Preparing for the holidays can seem overwhelming and we understand the challenge to make a holiday meal successful. Did you know our pie crust mix can be prepared ahead along with pie fillings and then frozen? You can bake and freeze your holiday pies ahead so it's one less thing to prepare the day you plan to celebrate.
Here are tips for each type of pie so your made-ahead pies will turn out great for your family gathering or festivities.
When do I freeze the pie?
For gluten-free pies, always freeze the uncooked pie, then bake them the day before or the day you plan to serve them. This will ensure a fresh pie.
How do I prepare a fruit pie?
- Prepare the pie crust and filling, then wrap immediately and air-tight in plastic. Wrapping it tightly will keep the air from leaving crystals on the fruit.
- Freeze them immediately. Fruit Pies must be frozen immediately to keep the sugars from breaking down the fruit.
- To bake, remove from freezer and place into the hot oven immediately. This guarantees the crust to bake before the fruit has a chance to defrost which will keep the crust from becoming soggy. You may need to bake it longer due to the center being frozen about 15 minutes more.
How to prepare a custard (pumpkin) pie?
- Prepare your pie crust and filling, but freeze the pie shell separate from the custard (pumpkin-pie) filling. This will keep the custard from making the crust soggy.
- To prepare for baking, remove the filling and thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
- Bake the cold pie shell without the filling at 400 degrees F for 8-10 min.
- Whisk the custard before filling the baked pie shell, to mix in any juices that have separated.
- Fill the shell with the filling and finish baking.