Peach Slab Pie

Last updated on January 4th, 2025

Peach Slab Pie is made with fresh picked peaches tossed in bourbon, brown sugar and warm spices nestled in a homemade lattice top pie crust. With summer in full swing, nothing says summer more than juicy peaches just picked from the orchard. And what better way to savor the end of season’s harvest with a delicious slice of peach slab pie. Whether you’re a seasoned baker or a novice in the kitchen, we will teach you everything you need to know to try out your skills in this pie making experience.

Ingredients

• Peaches: Fresh picked peaches from your local farm stand are of course always best choice. The next best thing would be to use frozen peaches, as they are picked and preserved at peak season. Just before you get ready to make the pie crust, set the peaches out. By the time you start the filling they should be defrosted. You don’t want them to be completely thawed otherwise, they will begin to produce too much moisture and makes the pie crust soggy.
• Thickening agents: Vintage recipes typically call for flour or cornstarch. I use ClearJel in pie filling as it works as a 1:1 substitution for cornstarch. ClearJel also doesn’t make the  filling cloudy like flour tends to do. If you plan to pre-cook the filling, use regular ClearJel. For fillings that are not cooked, you can use Instant ClearJel.

Method

1. GATHER EQUIPMENT

• Basic baking equipment: measuring cups and spoons, liquid measuring cups, spatula, bowls, pie plate
• Highly Recommended: food processor, stand mixer or pastry blender to make the pie crust
• Recommended, not required: pie shield (homemade foil works too), a pastry wheel (for cutting top-crust strips), mini-cookie cutters (for making shapes), and pastry mat.

2. PREP INGREDIENTS

• Place ice cubes in glass of water and set aside. When you go to use the water it needs to be ice cold.
• Prep apples by slicing or cutting into bite-size pieces and set aside. Rough chop the cranberries.
• Dice up butter into small cubes and put in freezer until making the crust. Use frozen butter and dice into small cubes and put right back into the freezer if your not making the dough right away.

3. MAKE PIE CRUST

• To avoid a tough crust, add 1 T. lemon juice, vinegar, or vodka to prevent excess gluten from forming.
• After you roll out the crust, place it in fridge to ensure the crust from shrinking.
• You can make the pie crust ahead of time and place in refrigerator or freezer until needed. It’s best to also put the assembled pie in the fridge for about 15 minutes prior to baking, so it goes cold into a nice, hot oven.
• Work quick to keep everything cold.

4. MAKE PIE FILLING

• If using frozen fruit, do not thaw the fruit before adding it to the pie filling or it will make the pie watery and mushy.

5. ASSEMBLE PIE

• Take out bottom crust from fridge and place in pie pan, crimp and trim edges.
• To prevent a soggy crust, dust raw crust with a thickening agent (cornstarch, tapioca starch or ClearJel).
• Brush the crust with an egg wash (1 egg+1 T. cream) before putting in the filling. Then brush again to the top crust with an egg wash and course sanding sugar.
• Pierce pie shell with fork.
• Pour filling into crust, top with diced butter spread around.
• Pull out the tray of strips and place on top of filling in a lattice pattern.
• Brush lattice with egg wash and sprinkle with course sanding sugar.
• Be sure to place the assembled pie in the fridge for about 15 minutes prior to baking, so it goes cold into a nice hot oven.

6. BAKE PIE

• Start baking pie in a hot 400° oven for 15 minutes. This will help keep the shape of crust.
• Reduce oven temperature to 375° and bake for an additional 45-50 minutes. Cover with foil or pie protector to ensure filling is cooked through but that the crust doesn’t burn.
• Watch to see when pie starts to bubble, then let it bake 5 more minutes.

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Dietary Substitutions

TO MAKE GLUTEN-FREE:

• Swap out the flour with gluten-free flour. I recommend using a high-quality brand such as King Arthur’s Gluten-Free Flour.
• Add 1-2 tablespoons of sour cream to the pie crust to help hydrate the flour.

BAKER’S TIP: If time allows, be sure to let the batter rest as hydrating the gluten-free flour is an important step to help eliminate grittiness.

TO MAKE VEGAN/DAIRY FREE:

• When making the pie crust, swap out the butter with vegan butter. My favorite is Violife Plant Butter or Country Crock Olive Oil Sticks. To keep pie crust from shrinking, be sure to chill pie dough before filling and baking since plant-based butter contains mostly oil.

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Equipment

Ceramic pie plates:

I bake my pies in vintage ceramic pie plates which conduct slow, even heat. You can usually find a vintage pie dish at your local antique store, however, there are several modern brands like LeCruset.

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Storage

Baked Pie: If pie has been baked, cover pie and leave on counter up to 3 days. You can freeze a pie that has been baked up to 6 months.

Unbaked Pie: Cover pie with saran wrap or foil. Place covered pie in a freezer-safe container up to 6 months. Bake pie straight from freezer and add additional baking time as needed.

Here are more pie recipes to try:

Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and tag @vintagebakedmodern on Instagram and hashtag it #vintagebakedmodern

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