Last updated on December 11th, 2024
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.
How to make Peach Slab Pie:
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.
Baker’s Tips:
How to make perfect pie crust:
To avoid a tough crust, add 1 T. lemon juice, vinegar, or vodka to prevent excess gluten from forming. 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.
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.
Work quick to keep everything cold:
Freeze your butter prior to use. Dice into small cubes and put right back into the freezer until making your crust. Chill water with some ice cubes before using. Before filling the pie crust, place it in the fridge to ensure the crust from shrinking. 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.
Bake pie at high heat, then reduce temp:
Start with a hot oven to keep the shape of crust and then reduce oven temperature and 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.
Peach Slab Pie
Ingredients
CRUST
- 2 c. unbleached flour
- 1 tsp. sugar
- 1 tsp. salt
- 12 T. butter cold & diced into cubes
- 1/3 c. ice cold water
- 1 T. vodka lemon juice or white vinegar
PIE FILLING
- 7-8 c. sliced peaches (12-14 peaches) cut and sliced or in chunks
- 1/2 c. brown sugar
- 1/4 c. sugar
- 1/4 c. bourbon
- 3 T. cornstarch OR ClearJel
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
- 2 T. diced butter
Instructions
PREP
- Preheat oven to 400°
- Peel and cut peaches and set aside.
- Place ice cubes in glass of water and set aside.
- Dice up butter into small cubes and put in freezer until making the crust.
CRUST
- Put dry ingredients in stand mixer or food processor.Add cold butter, water, and vodka and pulse just until the dough comes together (crumbly). Remove bowl from mixer and add vinegar and water. Mix by hand with pastry blender until just combined.
- Pour out the crust onto a piece of saran wrap, cut in half and shape into (2) round disks. Roll out each disk of dough between 2 sheets of parchment paper and chill for 15-20 minutes.
- Take out one of the pie disks and roll out on lightly floured surface into a rectangle. Use a pastry cutter to cut into 10 (1") strips. Place strips on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Use up leftover dough and cut out decorative shapes with pie cutters or mini cookie cutters and put back in fridge until ready to use
- Use the second disk for the bottom crust and roll out into a rectangle with at least 1" overhang. Place inside 1/2 cookie sheet, crimp and trim edges. Dust bottom of crust with thickening agent (clear jel or tapioca) and then brush lightly with egg wash (1 egg+1 T. cream). Pierce pie shell with fork.
PIE FILLING
- In a separate bowl, toss together peaches, bourbon, brown sugar, sugar, and ClearJel and stir mixture.
- Pour filling into bottom crust, and place the small pieces of diced butter over the filling. Place the pre-cut pastry strips into a lattice pattern on top of the filling. Brush lattice with egg wash and sprinkle with course sanding sugar. Place assembled pie in fridge to chill for 10 minutes.
BAKE
- Bake pie at 400° for 15 minutes. Reduce oven to 375°, cover with foil or pie protector over the crust edge and bake an additional 45-50 minutes. Watch to see when pie starts to bubble, then let it bake 5 more minutes.
Notes
Storage: Gluten-free baked goods do not have the same shelf-life as conventional baked goods. Store in airtight container on counter 1-2 days, refrigerate 3-5 days, or seal in plastic and place in freezer safe container for up to 6 months. When freezing, allow to come to room temperature before opening the container. TO MAKE VEGAN Swap out butter with vegan butter. My favorite is Country Crock Olive Oil Sticks or use canola oil.
