Amazing Deep Dish Peach Pie

This is a single-crust deep dish peach pie that lets a generous amount of fresh peaches show off without the structural constraints of a traditional pie plate. Without a bottom crust to compete with, the focus is entirely on the perfumed peaches and a buttery cap of golden pastry.

Fresh ripe summer peaches are the heart of this dish. The peach flavor has to carry everything, so out-of-season or rock-hard supermarket peaches won’t deliver. Use peaches that yield slightly to gentle pressure and smell sweetly fragrant at the stem end.

The lemon juice tossed with the sliced peaches does double duty. It prevents the cut fruit from browning while you prep, and it sharpens the peach flavor so the finished filling tastes more intensely of peach rather than just sweet.

Flour, not cornstarch, is the thickener here. Three tablespoons in the sugar mixture gives a slightly cloudy filling that holds its shape without being too gel-like or shiny. Cornstarch gives that glossy commercial-pie look that some prefer but isn’t traditional for deep dish.

The two-temperature bake is the technique that gives the crust its color without burning. The blast at 450°F (230°C) for 10 minutes sets the pastry and starts the browning. Dropping to 350°F (175°C) for the remaining 30 minutes finishes baking the filling through without scorching the crust.

Dot with butter before adding the crust, which is a step that’s easy to skip but worth doing. The butter melts into the filling and lifts the flavor noticeably, especially when the peaches are slightly less than perfectly ripe.

Pro Tips

• Peel the peaches by blanching: drop in boiling water for 30 seconds, then ice water. The skins slip right off.
• Slice the peaches into uniform half-inch pieces. Even sizing means even baking.
• Sprinkle the sugar on top of the pastry before baking, this gives a crackly sparkle and added sweetness.
• Place the baking dish on a sheet pan to catch any bubbling juices that escape.

Variations

• Add ¼ cup of fresh blueberries or raspberries for a peach-berry combo.
• Use a lattice top crust instead of solid for a more rustic presentation.
• Add 1 tablespoon of bourbon or peach schnapps to the filling for a grown-up version.