Parbaking and freezing?

[rubytue]

I think par baking is what I want to do. Anyone more experienced than me want to offer advice?

I picked the theme and menu for my New Year party last night. It’s going to be a medieval dinner. I think I want to do all the pies as hand pies. But I want to prep over time. At a minimum, there will be spinach, mushroom, salmon, and apple pies. I’m figuring on prepping one type per weekend, so start mid November.

My thinking is to make everything, bake the pies until they just start to brown, then remove them, let them cool, vacuum seal, and freeze. Then thaw the day before and bake until brown? Probably do an egg wash on the second bake. 

side note, this spinach pie is so good. If anyone wants to try a true medieval recipe medievalcookery.com/recipes/display.html?spin1001

[deadwing]

I bake a lot of pies, but I've never tried this. My concern with your plan is the crust is going to get golden and brown, but the filling isn't going to heat through. I'm assuming a double-crusted pie. Single would heat more rapidly.

I don't do a lot of savory pies. I feel pretty confident you could par-cook the apple filling on your stovetop, freeze it, defrost, pop it in a fresh crust and bake successfully. I think you could probably do that with the veggie pies as well. The salmon I'd be afraid of overcooking. I think your best bet would be to make that one from scratch on the day.

[rubytue]

Thanks, deadwing!

I really want to find a way to prep as much as possible in the weeks before. I’m open to changing from hand pies. Like maybe I just get a bunch of mini pie plates and make mini pies? Or just do full size, but it seems so messy for serving. Lol

Maybe I freeze everything uncooked? Maybe I do a test run? Prep up this weekend, freeze for a week (some uncooked, some par cooked), and then cook them up and see what happens. We don’t use the freezer for cooked food pretty much at all, so this is all new. Other than I know others do so there is a way… somehow.

[deadwing]

Oh, I missed the hand pies part. I was picturing full sized pies. Those will definitely heat through more quickly than a full sized pie, but I still worry about them being cool in the center when the crust is done to perfection. Hand pies are so much more work than regular pies.

What about doing them as mini galettes? They would reheat more quickly without being fully enclosed and they're less work/hassle than having to crimp and properly seal hand pies. Pies are my true love, but I've come to appreciate the unfussiness of a galette.

[nicolewi]

This sounds amazing and super ambitious and like something I would love to experience but never do as a host. So maybe it's just me thinking is also sounds very difficult and maybe to you it's NBD?

How big is this party? Maybe you could you make the "fillings" in a crock pot or something and put out rounds of pie crust (or biscuits? puffed pastry?) and make it a "make your own hand pie" bar instead of trying to make all those individual pies? Or maybe that would be too inauthentic. No crock pots in medieval times.

[followyourarrow]

I've never tried parbaking. I'd be worried the fillings won't completely cook the first or second rounds. Worth experimenting with though!

[rubytue]

nicolewi, I’m weird and overly ambitious 🤣

Last year we did sit down dinner party, and only like 5 showed up, several last minute cancellations (including my own husband who had a migraine and didn’t even come out of the bedroom 🙄). This year I want a bit larger, hence the hand pies so it doesn’t feel as much sit and eat. And more people!

[bee20]

Oh, I do this with savory hand pies every year.  The recipe for ours without parbaking is to brush with the egg mixture and bake for 60 minutes.  We brush, bake for 40, let cool on the counter, wrap in waxed paper then store in an airtight container or ziploc, freeze them, and then defrost in the fridge or microwave and cook for 30 minutes when ready to eat. 

It's a shortening crust with steak, potatoes, etc., but no broth, so it's pretty dry.  Each hand pie feeds a person for a full meal, so scale the times down if you're doing cocktail size.

They last for a year no problem in the freezer, so you'll be good for New Years.  I love that you're doing this theme, please post a followup!

[isabel]

I would just freeze before baking. Don't parbake. Freeze with the crust raw.

[tacokick]

You can just make and fully bake savory hand pies and freeze them. I let them defrost overnight in the fridge and heat them up in the oven.

I don’t find fruit freezes as well but I’ve done this with many kinds of savory hand pies, empanadas etc

[livinitup]

I’ve done a par bake when doing quiche because I want the egg to set a bit before I freeze it. Then I transfer from freezer to fridge over night and continue to bake & serve.

For hand pies where the filling is mostly set, I’d flash freeze before any baking. Then transfer to ziplock bags/air tight containers in the freezer, then transfer to the fridge the day before and bake as indicated on the recipe. I agree that you are risking an over-baked crust.

Unless I’m misunderstanding, I don’t think you are gaining much from a par bake before the freeze. Maybe less time in the oven on the day you want to serve them? But not much.

I 100% support the prepping & freezing !! You will be much happier than leaving it to right before the party. Nice menu, too !

[momin2013]

Oct 3, 2024 21:39:53 GMT -5 tacokick said:

You can just make and fully bake savory hand pies and freeze them. I let them defrost overnight in the fridge and heat them up in the oven.

This is what I would do.