Peach Pie

Spread the love

In planning our Easter desserts, I was really craving peach pie, so I went ahead and bought frozen since fresh peaches are not in season yet. It still was really good.

Peach pie was always a staple in our household. My mother’s side of the family is from the South and my grandmother was the Queen of peach pie and cobbler.

Most Southern Soul Food Restaurants have a peach pie or cobbler on their menu. Some use canned peaches as a substitute for fresh. Though I love canned peaches to eat peaches, it’s not my favorite choice to use in baking. If you do not have fresh peaches or they’re not in season, my first choice is to use frozen peaches. They are basically fresh peaches which have been cut up and frozen. And are really good.

Usually, when using frozen fruit in pies, you place the fruit into the crust frozen without defrosting first. But for this pie, I decided to thaw the fruit so that the filling would lay flat because I was using decorative pie dough pieces. You want the braids and strips to lay flat on top of the pie.

To make the pie, start with making the dough and the dough designs.

Roll out the dough and use a ruler to get straight lines. Take a dough cutter or pizza wheel cutter to cut against the ruler, about 1/4-1/2 inch dough strips, until you have 18 strips.

Take 3 strips, pinch the ends together, and braid the 3 strips together. Repeat with the remaining strips until you have 6 braids.

Roll out more dough. Use the ruler and pastry cutter to cut out 12 1/2 inch strips. Place the strips and braids on a parchment lined baking pan until ready to use.

For the roses, use the remaining of the rolled dough to cut 1-1/2 inch circles with a round cookie cutter. Cut as many as you like. It depends on how many roses you want. Place one circle down. Use a pastry brush to brush water on one edge of the circle. Place another circle down on the edge of the first. Repeat until you have 5 circles connected together. Roll up the circles. Cut them in half in the center. This will give you 2 roses. Fan out the petals a little. Repeat until you have as many roses as you like.

After you roll out pie dough and add the filling, use the braids and strips to make a lattice design. Place one braid in the middle of the pie pan. Add a strip on either side of the braid, so They is a strip-braid-strip. Repeat 2 more times on either side of this combo. Continue this pattern on top of the first in the opposite direction so that you can weave them all together.

Use pastry scissors to cut the excess dough around the pie. Fold the dough from the bottom pie that’s hanging off over the ends of the strips and broads and press together sealing the pie. Shape into a ruffle if you like.

I have a tutorial of this whole pie crust design in my Instagram Highlights under Peach Pie.

Recipe

Pie Dough:

• 3 1/4 cups flour

• 1 1/2 tsp salt

• 2 1/4 sticks butter, cubed and frozen

• 3/4 cup vegetable shortening

• 9-11 tbsp ice water

Filling:

2 bags frozen peaches, thawed

3/4 cup sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

1 tbsp flour

2 tbsp butter

Instructions:

Combine flour, butter, shortening, salt in a food processor. Pour in water until dough comes together. Take 1/3 of the dough, shape into a disk, wrap it in plastic wrap and place into the refrigerator until ready to use.

Use the remaining dough to make the braids, strips and roses.

Mix all of the ingredients for the pie filling in a bowl. Roll out the refrigerated pie dough and place it into a pie pan. Put the peach filling into the pan.

Use the braids and strips and make them into a lattice design. Top with pie dough roses. Brush with egg wash and bake in a 350 degree oven for an hour or until Crust is browned. Cool on a wire rack.