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Peach Pie

Equipment

  • 9-inch Pyrex pie pan
  • Pizza stone (optional)

Ingredients

  • 1 recipe Pie Crust for Two-Crust Pie
  • 6-8 medium ripe peaches, peeled, pitted, and sliced into 12ths (approx. 6 cups or 2+ pounds)
  • ½ lemon, zested and juiced
  • ½ cup + 1 tbps granulated sugar (4 ounces)
  • 1 pinch fine salt
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • ½ teaspoon almond extract

Instructions

Prepare bottom crust

  • Mix together egg white and ½ tsp water.
  • On pastry cloth, roll larger piece of dough until approx. 12 inches in diameter.
  • Place rolled dough in pie pan.
  • Brush dough in pan with egg white and water mixture.
  • Place dough in refrigerator.

Prepare filling

  • In large mixing bowl, combine sliced peaches, lemon zest and juice, sugar, and salt.
  • Transfer peaches and juices to colander placed in a large bowl to capture juices.
  • Once the mixture has stopped releasing juices, approx. 10 minutes, there should be up to 1 cup of juice.
  • Place juice in small saucepan.
  • Boil juice over medium-high heat until liquid is syrupy and lightly carmelized. About ⅓ of the original amount should remain.
  • Meanwhile, transfer peaches to mixing bowl, add cornstarch and almond extract, and stir until all traces of cornstarch have disappeared.
  • Pour syrup over peaches and combine gently. If any liquid hardens, it will dissolve during baking.

Prepare top crust

  • Preheat oven to 425° F.
  • If using pizza stone, place in oven on middle or lower rack.
  • On pastry cloth, roll out remaining piece of crust to a circle approx. 12 inches in diameter.

Fill pie and put on top crust

  • Fill bottom crust with peach mixture.
  • Place top crust on pie.
  • Using scissors, trim pie dough, so there is ½ to ¾ inches extend past the edge of the pie pan.
  • Fold the crust under, so that the folded-together crusts extend only to the edge of the pie pan.
  • Press the flat of your thumb down on the crust, above the edge of the pie pan, leaving a depression from your thumb.
  • Continue pressing in your thumb around the entire perimeter of pie, leaving a gap between thumb prints of approx. 1/4 inch.

Apply wash

  • Mix together egg yolk and cream, ½ & ½, or milk.
  • Brush mixture over top crust.

Bake pie

  • Place pie on 12-inch pizza pan or similar, to catch drips.
  • Place pie and pan in oven, on pizza stone.
  • After approx. ½ hour, cover loosely with aluminum foil to prevent crust from burning.
  • Bake for approx. 1 hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 20 minutes, until juices inside are thick.
  • Cool on rack at least 3 hours before cutting.

Notes

Adapted from Rose Levy Beranbaum’s The Pie & Pastry Bible.