pastry problem

[cakecrumbs]

hi all i am cooking for a wedding in a few weeks and i was wondering if any of you have made pastry cases, baked them and then frozen them to save some time in advance if you have did they still taste as good or should i just make them when i need them. i was thinking that i could make them about 1 week in advance and freeze them.

your thoughts would be appreciated.

thanks in advance

[sucrechef]

It really depends on what kind of dough you're working with. Some doughs don't take well to freezing, but most will do fine. The best way to tell is to bake a test batch, freeze it and thaw again...see how they do. The most important thing is to make sure the container you put them in is completely air tight and freezer safe (I usually put them in a glad or ziplock freezer bag and wrap that in plastic). Treat them gently and you should be alright.
You may lose some crispness after thawing. This can usually be remedied by quickly rebaking for just a few minutes in the oven.

[Zukerig]

Store the shells individually in new, heavy-duty freezer bags. Your best bet is to place each shell in a rigid plastic freezer container for added protection against being struck. These strong containers will further provide a barrier from the contrary effects of humidity and odors. If such plastic containers are unavailble, then wrap the pastry cases in quality plastic wrap and, next in heavy aluminum foil for protection against moisture and punctures.

It’s imperative to keep as much of the original moisture content from evaporating out of the dessert product. Since air in a freezer compartment is quite dry, it will naturally wick moisture out of food.

Your pie shells will freeze acceptably up to 6-8 weeks.

[cakecrumbs]

i hope things will work, with the tips that you have given me now all i need to do is make them.

[pastrymama]

If you are using a pate sucree or pie dough type recipe you don't need to freeze them after baking. Just store covered at room temperature. Or you can shape and freeze the raw dough, then bake them frozen when you wish.