Pastry

Short pastry and flaky pastry freeze equally well either cooked or uncooked but a standard balanced recipe should be used for best results. Pastry can be stored unbaked or baked; baked pastry keeps longer (baked: 6 months; unbaked: 4 months), but unbaked pastry has a better flavour and scent, and is crisper and flakier.

Pastry can be rolled, formed into a square, wrapped in greaseproof paper, then in foil or polythene for freezing.

Flan cases, patty cases and vol-au-vent cases are all useful to keep ready-baked. For storage, it is best to keep them in the cases in which they are baked or in foil cases. Baked cases should be thawed in their wrappings at room temperature before filling. They can be heated in a low oven if a hot filling is to be used.