies were not thawed.

[sixelagogo]

I've never used clear jel--quite frankly, i don't even know what it is...tapicoa starch? Do you buy it in the baking aisle?

[MzH]

I bought the instant clear jel at a bakery wholesale business.....haven't seen it in the grocery stores but I live in a very small town.....it's a modified corn starch.

[bushwickgirl]

No thaw necessary, and what I do to get a jump on apple pie baking (I just posted about this on another apple thread) was a technique a pastry chef I worked with me years ago used; peel, slice and sugar your apples, add whatever spices and thickening you use, place them into a pie plate, wrap well and freeze. When they're frozen, remove them from the plate, place in a freezer bag, seal and put them back in to the freezer. When ready to bake, remove the apple mass from the freezer, pop them into a crust, top and into the oven. The beauty of this is that after the apples are frozen, they can be stacked in the freezer.

You may have to tent the top crust to prevent over browning, as frozen pies take a bit longer to finish. Any kind of pie plate material is fine with this method, glass, metal, ceramic.

Baked pies will reheat very well also, as Roland points out.

[leanneabe]

I don't know what the rules say, but I would freeze after baking (and cooling). Wrapped in plastic, they fit perfectly into a gallon-size Ziploc bag. As emilief noted, defrost in the fridge slowly. Then, enjoy cold or pop into the oven to warm up!

[MzH]

Do you have the recipe for the frozen cherry pie?

MzH

[emilief]

I have frozen an apple pie after baking. Wrap very well in plastic then aluminum foil. The most important thing is to defrost it in the refrigerator slowly while wrapped.