freezing unbaked apple pies
Suzy

10/13/05 		I would like to assemble my annual apple pies (roll out dough, place in pan, fill with prepared apples, put top crust on, and seal crusts) and freeze them for later baking

Will this work?

If so, what's the best time/temp at which to bake them once I'm ready to use them? And should I put them straight into the oven from the freezer, or thaw them first?

ellen

10/14/05 		Yes, they can be frozen unbaked, but I like to partially cook and cool the apples before filling the pies, as the apples tend to collapse even more than usual if frozen and then cooked raw. This leaves big gaps under the crust.

To bake a 9" frozen pie, unthawed, place on a cookie sheet, in a cold oven. Then, set the oven to 400 and bake for an hour. Then check it— if the juice coming through the top is still watery, bake it some more— don’t take it out of the oven until the juice is sticky.

Around the 30-45 minute area, make sure the edges of the crust aren't overbrowning. If they get a little on the dark side, just wrap the edges in foil and continue baking. You'll probably need to add 15-25 minutes to the baking time for an unfrozen pie, depending on the size of the pie pan.

You will get the best result when you bake your pies on the lowest position in the oveIf you want to make sure there is no sogginess here is a method:
To keep the crust from getting soggy, brush the bottom crust with egg wash and prebake for 8 minutes at 450 dgrees F. Cover the edges of the crust with aluminum foil during this first pre-baking period to keep the dough from drying out. Cool the crust quickly and put in the fruit filling. Use a pastry brush to wet the edges of the crust then fold the top crust under the edge of the bottom crust and crimp all around. Put vent holes in the top and immediately freeze.

ellen

10/14/05 		When freezing unbaked pies with light-colored fruits, such as apples, peaches, pears and apricots, these fruits may turn dark. The quickest way to prevent this is to treat them with a commercial anti-browning product for fruit, such as Ever-Fresh or Fruit-Fresh. These are found in most supermarkets in the food preservation supplies section. Follow package directions.
ellen

10/15/05 		By the way, if you slice the apples in flat slices instead of wedges, they cook more evenly with less mushy parts.
Dorothea

11/13/05 		freezing apples for apple pie
Hi Ellen!
I would really like to save time and prepare my uncooked apples(with all ingredients for Thanksgiving apple pie) and freeze. How do I do this and then how do I bake the pie, thawed apples or frozen?
Thanks!
Dorothea
ellen

11/14/05 		If the apples are frozen, the crust must be, also. There is a batch recipe for apple pie filling in the OAMC section of big pots. Put freezable pie in the search engine to get the link.

The only thing is, some spices do change flavor when frozen, so if you have something unusual in your filling, try freezing and thawing and cooking it before the big event,