How long can a par-baked pie crust hold?

[hatdance]

Hi there,

I run a bed and breakfast, and like to serve quiche quite often. I have a great crust recipe (from Cooks Illustrated, which uses vodka in lieu of some of the water, to avoid over-activating the gluten - I was skeptical at first, but it really does work well).

Anyhow, I roll out the crust, put it in the tart pan, wrap in saran, and store in the fridge, all the night before. However, in the morning, I find the crust needs a good 30-40 minutes of baking (pie weights in place) before it starts to be done enough, and then needs to cool slightly, before adding the quiche filling.

My question: could I go the next step and par-bake the crust the night before, allow to cool, store in an air-tight container, and the proceed the next morning? My thinking is that it will re-crisp when baked with the filling. I guess I could test it myself, but thought some of the experts here might be able to help.

Any suggestions? I know it might not seem like much, but saving an additional 30 minutes in the morning would be very helpful.

Thanks!

[HungryC]

I'd think a hold of less than a day would be fine. Moisture is the key culprit in piecrust staling, so you might consider par-baking, wrapping well, and then freezing the baked pie shells. The next day (or whenever they're used), they'll defrost beneath the quiche filling as it cooks.

[Lisa Shock]

Agree with HungryC, less than a day is fine, longer than that, or for insurance, I'd freeze. If you have freezer space, I'd par-bake a lot of them, double wrap in plastic and stack them, thus saving a lot of time.

BTW, you don't need to hold in an airtight container. It's probably better if you don't. Just make sure they are protected from dust. In a larger bakery, I'd put them on sheet pans on a speed rack and then put one of those large plastic bags over the whole speed rack. Point is, you don't want to hold in much/any moisture, you just want to keep airborne contaminents off.

[Lisa Shock]

Oh, I had one more thought, if you really want to save time, why don't you occasionally make a frittata instead? They are lower calorie and can satisfy the no-gluten crowd. And, just like quiche they can be a way to serve small amounts of scrap vegetables or meats, or leftovers.

[hatdance]

Thanks everyone. I've done the par-baking the night before twice now. Works great! Bake off as usual, cool completely, wrap in foil, hold in a cool place in the kitchen (around 70 degrees). Fill and bake the next morning, with no detectable difference.

Re frittata... yes, I frequently do those too, but need a quiche in the rotation as some guests stay for up to a week, and I don't want "what, frittata again?" faces at the breakfast table.