This was my first pie made from scratch. It was delicious! I struggled a little with the lattice top (as you can see in the picture, it is not perfect), but of course that didn't affect the taste. It was an all day task because I did not make the crust ahead of time. If you want to make the dough ahead of time, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and it can be refrigerated for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 1 month. If frozen, you must let the dough thaw completely before you try to roll it out. You will need a food processor for best results to make the crust.
You may be surprised by one of the ingredients in the crust: vodka
I was too. I researched it and this was what I found.
"In a nutshell, the reason why vodka works in pie crust comes down to basic chemistry. Gluten (an elastic chain of proteins) is formed when water mixes with flour. To avoid a tough, undesirable texture caused by too much gluten, most pie crust recipes don't include a large amount of water. However, this often leads to a dry crust that's difficult to work with. By using vodka there is plenty of liquid and the final result has an ideal, flaky texture."
If you want more information on why vodka helps make the perfect crust, click here.
This pie serves about 8, depending on the size of the slices.
We will start with how to make the crust:
My pie recipe comes from The America's Test Kitchen Family Baking Book, but I have tweaked it just a little.
Ingredients for the crust:
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 sticks butter (12 Tbsp.) cut into tablespoons and chilled
1/2 cup vegetable shortening, but into pieces and chilled
1/4 cup vodka, chilled
1/4 cup ice water
1) In a food processor, process 1 1/2 cups of the flour, the sugar, and the salt together for about 30 seconds. Put the pieces of the butter and shortening over the top of the flour mixture and continue to process until the mixture begins to form uneven clumps and you do not see any floury bits.
2) Scrape down the bowl and sprinkle the rest of the flour (1 cup) over the dough and pulse the mixture until it has broken up into pieces. It only takes about 6-8 pulses.
3) Put the dough mixture into a medium sized bowl and pour in the vodka and water over the mixture. I used a rubber spatula to press and fold the dough until it begins to stick together.
4) Divide the dough into 2 even pieces and lay each piece on sheet of plastic wrap. Flatten each piece into a disk, about 5 inches in diameter. Wrap each piece tightly and refrigerate for 1 hour (if making this ahead of time, you can keep it in the fridge for up to 2 days). Before rolling out the dough, let it sit at room temperature for about 10 mins.
Now for the Filling:
Ingredients:
8-9 peaches, peeled, pitted, and sliced in 1/3 inch pieces
1 1/4 cup sugar, plus an extra Tbsp. for sprinkling over the pie.
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
Pinch of salt
1 egg white, lightly beaten (to brush over crust before baking)
1)Toss the peaches with the sugar in a large bowl and let sit, tossing occasionally, until the peaches release their juices (takes about 1 hour).
2) Flour your rolling surface liberally. Roll out one disk of dough into about a 12 inch circle. Place it into a 9 inch pie plate, letting the excess dough hang over the edges. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 mins.
2) Re-flour your surface, and roll out your other disk of dough into a 12 by 10 inch rectangle. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and place the rectangle of dough on the sheet. Slice it into about eight half-inch strips. Separate the strips a little, cover with plastic wrap and freeze until firm, about 30 mins.
3) While you are waiting, adjust the over rack to the lowest position and place a foiled like baking sheet on the lowest rack. Heat oven to 425 degrees.
4) Drain the peaches, reserving 1/4 cup of the juice. In a large bowl, toss the drained peaches, the reserved juice, cornstarch, lemon juice, and salt until combined.
5) Spread the peach mixture into the dough-lined pie pan and weave the strips over the dough to form a lattice top. Click here for a tutorial on how to create a lattice crust. Let the strips soften for 5-10 mins. and then trim, fold, and crimp the edges with a fork. Lightly brush the lattice top with the egg white and sprinkle with the 1 Tbsp of sugar.
6) Place the pie on the heated baking sheet and bake until the top crust is golden, about 25 mins. Reduce the heat to 375 degrees and rotate the baking pan. Continue to bake for 25-35 mins, until the crust is a deep golden brown. Let the pie cool down on a wire rack and sit for about 2 hours before serving (this allows the filling to set). Of course you can always serve it warmed up with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. Enjoy!
