Homemade flaky crust, sweet juicy filling with fresh peaches, and a buttery golden brown topping make this a fantastic dessert when peach season hits. The pie shell and crumb mixture can be made in advance, so it's much easier to put together than it looks.
When summer brings truckloads of stone fruit, fruit pies are a must
At this house, we take advantage of juicy peaches, dig into the peach recipes archive and make this peach crumble pie, the less laborious peach crumble, this perfect peach cobbler, and our newest obsession: peach muffins.
This pie is almost a deep-dish one, a great recipe with a thick layer of juicy filling that will ooze when you cut it.
The crumble topping bakes to a golden brown, and the pie crust doesn't get soggy because it's blind-baked, a technique I explain further down this post.
It can be made with nectarines, similar to peaches but with thinner skin, which is the way to go if you don't want to take the extra step of peeling fruit.
FAQ
Add thickening ingredients such as cornstarch, flour or tapioca to the filling. This is necessary if you want a filling that holds itself a little. The more of these types of ingredients you add, the firmer the filling will be. But don't overdo it because the flavor will not be good. It's best to follow the recipe.
It depends on your taste. I like to peel half of them if their skin is thin and all of them if it's too thick. The average pie uses peeled peaches.
The filling didn't thicken enough or the pie didn't have time to cool enough for the filling to settle and firm up. This can be due to a lack of a thickening agent (cornstarch, flour, tapioca) or you didn't bake it long enough, or you used frozen peaches that released more juice than average so they never thickened as they should.
Ingredient list
- Pie crust: we always recommend homemade pie crust, but you can cut corners and use a store-bought one (all butter pie crust would be my choice).
- Peaches: use fresh fruit that is just ripe enough to eat but not overly ripe.
- Lemon juice.
- Cornstarch: it’s used as a thickener to thicken the peach juices that are released during baking and create a wonderful syrup.
- Brown sugar: light or dark, it adds a great caramel flavor to the filling. Use regular white sugar if that's all you have.
- White granulated sugar.
- All-purpose flour.
- Unsalted butter.
Quantities are listed on the recipe card towards the end of this post. The Ingredients page has more details and lists the brands we use.
Pie crust
All pie crusts can be made in advance and have posts devoted to them, with detailed images, step-by-step instructions, and videos.
- Traditional crust: my go-to recipe is the Perfect Flaky Pie Crust, which I use for holiday pies. It's made with both butter and shortening and is barely sweetened. It's the one I use for the chocolate pecan pie and this strawberry pie.
- Sweet crust: if you're into sweet, more European-style desserts, you can use the homemade Sweet Shortcrust Pastry or pâte sucrée in French, a sweet pie dough that we use for the raspberry chocolate tart and the pear frangipane tart.
- Store-bought crust: homemade pie crust is always the best choice, but you can substitute it for a good (all butter is better), store-bought, bakery-style one at any time.
Blind baking is a technique that half-bakes the pie crust so that the wet filling doesn't immediately seep into the dough, thus avoiding a soggy crust after it's baked. The recipe card explains this technique, but you can also read this post about blind baking for more information and details.
Peach filling
- Sliced peaches: you can peel all of them, half or none, your choice. I like to peel some of them and leave the skins on others. If using nectarines, I don't peel them at all as their skin is very thin.
- Mixing: use a large bowl to combine peaches with the brown sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice, and then dump this peach mixture in the pie shell.
- Butter: add dots of butter to give the filling a more luscious texture.
Crumb topping
Also called a streusel topping, it adds a layer of buttery crunchiness to this delicious peach pie!
It's a basic crumble recipe with only 3 ingredients: butter, sugar, and flour.
How to make it: mix all dry ingredients in a medium bowl, add the cold butter pieces, and integrate with a pastry blender (or pastry cutter), your hands, or a fork. Stop mixing when you roughly have pea-sized pieces of butter. You can also use a food processor; just be careful not to over-process everything and end up with a paste. We want a clumpy, coarse meal.
It can be made ahead and kept in the refrigerator or the freezer. I like to have frozen crumble at all times to add to cakes, pies, and muffins. It's a nice way to add crunchiness.
Top Tip
If you want an extra crispy crumble topping (and who doesn't, right?), freeze the crumb mixture for 30 minutes before adding it to the pie.
