gingerbread peach pie

recently, i’ve been having stirrings of a desire for fall to come around more quickly! this might be taylor swift’s fault! her new album, imho, is faultless. it’s storytelling in one of the most hauntingly beautiful ways and i can’t stop listening! the cozy vibes are so real and although the sun outside is beating on the grass and tomato plants at a harsh 98F, i’m inside wrapped in my favorite mustard jewel colored throw blanket! i’m dreaming of farmer’s markets in october, apple picking, and pumpkins everywhere!

before i fall any further into the rabbit hole of my autumn dreams, let’s talk about summer. summer still remains one of my favorite seasons. not only is it all beaches and flip flops, ice cream and long sweet nights, it’s also home to the best fruit EVER! from the juicy tangy berries to all the ripe and beautiful stone fruit! peach pies are to summer as apple pies are to fall.

so i’ve decided to combine the best of both worlds! this pie is filled with juicy ripe peaches encased in a flaky and tender crust that is filled with all the warm spices– gingerbread spices!!!

PIE DOUGH.

in case you’re kinda new around here, let’s talk about pie dough. my personal favorite is an extremely simple all-butter pie dough that only requires a few ingredients. if you follow my instructions exactly, you’ll end up with crazyyyy tender and FLAKYFLAKYFLAKY pie crust! it’s sooo easy and you’ll be obsessed!

things to keep in mind as we move on:

keep everything extremely cold. i keep my water in the freezer as i’m working on the butter.
no need for fancy equipment- i only use my hands!
DO NOT over knead!
add only a bit of water at a time.
ideally, make your dough the night before you use it.
make sure you have room in the fridge to chill rolled out dough!

make ahead: 
you can make the dough up to 2 days before you use it.
filling can be prepared up to 3 days before you use it, stored in the fridge.

INGREDIENTS:
makes 1 9-inch pie

for pie dough
2 1/2 (315g) all purpose flour
3 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground all spice
1 tb granulated sugar
pinch salt
1 c (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold, cubed
8 tbs ice water (about 1/2 c)

for filling
7-8 ripe peaches, peeled, sliced
2 tb lemon juice
zest of one lemon
2/3 c granulated sugar
1/3 c brown sugar
2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 c cornstarch

for egg wash
1 egg
1 tb milk or water
raw turbinado sugar for topping (oprtional)

DIRECTIONS:

make the pie dough. i usually make this a day before i need it.
in a large bowl, combine flour, spices, salt, and very cold butter, lightly toss everything around with your hands to coat the butter with flour. then, start flattening and breaking up the pieces of butter in your hands, between your thumbs and forefingers. you want to end up with some bigger flat pieces of butter, and other smaller varied pea sized pieces. work quickly because you want everything to stay cold. the mixture should resemble course meal.

add the ice water a couple tablespoons at a time. toss around lightly with a spoon to hydrate the flour and fully combine. dough should hold together when squeezed but not be overly wet or sticky. you can knead the dough to bring everything together but DO NOT over-knead it or your crust will be tough. knead about 5 times max. alternatively, you can use a bench scraper to fold and lightly knead the dough into itself. form one big clump of dough, divide into two equal pieces. form a 1 inch flat disc with each piece and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. store in the fridge right away for at least 1 hour, or preferably overnight.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

flour work surface and rolling pin. take one disc of dough out of the fridge. dust a little flour on top of the disc and start gently flattening it into a circle with the rolling pin, picking the dough up and turning (rotate) it on the surface every couple rolls. when disc is slightly flattened, start gently rolling out roughly into a 12 inch circle that is about 1/8-1/4 inch thick. gently place onto a pie plate, lightly pressing it to take the shape of the plate. place into fridge to chill.

Roll out the second disc of dough in the same fashion. You can design the top dough however you want—with a pie top cutter, lattice design, or simply cutting slits in it. to make a braid lattice design like my pie, cut the dough into 24 half-inch strips. braid a simple 3 strand braid with each “strand” consisting of 2 strands. repeat this until you’ve used up all your strips. (watch my instagram highlights for a visual). Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and chill in fridge.

prepare filling
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine filling ingredients and mix verrrry well. Pour the filling into the prepped pie dough. Place top pie dough on. If topping with braids, lay each braid on top in the same direction. Trim the edges so about ½ inch hangs over the pie plate. fold the edges over or under and crimp to seal.

Mix the egg and milk together in a small bowl. Brush egg wash over the top pie crust and sprinkle with turbinado sugar.

Place entire pie plate on top of a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Without opening the oven door, lower the temperature to 350 degrees F and bake for another 35-45 minutes, or until crust is at desired golden brown color and peach juices are bubbling.

Let cool completely before slicing and enjoying!

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