Homemade Deep-Dish Peach Pie
Submitted by Jack39
Deep-dish peach pie with a tangy cream cheese pastry top draped over six cups of fresh peaches, brown sugar, and nutmeg. The cream cheese makes the crust shatteringly tender and golden under the egg wash and sugar.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
50 minCOOK
40 minREADY
90 minMost peach pie lives or dies by the crust, and this one wins by sneaking cream cheese into the pastry. The fat content gives a tender, almost flaky-shortbread bite, and a faint tang that cuts through the syrupy sweetness of ripe peaches.
This is a deep-dish, single-crust style. No bottom crust to fight with sogginess. Just a generous mound of peaches tossed with brown sugar, flour, and a whisper of nutmeg, then capped with the cream cheese pastry like a lid.
Knead the dough only until it just holds together. Cream cheese pastry can turn rubbery fast if you overwork it, and the magic is in keeping cold pockets of fat that puff up in the oven.
The egg wash and sugar dusting at the end is what gives the top its bakery-window finish. The yolk turns deep gold and the sugar crystallizes into a faint crackle. Skip neither.
Pro Tips
- Use peaches that are ripe but still slightly firm. Mushy peaches collapse into peach soup; rock-hard ones stay chalky.
- Don’t peel if you don’t want to. The skins soften completely under the heat and add color flecks. If peeling, blanch in boiling water for 30 seconds and the skins will slip right off.
- Let the pie rest at least 20 minutes before serving. The juices need that time to thicken; cut too soon and it floods the plate.
Variations
- Add 1 tablespoon bourbon or amaretto to the filling for grown-up depth.
- Swap brown sugar for maple syrup and reduce the flour to 2 tablespoons for a more caramel-edged filling.
- Stir in a cup of fresh raspberries or blackberries for a peach-berry hybrid.
Ingredients
Directions
Combine the flour and salt.
Cut in the cream cheese and butter until the mixture has the consistency of coarse meal.
Turn the dough out onto a floured board and knead lightly, just until the dough holds together.
Shape the dough into a ball, then flatten into a disk.
Dust with flour.
Wrap in plastic and chill while you prepare the filling.
If the dough has chilled for several hours, remove it from the refrigerator and leave at room temperature for 15 minutes so it will be easier to handle.
FILLING Preheat the oven to 375℉ (190℃).
Place the peaches in an 8-inch square baking dish or 2-quart casserole.
In a small bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, and nutmeg.
Toss with the peaches, mixing gently until they are thoroughly coated.
Dot with butter.
ASSEMBLY On a lightly floured pastry cloth or board, roll out the pastry into a square or circle 1 inch larger than the baking dish.
Roll the pastry onto the rolling pin and then gently drape it over the top of the dish.
Crimp the edges of the pastry and press around the top of the dish.
Brush the surface with an egg wash made by beating the egg yolk with the water.
Sprinkle with the white sugar.
With the tip of a sharp knife cut 3 to 4 slits in top of pastry to allow steam to escape.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until the crust is golden.
Serve warm along with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a spoonful of heavy cream.
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