How to Cook a Frozen Pie
Ready the pie and oven., Place the pie in the oven., Bake the pie., Remove the pie from the oven., Plan for some trial-and-error.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Ready the pie and oven.
Preheat the oven to 425ºF (220ºC).
After removing the pie from the freezer, place it on a foil-lined baking sheet.
The foil safeguards against any spillage from the pie if the filling bubbles over the sides.
If you are placing a homemade raw pie into the oven, never place Pyrex or a glass pan directly into the oven.
It can shatter.Some people suggest thawing the pie for about 25 minutes before you place it in the oven because it helps the pastry flour cook better.If you accidentally froze you pie in a glass dish, a brief thawing may also reduce the chance of it shattering.
But it’s best to play it safe and use a disposable metal pie pan when baking from frozen. -
Step 2: Place the pie in the oven.
Baking frozen pies can be tricky because the top can get brown before the bottom cooks.
Oven placement is essential for a frozen pie.
Bake your pie on the lowest rack, which places the bottom of the pie closest to the heating element.
You can move the pie lower and higher as it cooks as needed.
Brush the top of the pie with butter or cream, or sprinkle with sugar for something extra.One trick that may help if you have raw bottom crust is to preheat the baking sheet before you place the pie in the oven.
Put the empty baking sheet into the oven as you preheat it.A preheated pizza stone will also work.
Another tip is to place strips of foil around the edge of the pie.
These will stay there until the middle of the pie begins to brown, so that you stop the edges from over-browning. , To start out, bake the pie at 425ºF (220ºC) for 15 minutes.
Then, reduce the heat to 350ºF (180ºC).
Continue baking the pie for another 45 minutes.
The length of time you will have to bake the pie depends on how cold your freezer is, how hot the oven is, and the amount of filling in the pie.
A good general rule is to bake the pie for 20-45 minutes longer than the recipe specifies for cooking normally.If you added foil around the edge of the pie, remove the foil edge pieces when the middle starts to brown.
If the top of the pie starts to brown before the middle or bottom is cooked, make a tent with foil over the top of the pie., When the whole pie appears golden brown, take the pie from the oven.
Insert a knife into the pie to check if the filling is completely done.
If you hit hard chunks, put it back in the oven on a lower temperature.
Shield the edges with foil again if necessary.
When it’s done, allow the pie to cool slightly before serving. , Baking a frozen pie (or any pie, for that matter) is both an art and a science.
Every baker seems to have their particular tricks and tips, but there’s really only one way to find out what works best for you.
Luckily, you get to eat your mistakes — and they’ll still be pretty tasty! While some will argue in favor of it, most bakers seem to agree that it’s best not to freeze a homemade fruit pie after baking it.
Prepare it raw, then bake it from frozen.However, instead of assembling the pie before freezing, you may want to try freezing it in parts — the prepared filling and the (unrolled) dough.
In this case, you will let the components thaw to the point that they are workable. -
Step 3: Bake the pie.
-
Step 4: Remove the pie from the oven.
-
Step 5: Plan for some trial-and-error.
Detailed Guide
Preheat the oven to 425ºF (220ºC).
After removing the pie from the freezer, place it on a foil-lined baking sheet.
The foil safeguards against any spillage from the pie if the filling bubbles over the sides.
If you are placing a homemade raw pie into the oven, never place Pyrex or a glass pan directly into the oven.
It can shatter.Some people suggest thawing the pie for about 25 minutes before you place it in the oven because it helps the pastry flour cook better.If you accidentally froze you pie in a glass dish, a brief thawing may also reduce the chance of it shattering.
But it’s best to play it safe and use a disposable metal pie pan when baking from frozen.
Baking frozen pies can be tricky because the top can get brown before the bottom cooks.
Oven placement is essential for a frozen pie.
Bake your pie on the lowest rack, which places the bottom of the pie closest to the heating element.
You can move the pie lower and higher as it cooks as needed.
Brush the top of the pie with butter or cream, or sprinkle with sugar for something extra.One trick that may help if you have raw bottom crust is to preheat the baking sheet before you place the pie in the oven.
Put the empty baking sheet into the oven as you preheat it.A preheated pizza stone will also work.
Another tip is to place strips of foil around the edge of the pie.
These will stay there until the middle of the pie begins to brown, so that you stop the edges from over-browning. , To start out, bake the pie at 425ºF (220ºC) for 15 minutes.
Then, reduce the heat to 350ºF (180ºC).
Continue baking the pie for another 45 minutes.
The length of time you will have to bake the pie depends on how cold your freezer is, how hot the oven is, and the amount of filling in the pie.
A good general rule is to bake the pie for 20-45 minutes longer than the recipe specifies for cooking normally.If you added foil around the edge of the pie, remove the foil edge pieces when the middle starts to brown.
If the top of the pie starts to brown before the middle or bottom is cooked, make a tent with foil over the top of the pie., When the whole pie appears golden brown, take the pie from the oven.
Insert a knife into the pie to check if the filling is completely done.
If you hit hard chunks, put it back in the oven on a lower temperature.
Shield the edges with foil again if necessary.
When it’s done, allow the pie to cool slightly before serving. , Baking a frozen pie (or any pie, for that matter) is both an art and a science.
Every baker seems to have their particular tricks and tips, but there’s really only one way to find out what works best for you.
Luckily, you get to eat your mistakes — and they’ll still be pretty tasty! While some will argue in favor of it, most bakers seem to agree that it’s best not to freeze a homemade fruit pie after baking it.
Prepare it raw, then bake it from frozen.However, instead of assembling the pie before freezing, you may want to try freezing it in parts — the prepared filling and the (unrolled) dough.
In this case, you will let the components thaw to the point that they are workable.
About the Author
John Morris
Brings years of experience writing about crafts and related subjects.
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