How To Bake And Freeze A Pumpkin Pie For The Holidays

PHOTO: GREG DUPREE; STYLING: HEATHER CHADDUCK HILLEGAS

The keys to successful baking this holiday season have a lot to do with the recipes you choose, quality ingredients, and your skill as a baker. However, don't forget this one factor: timing.

If you want to bake a delicious holiday pumpkin pie, think about baking ahead and freezing. When your oven is overcrowded with Thanksgiving sides and holiday hams, you can rest easy knowing your holiday pie is already baked. You can completely bake pumpkin pies and freeze for a later date.

How To Bake And Freeze a Pumpkin Pie

It's not hard, but there are a few tricks to ensuring the pie freezes and thaws properly.

Step 1. Bake the pie in an aluminum pie pan

You don't need a special recipe for a pumpkin pie that will be frozen ultimately, but you do need a special pie pan: the inexpensive and disposable pie pans available at your local grocery store.

Since aluminum pie pans are thinner, the pie will freeze faster and avoid developing ice crystals on the surface of the pie. Using a disposable pie pan also frees up your prettier glass or ceramic pie pans for another use. Otherwise prepare and bake the pie according to the recipe directions.

Step 2. Allow the pie to cool completely

Once the pie is baked, cool it completely on a wire rack at room temperature. This may take two to three hours—you don't want to feel even a hint of warmth when you touch the bottom of the pie pan.

Step 3. Wrap the pie in several layers of plastic wrap

Once completely cooled, wrap and tightly seal the pie in several layers of plastic wrap. For added protection against freezer burn, some bakers follow up this step with a layer of aluminum foil or even newspaper, folded around the pie and taped around the edges. Freeze the pie for up to a month.

Step 4. Thaw the pie

Remove the pumpkin pie from the freezer, and keep it in the fridge 10 to 12 hours before you want to serve the pie. If you thaw it at room temperature, the filling may "weep," resulting in a soggy crust. Once the pie is completely thawed, you can put it on the kitchen counter and let it reach room temperature, if this is how you prefer to serve it.

Step 5. Decorate

The plastic wrap may leave a few marks on the pie as it is removed; simply cover them up with a dollop of whipped cream or a sprinkling of cinnamon-sugar.