Equipment
* optional
Ingredients
Shortcrust Pastry
- 350 g all-purpose flour
- 15 g granulated sugar
- 5 g fine sea salt
- 225 g unsalted butter, cubed and very cold
- 90 ml ice water
Peach Filling
- 1000 g yellow peaches, peeled, pitted, and sliced
- 100 g granulated sugar
- 50 g light brown sugar, packed
- 35 g cornstarch
- 15 ml lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- 2 g ground cinnamon
- 1 g ground nutmeg
- 1 g fine sea salt
- 15 g unsalted butter, cubed
Finishing
- 1 egg, beaten
- 15 ml milk
- 15 g turbinado sugar
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 538 kcal
- Protein
- 7 g
- Carbohydrates
- 72 g
- Fat
- 26 g
- Fiber
- 3 g
- Sugar
- 33 g
- Sodium
- 307 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 15 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 7 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 1 g
- Cholesterol
- 88 mg
- Potassium
- 319 mg
- Calcium
- 39 mg
- Iron
- 1.1 mg
- Magnesium
- 24 mg
- Phosphorus
- 97 mg
- Zinc
- 0.7 mg
- Vitamin A
- 237 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 9 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.1 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 1.7 mg
- Vitamin K
- 6 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.1 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.1 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.08 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.10 mg
- Niacin
- 1.6 mg
- Folate
- 21 mcg
- Water
- 139 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Combine the flour, granulated sugar, and salt for the pastry in a large bowl, whisking to distribute the dry ingredients evenly.
Add the cold cubed butter and cut it into the flour mixture using a pastry blender until it resembles coarse meal with distinct, pea-sized lumps of butter remaining.
Drizzle 60ml of ice water over the flour mixture and toss gently with a fork to hydrate; add the remaining water 15ml at a time just until the dough holds together when squeezed.
Divide the dough into two equal portions, shape each into a flat disk, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 60 minutes.
In a large bowl, toss the sliced peaches with the granulated sugar, brown sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt until the fruit is evenly coated.
Preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F and place a heavy baking sheet on the middle rack to heat up.
Roll out one chilled dough disk on a lightly floured surface to a 30cm circle, rotating the dough frequently to prevent sticking.
Carefully transfer the rolled dough into the 23cm pie dish, pressing it gently into the bottom and sides while allowing the excess dough to hang over the edges.
Pour the peach filling into the dough-lined dish, mounding the fruit slightly in the center, and scatter the 15g of cubed butter evenly over the top.
Roll out the second chilled dough disk to a 30cm circle and gently drape it over the peach filling.
Trim the overhanging edges of both crusts to 1cm, fold the top edge under the bottom edge, and crimp the perimeter firmly with your fingers or a fork to seal the pie.
Cut four to five small slits in the center of the top crust to provide ventilation for steam to escape during baking.
Whisk the egg and milk together to create an egg wash, brush it lightly and evenly over the entire top crust, and sprinkle with turbinado sugar.
Place the pie dish directly onto the preheated baking sheet in the oven and bake at 220°C/425°F for 20 minutes.
Reduce the oven temperature to 190°C/375°F and continue baking for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the crust is deep golden brown and the fruit juices are bubbling vigorously through the top vents.
Transfer the baked pie to a wire cooling rack and let it rest completely for at least 3 hours to allow the filling to set before slicing.
Chef's Notes
- Temperature control is paramount for the pastry. Keep the butter and water as cold as possible to ensure maximum flakiness. Visible, discrete pieces of butter in the raw dough will melt during baking, creating vital steam pockets.
- Preheating a baking sheet or pizza stone transfers immediate, intense heat to the bottom of the pie dish. This technique sets the bottom pastry quickly, creating a barrier against the wet filling and preventing a soggy bottom.
- Do not pull the pie from the oven until you see thick, syrupy bubbles erupting through the vent slits. Cornstarch requires a sustained boil in the center of the pie to reach its full thickening potential.
- If your peaches are exceptionally ripe and juicy, toss them with the sugars and let them macerate in a colander over a bowl for 30 minutes. Simmer the extracted juice in a small saucepan until reduced to a thick syrup, then fold it back into the peaches with the starch before filling.
Storage
Refrigerator: 4 days — Cover loosely with foil or plastic wrap once completely cooled.
Freezer: 3 months — Can be frozen baked or unbaked. Wrap tightly in multiple layers of plastic wrap and foil.
Reheating: Reheat individual slices in a 175 C oven for 10-15 minutes to restore crust crispness.
Troubleshooting
Runny or watery filling
Cause: Pie was underbaked and cornstarch did not reach boiling temperature, or peaches were exceptionally juicy.
Fix: Cannot be fully fixed once cooled, but slices can be served in bowls. Excess liquid can be drained, reduced on the stove, and poured back over individual portions.
Prevention: Ensure juices are visibly bubbling through the vents before removing from the oven. Macerate overly juicy peaches and reduce their liquid prior to assembling.
Soggy bottom crust
Cause: Insufficient heat reaching the bottom of the pie dish during the initial baking phase.
Fix: Cannot be fixed
Prevention: Always bake the pie on a preheated heavy baking sheet or pizza stone placed on the lower-middle oven rack.
Crust edges burning before the center finishes
Cause: Oven hot spots or prolonged baking time required for the filling to thicken.
Fix: Carefully trim away burnt edges before serving.
Prevention: Monitor the pie and wrap the outer fluted edges loosely with a ring of aluminum foil halfway through the baking time.
Cultural Context
The double-crust fruit pie is a cornerstone of American baking traditions, evolving from early European colonial adaptations of savory meat pies. Peaches, introduced to the Americas by Spanish monks in the 16th century, became a beloved filling particularly in the Southern and Mid-Atlantic regions where they flourish in the summer heat. Today, a fully enclosed or lattice-topped peach pie remains a definitive symbol of late summer harvests, county fairs, and communal family gatherings.
