Peach Pie--9-Inch

Six cups of fresh sliced peaches packed into a double-crust pie with just enough cinnamon and lemon juice to let the fruit shine. This is summer baking at its simplest and best.

Flour mixed into the sugar-cinnamon coating thickens the peach juices as they cook. Without it, you’d cut into a gorgeous pie and watch a flood of liquid run across the plate. The flour absorbs just enough moisture to hold the filling together while keeping it fruity, not pasty.

You’ll know it’s done when the crust is golden brown and you can see the juices actively bubbling up through the slits. If the juices aren’t bubbling, the filling hasn’t thickened yet. Give it more time.

Kitchen Tips

• Wrap the crust edges with foil for the first 30 minutes. This prevents the thin edges from burning while the center catches up. Remove the foil for the last 15 minutes to let them brown
• Slice the peaches evenly so they cook at the same rate. Thick wedges can still be firm when thin ones are mush
• Lemon juice keeps the peach slices from browning and adds a subtle tartness that makes the peach flavor pop
• Let the pie cool for at least an hour before cutting. The filling needs time off the heat to set properly

Variations

• Raspberry-currant sauce: Serve slices with a drizzle of warm raspberry-currant sauce and a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a showstopping summer dessert
• Lattice top: Weave a lattice instead of a solid top crust to show off the golden peach filling
• Brown sugar swap: Replace white sugar with brown sugar for a deeper, more caramelized sweetness against the peaches