There's nothing like fresh peaches in summertime, but the peach pie recipe below is so good, you can make it all year long ... with frozen fruit! Since frozen peaches are picked and preserved at the peak of perfection, most of the year they're a far better choice than the fresh but ho-hum varieties you'll find in the supermarket. With a touch of lemon juice for brightness, they'll taste just as delicious as a summer peach right off the tree.
Some people get nervous about making pie dough from scratch, but this recipe couldn't be simpler. The secret is twofold: not overworking the dough and starting from super-cold ingredients, which is how to achieve an ultra-flaky crust. Consider adding ice cubes to the water before beginning this recipe, so it's as cold as possible when you add it to the flour and butter. The results will be well worth it!
Old-fashioned peach pie
6
1 hour 30 minutes
1 hour
2 hours 30 minutes
2 ½ cups flour
12 tablespoons cold butter, cold, cut into ½-inch cubes
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg yolk, beaten
½ cup cold water
6 cups peach slices, peeled fresh or frozen and thawed
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 cup sugar
¼ cup flour
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon almond extract
Pinch ground nutmeg
1 egg, beaten
Coarse sanding sugar
Make the pie dough. Combine the flour, butter and salt by pulsing in a food processor until the mixture has a sandy texture. Add the egg yolk and pulse to combine, then drizzle in the water, bit by bit, pulsing until the dough just holds together. You may not need to use all the water.
Turn the dough out on a work surface and divide in half. Gather into two balls, flatten out slightly into discs, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 400 F. In a bowl combine the peaches, lemon juice, sugar and flour. Season with the spices and almond extract, and set aside.
Roll out the pastry disks. Place one in a greased 9-inch pie plate and fill with the peach filling. Top with the second round of pastry, and crimp the edges together. Brush with the beaten egg and sprinkle with the sanding sugar. Cut a few slits in the middle of the top crust to allow the steam to escape.
Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 375 F and bake for 1 hour, until golden brown.