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How to Make Peach Pie

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  My easy recipe for how to make Peach Pie won me the Blue Ribbon TWO TIMES at my friend Billy’s birthday parties. One of those parties featured an Andy Griffith themed/Aint Bea’s Pie Contest. All Billy’s guests enjoyed that pie contest so much, that he ran ANOTHER pie contest, the following year. My peach pie won again.

How to Make Peach Pie

The Full Peach Pie Monty.

 

The next year, I entered it at the Tennessee State Fair, where it won 2nd place. The judge told me it almost won first, but when I tasted what was left in my pie dish, after the judges had finished with it, I knew why it hadn’t won. The bottom crust was soggy! ~cue dramatic music~  dunh, dunh, dunh DUUUUNH! “But, WHY WAS THE BOTTOM CRUST SOGGY FOR THE TENNESSEE STATE FAIR???”, you might well ask?  It was due to the fact that I became fearful that once I’d turned my pie in,  I might lose my glass pie dish. Instead of leaving my precious Pyrex pie dish there, at the state fair, with my pie in it,  I decided to use a smaller sized tin foil disposable pan! 

Does it Matter What Kind of Pie Dish I Use?

If you read the previous paragraph, now you know. Not all pie dishes will brown your crust equally well!!! I think glass Pyrex pie dishes do better than any other kind I’ve tried: better than ceramic, and even better than cast iron.

The Recipe for How to Make Fabulous Fresh Peach Pie: easy, and a classic summer dessert.

See how the pelican doth run? We couldn’t wait to cut it! If you wait a bit, the filling will be less runny.

How Do I Pick the Best Peaches?

The most important thing to do when picking out your peaches is to smell them. They should be quite fragrant. In other words, they should smell very peachy. And in regard to how they feel, there should be a very gentle give to your thumb. They should NOT be hard as a rock, nor squishy. If they appear to be a day or two underripe, you can put them in a brown paper bag, but KEEP AN EYE ON THEM. They can go to moldy squishiness faster than you can say avocado, if you follow my drift. (Two fruits one must always keep an eye on, in regard to ripening speed: the peach, and the avocado.) 

Why Do You Call Peach Pie, “Peach Pelican”?

We call this Fabulous, Fresh Peach Pie “Pelican”, or “Peach Pelican”, at our house. The origin of that term is lost in the mystery of our family lore. Translation: no one remembers how in the WORLD that name evolved. But, my husband sings a little song about it,  to the tune of La Cucaracha: “A Peach-a Pel-i-can, A Peach-a Pelican, la la la la la la la, A Peach-a Pelican, A Peach-a Pelican, la la la la la la la”. This is our celebratory pie song, or the song sung to prompt Mommy to get busy and make the pelican. And now, if you’re truly odd, it can be yours.

Where Did You Get this Recipe for Fabulous Fresh Peach Pie?

 I got the easy recipe from the Southern Living Cookbook, my old standby for certain recipes, which apparently, has really gone up in value, after checking the Amazon link! It’s been a faithful friend throughout my marriage, and I really, really recommend it. (But you might want to look up the recipe under Pie. Rather than Pelican. I’m not really sure our moniker has caught on nationwide, yet.)
 

The Changes I Made to the Original Recipe:

 
I did change two ingredients from the original recipe. I have found that already ground nutmeg in cans or jars at the store can taste similar to cigarette ashes, so I insist on grating my own, fresh, and you should, too. You can buy whole nutmeg at most grocery stores now, and definitely at health food stores. I use my Microplane grater/zester to grate mine, (there’s a link to one in my recommended products, just below the recipe card) and I love, love, love my Microplane grater. 
 
I also reduced the amount of sugar called for from 1 1/3c. to about 2/3 c. sugar.  Their version was almost overpoweringly sweet. But you should always taste your peaches, and vary your amount according to how sweet they are. If your peaches are less ripe, you may want to add more sugar.
The Recipe for How to Make Fabulous Fresh Peach Pie: easy, and a classic summer dessert.

Please, pin this on Pinterest so you can make one this summer!

 

The Recipe for How to Make Fabulous Fresh Peach Pie 

Yield: 8 servings

How to Make Fabulous Fresh Peach Pie

How to Make Peach Pie

Fabulous Fresh Peach Pie. The pie that won the Pie Contest. Three times.

