storing baked goods?

[chicknwhisperer]

I will definitly try the fruit cake recipe, I'm sure FIL will enjoy it.
I'm sorry but fruitcake nimrod is funny. It made me giggle lol. Any way hehe I will try both those recipes. And I only wish it was as simple as giving gifts now. I am basicly supplying the majority of the baked goods for Thanksgiving and more then likely Christmas also. I have been asked to make two pumpkin pies, one cherry, one apple. to feed a possible grand total of 23 people. I don't think that is enough pies for 23. DH wants no bake cookies. Now sil wants monkey bread becasue I opened my mouth since everyone liked it last year. DH says that isn't enough pies either and that we should should add a couple of difrent meringue pies. UGH I'll be baking for a week straight. Why did I do all this baking before and let them know I could do it. If I wouldn't have made this stuff for other holidays they wouldn't know I could bake anything. CRAP! I know though that I am to blame becasue I opened my big mouth and asked her what I could bring to the dinner. Someone kick me and tap my mouth shut. I'll have to bring my own card table just to put the stuff on. Please tell me that one of you guys have stuck your foot in your mouth before like this

 

[inchworm]

I do it all the time. Hubby just shakes his head at me.

If you cut each pie into 8 pieces, then 4 pies should be enough. And it there isn't enough, maybe someone else can bring some extra next year.

Inchy

 

[keljonma]

I will definitly try the fruit cake recipe, I'm sure FIL will enjoy it. I'm sorry but fruitcake nimrod is funny. It made me giggle lol. Any way hehe I will try both those recipes. And I only wish it was as simple as giving gifts now. I am basicly supplying the majority of the baked goods for Thanksgiving and more then likely Christmas also. I have been asked to make two pumpkin pies, one cherry, one apple. to feed a possible grand total of 23 people. I don't think that is enough pies for 23. DH wants no bake cookies. Now sil wants monkey bread becasue I opened my mouth since everyone liked it last year. DH says that isn't enough pies either and that we should should add a couple of difrent meringue pies. UGH I'll be baking for a week straight. Why did I do all this baking before and let them know I could do it. If I wouldn't have made this stuff for other holidays they wouldn't know I could bake anything. CRAP! I know though that I am to blame becasue I opened my big mouth and asked her what I could bring to the dinner. Someone kick me and tap my mouth shut. I'll have to bring my own card table just to put the stuff on. Please tell me that one of you guys have stuck your foot in your mouth before like this

If they aren't gifts: when you set up your card table put the recipes and the price for each pie on top of them.. and sell them by the slice or pie ............ J/K!!!

Maybe you could wrap each pie as a gift?? I know some of the pies I give at the holidays are down right expensive to make, especially when you count in the sugar, fruit, specialty ingredients, and aluminum pie pans with covers.

Seriously, the only time I have TAKEN ORDERS for pies, is when I am making them TO SELL.


edited for clarity....

 

[Cassandra]

Oh, right. I see what is happening. My grandmother used to do that (bake a dozen pies and 4 cakes plus cookies and fudge, etc., in addition to baking the regular holiday dinner.) She just did it all at one time in the two or so days leading up to the holiday.

She had help, though. We (my mom, my sibs & I) lived with her. So mom would help some. Mamaw wasn't working, but mom did. I helped a little. I remember rolling lemons back and forth on the table before juicing them, for lemon icebox pie. And mixing stuff and rolling out pie crusts and just whatever an extra pair of hands can do, even when I was a little thing. Probaby 5 or 6 years old.

If you are making a lot of pie crusts, you should be able to make and freeze them ahead of time, in their tins, or just between layers of wax paper.

Many of the pie fillings you can make ahead of time, too. I daresay there are a lot of pies you can put together before hand without baking. Then bake them a day or two before.

I think mirangue pies would freeze pretty well, also. You could add the mirange and bake the pie the day of so it has that nice yummy browned mirange topping for the event.

I'm not totally clear on what all baked goods you are making, but a lot of things can be made ahead of time--up to the point of baking--then frozen. Take them out and bake them the day of. If you were making yeast rolls, for example.

And if your SIL wants monkey bread, mix up a batch and put it in the baking pan. Take it to her and say, "Here, put this in the oven at <x-time> and take it out at <x-time>. My oven is full of pies already. Bring it with you." You may be able to farm out more of it this way, too, if you have a couple of other atendees whose ovens aren't going to be already in use over some other big dish.

Cassandra

 

[chicknwhisperer]

lol I have actually tried to sell some of the pies I make but I never got a call. Guess my relatives don't get enough to spread the word. My SIL has trouble in the baking department of the kitchen lol. My MIL will have her oven full as well and my MIL and I are about the only ones left that back. She buys, well used to buy actually, all the premade through it in the oven stuff. When she found out I could bake the torch kinda got passed on to me instead of her daughter. I will try frezzing the pie crusts and the meringue pies. I should have thought about freezing the monkey bread. Thats a great idea. I am not going to do the cookies becasue I think my mil is making those.

 

[chicknwhisperer]

OKAY ,, if I make my pie dough and shape into a ball like I would before I roll it out. Can I just wrap that dough ball up and freeze it? Then when I am ready to make the pie I could set it out to thaw earlier in the morning or the night before? Just a thought I had in the middle of the night.

 

[enjoy the ride]

I have frozen already formed pie crusts with no problems but I think that there might be some problem with ingredients seperating some in a frozen ball which would then mean that the doe mighthave to be overworked after thawing. I have never done this so am not sure but you could certainly try it and let us know how it goes. I think that a ball of doe would take a long time to thaw and the outside might get softs and runny before the inside is workable too.
The nice thing about making shells is that they are sooooo convenient.

 

[punkin]

OKAY ,, if I make my pie dough and shape into a ball like I would before I roll it out. Can I just wrap that dough ball up and freeze it? Then when I am ready to make the pie I could set it out to thaw earlier in the morning or the night before? Just a thought I had in the middle of the night.

This is the way I freeze my pie dough: I will buy the alum. pie plates on sale. I go ahead and roll the dough out and put in the pie plate. I place freezer paper between pie plates and put into a 2 gallon freezer baggie. Then, when I am ready to use one, I just set it on the counter to let it thaw for a few minutes. That works well for me.

I have never frozen it in a ball, though.

 

[keljonma]

I use this recipe for pie crusts. Because you flatten the dough balls before freezing, rolling is pretty easy.

1 1/2 cups crisco or other vegetable shortening
3 cups all purpose flour
1 egg
5 Tablespoons very cold water
1 Tablespoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon salt

In a large bowl mix shortening and flour together with pastry cutter for about 3 or 4 minutes, until it resembles coarse meal.

In a small bowl, beat egg with a fork and pour it into the flour/shortening mixture. Add water, vinegar and salt. Gently stir together until all ingredients are well combined.

Separate the dough into thirds. Form 3 evenly sized balls of dough and place each into a large ziploc bag. Using a rolling pin, slightly flatten each ball of dough to about 1/2 inch thick. This will make rolling easier later. Seal the bags and place them in the freezer until you need them. If you want to use immediately, put it in the freezer for about 15 to 20 minutes to chill.

When you are ready to use the dough, remove from the freezer and allow to thaw for 15 minutes. On a floured surface, roll the dough, starting at the center and working your way out. If the dough is too moist, sprinkle a small bit of flour on top of it. If the dough sticks to the countertop use a metal spatula and carefully scrape it up, flip it over, and continue rolling until it is about 1/2 inch larger than your pie pan.

With the spatula, lift the dough carefully onto the pie pan. Gently press the dough against the corner of pan. Pinch and tuck the dough to make a clean edge.