Pies are delicious treats that are fun to make but you don’t always have the time or patience to make the crust. So, sometimes you bake the crust ahead of time in order to have a ready crust whenever the mood for pie strikes you. But do you know how to store a baked pie crust?
Importance of Knowing How to Store a Baked Pie Crust
Compared to other baked goods such as cookies or cakes, pies are a bit more technical to make. Making a perfect crust, in particular, takes practice. You need to know how to work the fat into the flour, balance the ratio of wet ingredients to dry ingredients to reach that perfect level of flakiness, and roll the crust onto your pie tin without tearing it.
All of these steps take time and you don’t always have it. So, here’s how to store a baked pie crust properly so that you can cut your pie-making time in half and still get that perfectly golden-brown flaky crust.
Does Time Matter?
If you plant to store a baked pie crust, it means that you’re going to make the crust ahead of time. The recipe that you use doesn’t matter – you can use your favorite pie crust recipe. What matters is how long you’re planning to prep in advance. This will determine how long can pie crust be frozen.
If you’re planning to use your pie dough in the next 2-3 days, simply shape the dough into a disc, wrap it tightly in plastic, and place it in your fridge. When you’re ready to use them, just take out the dough from the fridge, let it come to room temperature by resting it on your kitchen counter for around 30 minutes, and use it normally.
However, if you’re planning to store your pie dough for longer than three days, you’ll need to freeze your dough to keep it fresh. You can either freeze it in the same plastic-wrapped discs or directly in a pie plate.
The Blind Bake
Blind baking is a process where you partially bake or fully bake a pie crust in advance before you use it in the actual pie recipe. Some recipes require that you blind bake a crust but you can blind bake any pie crust even if the recipe doesn’t call for it if you plan to store the crust for longer than three days.
To blind bake a crust, prepare and roll out your dough according to the recipe, then press it into your pie pan. Dock the crust by pricking the bottom with a fork then weigh it down with something heavy like dried beans or rice. Place the pie crust in your oven and bake as normal. After the crust is done baking, you can store the baked pie crust in your freezer by wrapping it tightly in plastic to prevent freezer burn.
Different Methods of How to Store a Baked Pie Crust
Here are some of the common scenarios that you might face when making a pie crust:
No Time Right Now
If you don’t have the time right now, you can get a head start on making your pie crust by making pie crumbs! Pie crumbs are a crumbly mix of flour, salt, and butter. If you have a stand mixer, you can easily make a batch of pie crumbs in minutes, then place them in a bag and freeze them until you are ready to use them. Once you want to use them, simply add in the wet ingredients, and make your pie dough.
Pros:
- Quick
- Easy
- First step of making a pie crust is done
- You can make enough pie crumbs for multiple pie crusts
Cons:
- You still need to make the dough and roll it out later
Got a Bit of Time on Your Hands
If you’ve got around 30-45 minutes on your hands, you can make the pie dough but skip the rolling part. After the dough has been prepared, shape them into balls or pucks, wrap them tightly in plastic wrap, and place them in the freezer.
Pros:
- Minimal cleanup
- No need for a rolling pin
Cons:
- You’ll need to thaw the dough puck before using
- You still need to roll it out and line the pan afterwards
How long can you freeze pie dough? With the proper wrapping technique, frozen pie dough can remain fresh in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Enough Time, but Not Even Pie Pans
If you’ve got lots of time on your hands but not enough pie tins, you can make the dough, roll them out, and freeze them flat. The flat shape means that you can store multiple crusts in your freezer, ready for use.
Pros:
- The flattened pastry will thaw quickly at room temperature
Cons:
- Since the dough is already rolled out, you need to make sure that it does not have any air at all when it is stored to prevent freezer burn or cracks.
Lots of Time Now
If you have both the time and a sufficient number of pie pans, go ahead and do everything now all the way up to blind baking the crust! When you’re ready to bake your pie, simply pull it out and add the filling – you won’t even need to thaw out the crust.
Pros:
- You’ve done the hardest steps already
- No more mess when you want to bake
Cons:
- It will eat up a lot of space in your freezer
Knowing how to store pie dough properly can help you make a lot of crusts when you have free time on your hands so that you can easily make pie whenever the mood.
Great Tips for Storing a Baked Pie Crust
Here are some tips that you can use to ensure that you have a flaky and delicious crust after it’s been baked:
- If you plan to store your pie crust after it’s been baked, use a recipe that has a high amount of fats. The less liquid in the recipe, the fewer ice crystals that will form.
- Double wrap the baked pie crust to prevent freezer burn and liquid from seeping into the crust.
- Place the crusts in the back of the freezer to ensure that it is kept at a constant temperature.
- Baked pie crusts will keep for a maximum of one month. Any longer and the crust will deteriorate and keep for a maximum of one month. Any longer and the crust will deteriorate.
Conclusion
Now you know how to store a baked pie crust in your freezer properly! If you know how to store pre baked pie crust, you can make the pie crust ahead of time when you’ve got a lot of time on your hands so that you can make a delicious and fresh pie in half the time whenever the mood strikes. Find out more about pies.