MAKES 1 PIE · VEGETARIAN
Fruit pies are my favorite thing to bake. I love how hands-on pies are, how homemade and imperfect they look. Plus I have never met anyone who didn’t love a slice of homemade pie. I make my peach pies with much less sugar than most pie recipes call for, which you can do if you use ripe, naturally sweet, in-season fruit. This is the one of the few times I really prefer using refined flour because it is so much easier to roll out and doesn’t taste as bitter as all whole-grain flour.
2½ cups unbleached white spelt flour, or half white spelt/half whole wheat spelt (or use regular unbleached flour), plus more for dusting
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon granulated cane sugar
½ pound (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 16 pieces
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
4 to 5 tablespoons ice water
6 cups peeled, pitted, and sliced fresh, ripe peaches (about 3 pounds or 6 large)
3 to 4 tablespoons unbleached flour (use more if the peaches are superjuicy)
6 tablespoons granulated cane sugar or muscovado sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon almond extract
1 egg yolk mixed with 1 tablespoon heavy cream or whole milk
1 tablespoon granulated cane sugar
1. Prepare the pastry: Place the flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Pulse once to combine.
2. Add the butter to the flour. Pulse five times. Pour the lemon juice and 4 tablespoons of ice water on top of the flour mixture. Pulse until the dough starts to cling together.
3. Scrape the dough onto a lightly floured countertop, gather into a ball, and wrap in parchment paper. Chill for 30 minutes. If you need to chill it for longer, use plastic wrap.
4. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
5. Prepare the filling: Combine the peaches, flour, sugar, cinnamon, and almond extract in a large bowl.
6. Divide the dough in half, and roll one half into an 11-inch circle. Fit the circle into a 9-inch pie plate.
7. Spoon the peach filling into the pie shell.
8. Roll the remaining dough into a 10-inch round. Cut three 2-inch slits in the center of the dough to allow steam to escape. Fit over the top of the peaches. Fold the top crust under the bottom crust and press both crusts together to seal. Crimp the edges by pushing with your thumb or using the tines of a fork. Brush the top of the pie with the egg wash and sprinkle with sugar. Place the pie on a rimmed baking sheet and place in the center of the oven.
9. Bake for 30 minutes and then lower the oven temperature to 350°F. Bake for 30 minutes more, until the top is golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 1 hour before serving.
10. Leftovers can be kept, covered, at room temperature for up to 2 days.
TIP: You can definitely buy premade piecrust, but it is really not hard to make your own. The key is to keep everything cold. If you have to step away from the pastry, or if it feels as if it is getting greasy, put it in the fridge for a bit.