Making eggplant parm with frozen, breaded slices?

[mickeygee]

This summer, I breaded, baked and froze a bunch of eggplant. If I was going to make eggplant parm, do I need to defrost them first, or just assemble the layers and bake, maybe adjusting the time a little bit.

[fourunder]

The only benefit I can see for totally defrosting is that the slices will become more pliable so you could assemble more easily. The only negative I can see is that the crumb coating may come of very easily..

I think Nanzi's one hour defrost is a good compromise....but i would lay the slices on a plate or sheet pan, not just leave them in the bag.

[Nanzi]

When I use the frozen commercially sold eggplant I usually take the bag out to defrost for an hour before assembling. I have a hard time finding them now.