Can You Freeze Pastry – How To Freeze Pastry Easily To Keep It Super Tasty?

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Can You Freeze Pastry: Pastry is going to be one of the most favorite dishes of yours if you are a keen home- baker. Pastries are generally of 3 basic types, namely, filo, puff, and shortcrust.

But, as we all know, making pastries requires sufficient time and effort, hence you must be wondering whether you can make pastries in bulk ahead of time and keep consuming them for the longest time possible.

Well, freezing can be an amazing preservation option to help you with the same. However, pastries are delicate dishes and must be carefully dealt with. This article will cover all the important points related to freezing pastries and also some caution points to stop them from going bad.

Can You Freeze Pastry

Can You Freeze Pastry?

Yes, you can freeze pastries in order to keep consuming them for a really long time, diminishing the efforts of making them repeatedly. Freezing pastry particularly depends upon the type of pastry you are freezing.

The freezing technique for each type is different and we have provided you with a step-by-step guide subjective to each type. As mentioned earlier, the most popular three types of pastries are Filo, Puff, and Shortcrust. Come let’s see the individual steps to freeze each one of the types in further sections of the article.

How To Freeze Filo Pastry?

Filo pastry is the most delicate of the lot and can be a bit tricky to work with. The steps to freeze it are as follows:

  • Fold and Wrap properly – Once your filo pastry is ready like usual, simply sprinkle it with a dust of flour and fold it properly. Next, you need to wrap your dough with some plastic cling wrap into several layers, so that it is tightly packed enough to protect your pastry from freezer burn.
  • Bag it up and Label it – Next, place your wrapped filo pastry in a moderately sized glass air-tight container or freezer bag and label it with its contents, current date, and use-by dates.
  • Freeze – Once your pastry is tightly wrapped and all bagged up, place it inside the freezer in single or double-serving portions.

How To Freeze Shortcrust Pastry?

Freezing shortcrust pastry is quite similar to the previous one, but one thing different here is, you need to shape it first. Let’s see the steps to do so now:

  • Shape Your Pastry – Once your shortcrust pastry is made and ready, roll it up into the shape of a ball and then flatten it from the top into the shape of a disk. Make disks as per your consumption pattern. Next, wrap individual discs so that you can easily take out the required number of discs, thaw them, and use it the second time.
  • Wrap the entire dough properly – At this step, you will need to wrap your shortcrust pastry dough with a plastic cling wrap into several layers so that it’s tightly wrapped and protected from freezer burn.
  • Bag it up, Label, and Freeze – Next, put your wrapped shortcrust pastry in a moderately sized air-tight container or freezer bag with proper dates and contents mentioned on a label and put it inside the freezer with a secured seal.

Additionally, if you ask if can you freeze cooked puff pastry, then yes, be it cooked or uncooked, puffed pastries freeze quite well and the technique to prepare it before freezing is similar to the filo one as already mentioned above.

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Best Tips For Freezing Pastry

Now that you have learned how to freeze pastries correctly, let’s share some important tips that we strongly recommend you follow in order to keep your frozen pastries fresh for the longest time possible and also get the best results out of it. The top 3 tips are as follows:

  • Protect your pastry well – Before freezing any type of pastry, you must double-wrap your pastry and protect it from freezer burn and condensation. Freezer air will dry out the crust and condensation will turn the inside soggy.
  • Only freeze your pastry once – Freeze your pastry only once and avoid refreezing it. A refrozen pastry will not rise as much and the quality of your baked dish will be affected once it is cooked.
  • Cooked pastry freezes better – All types of pastries, be it filo, puff, or shortcrust, freeze better and show better after-results once cooked. If you are concerned about the quality while freezing your pastry as a dough, baking it first will be beneficial.

How Long Can You Freeze Pastry?

Talking about the longevity of pastries, frozen pastries can stay fresh for about 3 months inside the freezer. Well, Fillo and Shortcrust pastries are a little bit more delicate than Puffed ones and also do not freeze as well as Puffed pastries. Hence, they must be kept inside the freezer only for 1 month and not more.

If you want to cook your pastries in advance and then freeze them, then freezing will help you keep them fresh for about 4 months provided you rapped them tightly and protect them from dry freezer air and freezer burn.

Now, if you ask how long can you freeze uncooked pastry, then raw and uncooked pastries, on the other hand, can stay good inside the freezer for up to 5 months provided here also you pay special attention to the packaging before putting them inside the freezer.

Can You Defrost Pastry?

The process of defrosting is similar for all types of pastries be it Filo, Puff, or Shortcrust. When you are planning to defrost and consume your pastry then you must remove it from the freezer and transfer it to the refrigerator a night before you plan to bake the pastry and give it sufficient time to thaw on its own in the fridge.

Next, you need to remove it from the fridge the next morning and shape it according to your choice after it has completely thawed to room temperature.

Always remember that you must never leave your pastry standing at room temperature overnight because it will be a hub of bacterial growth.

However, after thawing your pastry in the fridge the night before you can allow it to sit for 1 hour or 2 at room temperature to let it soften and help you shape it properly. Additionally, you must avoid defrosting your pastry in the microwave as it ends up spoiling it even further.

Now, you might wonder whether you can refreeze your pastry or not. Well, we do not recommend refreezing your pastry because the crystals that form on your pastry surface during the freezing process can affect the texture of your pastry, and hence, the quality of your baked foods can also alter shortly.

However, if you are working with a large batch of pastries then we suggest you split it up into individual serving portions before you freeze it so that, it is easier for you to take out each portion according to your choice rather than defrosting and refreezing the entire thing every single time.

For more interesting articles on food such as gravy feel free to visit our blogs on Can You Freeze Gravy and others in a matter of no time.

FAQs on Can You Freeze Pastry

1. Does cooked pastry go soggy in the freezer?

Yes, cooked pastries can go soggy in the freezer because the moist air in the refrigerator can adversely affect the crispiness of the pastry crust. Hence, cooked pastries are not recommended to be refrigerated if they have to be preserved only for shorter periods, a day or two can easily go along fresh at room temperature itself.

2. What effect will Freezing have on the pastry?

Freezing can sometimes cause a sharp decrease in the volume and height of both the layers of pastries and sponge cakes. According to the study, the maximum difference in volume has been observed to be 10%. So, make sure you put more effort into packing the pastries well before putting them inside the freezer.

3. Can you freeze puff pastry after it is cooked?

Yes, puffed pastries can be frozen after they are cooked but must not be kept frozen for too many days. If you are planning to consume your puffed pastry after a long period then it is best recommended to freeze it raw instead of cooked.

4. How do you revive a frozen pastry?

To revive a frozen pastry it must be baked in foil wrap inside the microwave, oven, or a toaster at 350 degrees until it springs back to its original form. You can gently press down the pastry to check whether its texture is good like before or not and then consume it within one month if it is frozen and within 3 days if it is refrigerated.

Closing Thoughts

Wrapping everything up, pastries are super delicious dishes that can be frozen to be kept fresh and soft for a long time. Make sure to be extra careful about the way you pack it up before putting it inside the freezer.

Thawing in the refrigerator for a minimum of 6 hours is a must while defrosting pastries which will melt only the frost and not the butter inside.

Thawed pastries will stay good in the fridge for up to 3 days before you plan to defrost and reheat them. We hope you found this article informative enough to clearly understand all your concepts regarding freezing filo, puff, or shortcrust pastries, make sure to stay tuned for more such informative articles like Can you Freeze Batter and others.

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