Peach Pie
Fresh peaches make a perfect summer pie. You can peel the peaches as they are, or blanch them in hot water for 30 to 40 seconds, then put them in a bowl of cold water to cool before peeling. Although I often use a lattice-top on my pie, you could also finish your pie by cutting decorative slits in the top crust, or adding cut-out decorations such as flowers or leaves from any pie dough you trim away from the pan.
Ingredients:
- 1 batch butter crust pie dough* (see recipe below)
- 5 to 6 cups peeled and sliced fresh peaches
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar, or as desired
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, nutmeg, or cardamom, optional
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract, optional
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch, potato starch, or flour
- 3 tablespoons butter
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.2. Roll out the pie dough and place the bottom crust in the pie pan.
2. In a large bowl, toss the peaches with the lemon juice and sugars. Add the spices and vanilla, as desired. Add the thickener of your choice and stir to coat the peaches. Pour the peaches into the pie crust. Dot with butter.
3. Add the top crust and make several small slits for the steam to escape.
4. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbling.
*All-Butter Pie Crust: this recipe makes two 9-inch pie crusts
Ingredients:
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 cup (2 sticks) very cold butter, cubed or cut into small pieces
- 6 to 8 tablespoons ice cold water
- Egg wash (optional– 1 egg whisked with 1 tablespoon water or milk)
1. In a large bowl or mixer, combine the flour, salt, and sugar. Add the butter pieces and cut them into the flour mixture, working until big, coarse crumbs form. Add ice cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and mix in until the dough holds together.
2. Divide the dough into 2 mounds. Wrap each mound in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 45 minutes to overnight. Let the dough stand for at least 15 minutes before rolling it out.
3. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface or between 2 pieces of parchment or wax paper, then place the rolled-out dough in the pie pan and press into place.
4. For pies with tops, brush a little water on the edges of the bottom crust before adding the top crust and crimp the edges of the top and bottom crusts together with your fingers to seal them all around the pie. You can use your fingers, thumb, fork, or the back of a teaspoon to add a design along the ridges. Also, gently lift the edges from the pan a bit (this will help make it easier to cut and serve slices of the baked pie later on). Make little slits in the top crust to allow steam to escape. If desired, you can add some extra decoration to the top crust using little pieces of scrap dough cut out in shapes such as flowers or leaves. Brush the top crust with an egg wash, place on the decorative bits, and sprinkle with sanding sugar (or caster sugar) for a sparkly top.
Tips for Butter Crust Pie Dough: Make sure the ingredients are very cold, and make sure not to overwork the dough—that’s really the key. I recommend sticking all your ingredients in the freezer or refrigerator for an hour or so to get everything really cold. You may even want to put whatever tool you’ll be using to cut in the butter- this will keep the butter from melting prematurely and turning your crust into an oily mess.