My workaround is using a template I create myself. If you know ahead of time some of the defaults you'd like to use, set up a new document and set your preferences (font, size, page layout, size, etc.) > choose File > Save as Template > select Add to Template Chooser > name it > and you're done.
When opening up Pages, select your template in the chooser. You can either select My Templates on the left sidebar or scroll to the bottom to find your template(s.)