I have been making pies and selling them at the farmer's market. That is going well but I need to increase the number of pies I take to the market.

Can a pie be frozen before it is baked then placed in the oven frozen? How do you prevent the crust from getting soggy?

When I bake the pies (double crusted), I dock the bottom a couple of times to let steam escape and I brush the bottom crust on the inside with egg white before I fill it. Will this take care of any soggy issue with a frozen pie?

If you bake the pie first and then freeze it are you going to get a soggy pie automatically?

I have to sell them in those disposable aluminum pie pans. If I double up the pan will that help with heat conduction and the soggy issue?

Thanks to anyone in advance! I won't be back to computer until after lunch.

You can freeze a pie before it is baked but the end result will not be the same as freshly made pie. Also, the home freezer freezes slower than a commercial freezer so it will take longer to freeze which will again affect the crust etc.

That being said, many people freeze their pies and then bake them from frozen. To bake a pie from frozen, preheat your oven to 425°F and then place the frozen pie inside and bake for 15 minutes. After that lower the temperature to 400°F and then continue to bake the pie. You will need to bake the pie longer than if it were fresh. About another 25 to 35 minutes on top of the time that the original (fresh) pie would have taken.

Another thought: If you are going to be selling these pies, I would even suggest that you bake one of them from frozen and maybe even bake a fresh pie to see if you can notice a difference once they are baked. If so, how noticeable is the difference etc. Just so you know for your customers and for yourself.

Hope this helps - cheers!

A couple Tsp of graham cracker crumbs on the bottom crust, before the filling is added, will help a lot preventing a soggy bottom.

Thank you. Thank you!

Although I am not a pastry chef, I do share kitchen space with our pastry department and have seen how they are able to make 100's of pies per week with a very small staff. In answer to your question: you may want to try making a large batch of pie crusts formed into their tins and freezing them stacked, with waxed paper in between. After you have stacked 5 or 6, wrap them all in cling wrap. The tops can be frozen in a similar manner. Repeat until you get tired of making crust! As you prepare for the market, take out what is needed, thaw, fill, and bake! I asked our pastry chef about your situation and she said there is no practical way to freeze an assembled pie without seriously compromising the end result. However, the crusts can be frozen with no obvious difference. Just be sure to wrap them well and date them so proper rotation can occur. If you use lard, use unhydrogenated lard. Hope this helps and good luck with your pies!

Thanks Anne for taking the time to jump in and help out with this question...much appreciated. Cheers!

Your suggestions are greatly appreciated! I had never had good luck trying to freeze an assembled pie. I will definitely be giving this a go this week. I'll have to check my lard to see if it is hydrogenated.
I have to say I have thoroughly enjoyed Rouxbe and this tip alone will pay for my life time membership and then some.
I grow flax on my farm and turn it into baked goods to sell. Holiday season here I come!!

I love to make 6 to 8 Rhubarb pies every June when the rhubarb is fresh. I roll out the bottom crusts, put them in the pans, poke with a fork all over. Turn oven on to 450 degrees and immediatly put pie shells in for about 8 minutes. Take out and cool. They will not be completely cooked. Then I fill and continue assembling the pies. Although putsy, this seems to keep the crust from getting soggy.
I still haven't perfected my freezing process though. So far I've been baking them before freezing. I can't decide whether I should just thaw them, thaw then bake again, or bake again immediatly after taking from the freezer. I've tried the second two options, but the top crust seems to get too dark. Has anyone tried the just thaw method? Any suggestions?

Assemble it, then freeze the pie. I bake them at 350 f. in a convection oven for 40 - 45 minute, remove them, apply egg wash and sprinkle w/ finish sugar, and return to the oven until they are bubbling. (The wash you use will affect the color...light or dark)
(oven always at temp for at least 15 minutes before baking. use a oven therm. If your oven doesn't bake even - turn the pies as needed)
I bake at 8200 feet.