Bake from frozen
Bake from frozen is the method of putting a fully assembled, frozen unbaked pie straight into a hot oven without thawing, so the pastry sets before the fat can melt out and the filling heats through as it bakes.
Freeze the pie unbaked on a tray until solid, then wrap it well; it will keep for around three months. Bake at the recipe's normal temperature, typically 200C (400F), adding roughly 15 to 25 minutes for small pies and up to 45 minutes for a large one, and check that the centre of the filling is piping hot before serving.
Thawing first is worse, not better: a defrosting pie sheds water into the pastry and gives a soggy base. Small formats such as hand pies take especially well to freezing, which is why a double batch is worth the effort.