Peach Pie Made with Fresh Peaches
For me, pie is usually a fall dessert. During the summer, I usually prefer to make crumbles and cobblers. Maybe it’s because crumbles and cobblers tend to require less fuss, and when it’s warm out, the less fuss required, the better.
But one summer pie I always make my way back to is peach pie. I grew up enjoying peach pie made with fresh summer peaches, and it’s a tradition I find myself keeping up with year after year.
Peaches are so incredibly delicious on their own, but toss them with some spices and envelope them in golden pastry, and you’ve got yourself one irresistible dessert.
When I look for peaches to make peach pie with, I look for firm peaches that are slightly tender with the press of a finger. They shouldn’t be hard like an apple, but they should be firm enough to withstand becoming indented and mushy while you work with them.
Fresh peaches need to be peeled and sliced for peach pie, and I find that the easiest way to removing their skin is to use a vegetable peeler, or you can poach the peaches.
To poach them, you’ll simply boil them for a couple of minutes before transferring them to an ice bath. The skins will peel right off once they’re treated like this.
Another focus of mine when I’m making peach pie is to add enough sugar. You’d think that because peaches tend to be sweet on their own, the sweetness of a peach pie wouldn’t be an issue.
However, after one too many peach pie recipes that were lacking in sweetness, I’ve come to find that the “sweet” spot (pun intended) is about 1 cup of sugar. This is, of course, to everyone’s personal taste, but because my pie crust isn’t particularly sweet, I prefer my pie fillings to make up for it.
With a sprinkle of cinnamon and nutmeg, there’s not much else this peach pie needs except a scoop of freshly whipped cream or two.
Peach Pie
A classic summer pie made with a fresh peach filling.
Ingredients
for the pie crust
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 cup unsalted butter, (2 sticks) cold and cubed, plus more for greasing pie pan
- ice cold water
for the filling
- 4 large peaches, (5 cups) of peach slices, skin and cores removed
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 egg white
- turbinado sugar, or large sugar granules for sprinkling on top
Instructions
To create the pie crust
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, or a food processor, add the flour, salt, and granulated sugar. Give this mixture a blend to combine all the dry ingredients. Gradually add in the cubed butter and mix until a course mixture results, with clumps no bigger than the size of a pea.
- Stream in ice cold water, one teaspoon at a time, until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and comes together.
- Roll out two sheets of plastic wrap, and turn out a little more than 1/2 the dough onto one sheet, and the remaining dough onto the other sheet. Use your hands to clump the dough halves into compact masses, then wrap them in their plastic wrap. Press down on the dough halves to make flat disc shapes. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
To create the filling
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Slightly melt 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter to grease a 9-inch pie pan with. Use a pastry brush to grease the pan with the butter. Temporarily set aside.
- Slice the peaches in 1/2 inch wedges, then transfer the peach slices to a large bowl. Add the sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Toss the peaches until they're coated in this mixture. Then let the filling rest in the bowl while you prepare the crust.
To assemble
- Flour your work surface well. Roll out the larger disc of dough into an even 1/8" thick circle. If the dough is too cold to easily roll out, let it rest at room temperature for 5 minutes before attempting to roll it out. Gently lift the pie dough and transfer it to your prepared pie pan.
- Place the pan in the fridge. Now, take out your second disc of dough, and roll it out into a 1/8" thick circle. Use a pizza cutter to cut out strips to layer on top of the filling. Alternatively, you can just leave it as one solid circle of pie dough.
- Bring the pie pan back to your counter, and fill the pie shell with peach filling. Spread out the filling so that it's evenly distributed in the pie shell. Layer the pie crust strips in a lattice design, or place the entire pie crust circle on top. If you're not doing a lattice design, use a sharp knife to slash some vents in the pie crust.
- Brush the pie crust with the egg white, then bake on the lower rack of the oven for 40 minutes. If it's not golden on top yet, move the pie up to the middle rack, and continue to bake for another 10 to 15 minutes, until it is.
- Cool the pie for several hours, or overnight if possible. Peach pie takes quite a bit of time to truly set so that you can get neat slices. Enjoy with a side of whipped cream or ice cream.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 12 ServingsAmount Per Serving: Calories: 238
I just made this with local tree ripe peaches I got at Farmer’s Market today. I’ve been getting peaches every week and starting to get tired of them, so I thought I’d get them one more time and have my last hurrah with a pie.
Ugh, I remembered why I haven’t made pie crust in ages. Don’t have the knack. It’s not pretty, but it smells good! Cant wait to eat. Thanks for recipe. Followed it exactly and I think it’s a winner.
Thanks Diana! This pie smells heavenly as it bakes – hope you enjoy! <3 P.S. Don't give up - pie crust will become easier and easier the more you try! 🙂
Didn’t win any beauty contests, but It was delicious. I let it sit overnight like you said. Heated slices in microwave, served with some vanilla ice cream and it got rave reviews. Thank you!
Yay so happy you enjoyed this, Diana! I need to make some asap because I have a ton of peaches that need to be eaten!
Has anyone actually made this pie? The reviews comment on how wonderful it looks, and it does look wonderful, but can anyone review the actual pie itself?
Thanks!
i just finished making this peach pie, but I’m freezing it till later, will let you know the outcome:)