Cinnamon Peach Pie
Thinking About Pie
I got a wild hair the other day and couldn't stop thinking about peach pies. You know when you're in your 20s and you have a favorite bar? It's the place you and your friends go, the drinks are always to your liking, and you're there like clockwork every time you go out? Well I've discovered in your 30s that bar is replaced with a new favorite - grocery stores. If you're like me you have a favorite grocery store or two. I just recently discovered I'd been settling for the one closest to my house when an even better one was two minutes farther away. I walked in (still with pie on my mind) and fell in LOVE. It's huge, bountiful, well-lit, and has a vast selection of produce, natural foods, and a kick ass staff who'll make sparkling conversation with you at the checkout. I'd take this over any bar anytime.
I know it's not peach season, but I couldn't help it when I saw the peaches were on sale. Glowing, red and yellow variegated colors pulled me toward them. I went straight home and began to bake.
I'd never made peach pie before, so of course I learned several things in the process:
Out of season peaches need a longer time to bake in order for them to soften.
The juices developing in this recipe will work against having a good bake on the bottom crust, so make sure you don't "scoop up" additional brown sugar and butter out of the bowl they were mixed in.
More. Cinnamon. Maybe ginger as well?
Letting the dough rest fully makes for an easier dough to roll out later. When it says "several hours or overnight", it's not an option.
Braided crusts are beautiful. Period.
I'll make this beauty again when they're more in season - I can only imagine how magical they'll taste in late summer. Until then I'll be back at work on my house projects.
Early Spring Cinnamon Peach Pie
adapted from Style Sweet Ca
For the dough:
2 2/3 cup AP flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 cup + 2 tablespoons very cold butter, cubed (I put mine in a bowl in the freezer for a few minutes)
½ cup cold tap water
¼ cup ice cubes (not crushed)
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar (white vinegar could work as well)
For the egg wash:
1 egg, lightly whisked
splash milk (whole is best, but use what you have)
raw sugar, for sprinkling
For the filling:
2 ½ pounds fresh peaches (make sure they aren't hard)
2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
2/3 cups granulated sugar
¼ cup brown sugar, packed
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon each ground cinnamon and ground ginger
½ teaspoon salt
To make the crust, whisk together in a large bowl the flour, salt, and sugar. Add in all of the chilled butter and blend it into the flour with a pastry blender or your finger tips. You want to work it into the butter until the flour and butter form pea-sized bits.
Add the ice to the water to chill it. Add the apple cider vinegar to the dough. Working two tablespoons at a time, add in between 6-8 tablespoons total of ice water. Stir in between each addition with a wooden spoon until the dough is quite shaggy and holds its form when pressed together with your fingers. Try not to overwork the dough!
Turn out the dough onto a wooden cutting board and divide in half. Pat each half into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for several hours, or overnight if you can. Resting the dough while chilling it will make for a more flaky crust later on.
Once the chilled dough is ready, bring out one of the discs and let it rest on the counter for ten minutes. Liberally flour a large work surface and roll out the dough until it is between 12-13 inches of a circle in diameter. It should also only be about ¼ inch thick.
Gently roll the dough around the rolling pin and unroll it over a 9 inch pie pan. Using your fingers, gingerly press the dough to fit the inside of the pan and up the sides, allowing for an overhang of an inch all the way around. Trim away any excess of this overhang. Put the pie pan in the fridge to chill.
Repeat the same step for resting the second disc of dough for ten minutes and roll out. This time, you'll cut it into 15 strips at ½ inch wide. Braid each set of three strips and place on a cookie sheet and put back in the fridge to chill. Meanwhile, make the peach filling.
Pit and slice each peach into ½ inch wedges. Add the lemon juice to the slices and toss.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the sugars, cornstarch, spices, and salt. Add to the peaches and toss by hand to coat, taking care not to bruise the peach slices.
Take out both the pie plate and the braids from the fridge. Add the peaches to the pie plate, ensuring you are not adding the additional liquid at the bottom of the bowl (as this will make for a very soggy pie). Place the braided strips on top. Then take the one inch overhang and fold over, towards the center of the pie, and pleat to create a boarder around the edge. Place back in the fridge for 15 minutes.
While the pie chills, place the oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 400℉. Have a cookie sheet at the ready.
Meanwhile, make the egg wash by whisking together the egg and milk.
Once the oven has preheated, remove the pie from the fridge.
Brush the egg wash over the pie and sprinkle with the raw sugar. Place the pie on the cookie sheet and bake for 40-50 minutes. The top should be golden all over and shiny. Should the top become too brown, cover with foil while it continues to bake.
Let the pie come to room temperature before slicing and serving. Enjoy!