Ingredients

  • For the Double Crust pastry:
  • 2 c. all purpose flour
  • 1 t. salt
  • 2/3 c. plus 2 T. shortening (I use those sticks from Crisco - no mess measuring!)
  • 4 to 5 T. cold water
  • (I use ICE water - and sometimes I only need 3 T. water, especially if it's humid.)
  • For the Pie:
  • 6 cups peeled, sliced fresh peaches
  • 2/3 cup sugar (adjust to sweetness of your peaches) 
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 1/2 t. freshly grated nutmeg
  • 3/4 t. vanilla extract
  • 3 T. butter

Instructions

For the Double Crust Pastry:

Combine flour and salt; cut in shortening with pastry blender (use two forks if you don't have a pastry blender) until mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle cold water (1 T. at a time) evenly over surface; stir with a fork until dry ingredients are moistened. Shape into two discs and wrap each in plastic wrap. Chill for at least 1 hour.

For the Pie Filling:

Combine peaches, sugar, flour, and nutmeg in a saucepan; set aside until syrup forms. Bring mixture to a boil; reduce heat to low, and cook 10 minutes or until peaches are tender, stirring often. Remove from heat; add vanilla, and butter, blending well.

To Assemble the Pie:

Roll out pastry to 1/8" thickness on a lightly floured surface. Place pastry in a 9" pie plate; trim off excess pastry along edges Spoon peach filling into pastry shell. Roll remaining pastry to 1/8" thickness. Transfer to top of pie. Trim off excess pastry along edges. Fold edges under and flute. Cut slits in top of crust for steam to escape. Brush top of pastry with about 1t. of half and half, and sprinkle with about 1t. of sugar. Bate at 425º for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350º, and bake an additional 30 minutes, or until crust is browned.

Adapted from The Southern Living Cookbook

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If you loved this post, pin it on Pinterest! Could I interest you in another type of pie? How about my Fluffiest Pumpkin Pie?   Or perhaps a slice of Old Fashioned Pecan Pie? Or maybe some Springtime Fresh Strawberry Pie?

Me, Oh My: I Love Pie

For all the pies I've loved before....

Susan

Saturday 11th of July 2020

I am sorry but your crust has too much shortening. It tore to pieces when trying to transfer it to the pie plate. I'll stick to my good old recipe.

Susan Williams

Sunday 12th of July 2020

Dear Susan,

I'm so sorry it didn't work out for you, and that you had a bad experience! I hope you followed each of my tips. I know for a fact that it does work, as it's the recipe I've been using for 32 years, so here are the variables that might have caused your bad experience. 1. Did you weigh the flour? If your cups of flour were lighter than 120 grams, than that could cause your issue. 2. Did you carefully measure the shortening? If your fat was precisely half of the flour, then your ratio is correct. Again, I weigh my shortening after I've cut and measured my shortening sticks, and by this time, I've made so many pies in my life that when I weigh my shortening after I've cut it, my measurements are dead on. 3. Did you use ice-cold water? That will keep your fat from melting prematurely. 4. Did you chill your dough long enough (at least one hour) in the fridge before attempting to roll it out? Pastry that is cold is much easier to roll and manage. 4. Did you roll your dough too thin? That's another variable that might cause your pastry to tear. 5. Did you follow my tips for rolling the dough out between the waxed paper and the plastic wrap? When I roll the dough up around the rolling pin, with the plastic wrap still in place, that plastic wrap protects it, and it rarely ever tears. Finally, I'm going to link you to a post that I wrote that specifically outlines all these procedures: https://www.thatsusanwilliams.com/2020/03/how-to-make-a-flaky-homemade-pie-crust/

Wishing you the best!

Susan

Amy

Monday 25th of November 2019

Do you spray or grease the pie plate? I’ve never tried homemade crust.

Susan Williams

Tuesday 26th of November 2019

No. There’s plenty of fat in the pastry.

tamwarner

Tuesday 25th of July 2017

I can't cook, but peach is my favorite, and looking at the photos makes me happy!

Cathy Lawdanski

Monday 24th of July 2017

Beautiful and delicious! I enjoyed peach cobbler yesterday at a family gathering! Time for a pie.And I'm a firm believer in the Pyrex PIe Pan!

Susan Williams

Tuesday 25th of July 2017

I should have mentioned, in the post, that there is scientific evidence that supports our preference! Cook's Illustrated did an equipment review on best pie plate dishes, and their results were that Pyrex was the best, too!

Ellen Dolgen

Monday 24th of July 2017

Good to know about the tin pan vs the glass. I often use tin.........now I know why my pie crust isn't as good. This sounds just yummy. I love it that you reduced the amount of sugar, as I am not a big fan when a pie is overly sweet. Thanks for the great recipe. The peaches are fantastic in San Diego this time of year.

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