When adding the crumb topping, cover most of it but it's fine if you don't cover the fruit filling completely. A small space around the edges of the crust will be left without and that is fine.
Kitchen Notes
- Organization: read the recipe first and ensure you have ingredients at the correct temperature, equipment, and enough workspace. This will make the process so much easier.
- Baking time: consider that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look similar. The baking time in my recipes is as accurate as it can be, but it might take you more or less time. You can use a thermometer(like the OXO oven thermometer) to check that your oven is at the right temperature. I recommend you keep track of how your oven works and what tiny details you might need to adjust.
- Crust: you can have the pie pan lined and waiting in the freezer. Blind bake this pie so the peach juices don't soak too much into the pie crust and make it soggy.
- Peaches are the star, so fresh fruit is highly recommended. But you can use homemade canned peaches or a good commercial brand.
- Crumble: freeze it before adding it to the pie. It will be crisper after it bakes.
Brown sugar crumble - I sometimes use just brown sugar for both filling and crumble. It bakes to a more golden brown and adds a more intense caramel tone. - Ratio: when it comes to crumble pies, the amount of filling to topping is important because we need both to bake simultaneously and for the fruit flavor to shine. So don't overdo it with the topping.
- Make ahead: you can make the crust and keep it in the refrigerator for 3 days or in the freezer for a month, well wrapped, before rolling it. You can line the pan, wrap it with plastic wrap and freeze it for a month. The crumble topping keeps in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks in an airtight container. And frozen for a month.
- Serving ideas
Plain: this pie has enough going on to serve it as it is. I like it semi-cold, but it's just as good at room temperature.
Topping: serve it slightly warm with a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream (or ginger ice cream). And a drizzle of caramel sauce or homemade dulce de leche if you want a decadent dessert!
Related recipes you might like:
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Peach Crumb Pie
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Ingredients
For the pie crust:
- 1 recipe flaky or all-butter pie crust, I use this flaky pie crust recipe or this shortcrust pastry for an all-butter alternative
For the crumble:
- ¾ cup all purpose flour
- ⅔ cup white granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup unsalted butter, cold and in pieces
For the filling:
- 4 ½ pounds fresh peaches, about 8 large
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice, from about ½ lemon
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
Instructions
For the pie crust:
- Have ready a 9-inch pie pan with at least 2-inch high sides. I like it with a removable bottom but you can use a nice ceramic or glass pie plate and serve it directly from it.
- Roll the pastry on a lightly floured surface until it's about ¼ inch thick and at least 3 inches larger than the pan.
- Line the pie pan you're using by folding the dough in half and transferring to the center of the pie plate. Open it and gently fit it into the dish, not forcing or stretching it as you go.
- Place the lined pan in the freezer for 15-20 minutes while the oven gets to the right temperature. This will help the dough to shrink as little as possible as it bakes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Blind bake the crust: Cover it with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Add some weight (small ceramic balls, raw rice, chickpeas, lentils or even flour). Any ingredient that doesn't burn but will weigh the paper down works. Use a cheap one as you won't be able to use it after this. Bake for 15 minutes until you can remove the paper with the weight. Do this carefully to make sure you don't burn your hands and take out the whole thing at once without tearing the crust. Bake the pastry 5-10 minutes longer, until barely colored and dry. You don't have to completely bake it at this point.
For the crumble:
- Mix flour and sugar in a medium bowl.
- Add cold butter in pieces and integrate with the dry ingredients. Use your hands or a pastry cutter. It should be the size of peas and beans.
- Put this crumbly mixture in the freezer while you make the filling.
Peach filling:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Wash, dry and core the peaches. Cut them in medium wedges. I don't peel all of them, but you can if you want to.
- Gently mix the peaches with the lemon juice, sugar and cornstarch in a large bowl. Pour into the pre-baked crust, distributing as best as you can.
- Sprinkle the peach mixture with the cold crumble.
- Bake for about 55 minutes, or until the fruit is bubbly and the crumble is golden.
- Cool on a wire rack until it's at room temperature. I like to refrigerate it, covered, for a few hours before serving. It's easier to cut and the filling has a chance to solidify a bit.
Juliana says
As soon as I found peaches at the store, I'm making this pie! Sweet Georgia peaches and all that butter makes me happy