I know it’s not Friday, but we’re talking pie today anyways! (I’m impatient, what can I say?!?) Actually, I’m sharing a pie recipe with you today because I filmed it on Studio 5 today, and the episode goes live this morning! This pie was inspired by the Brown Bag Baked Peach Pie that I wrote about a couple of weeks ago from Honey Salt in Las Vegas. Their peach pie only had a top crust, which was really more like a cobbler or upside down cake type topping. I went with the top crust only idea, but ended up with a shortbread cookie crust instead.
The crust is super easy to make and you can decorate your pie any way you like. After making the dough you shape it into a log, wrap it in plastic wrap, and stick in the refrigerator while you prep the pie filling. I chose to cut my log into slices and then shape those slices with my fingers into rustic petals, which I arranged in overlapping concentric circles to get a flower effect. I left the center open, both for color and to create a natural vent for steam during cooking.
The true secret to this pie though is baking it in a brown paper bag. Have you had brown bag baked apple pie before? Well it works great for peach pie too! If you haven’t, then you’ve been missing out! This technique is not a new one, in fact there was a book written in 1911 all about cooking things in paper bags, called Soyer’s Paper-Bag Cookery. (The book, in its entirety, is available in digital format for you to read, should you so desire, from the library of the University of Wisconsin.) Cooking a pie in a paper bag ensures a pie that is perfectly cooked all the way through, a beautiful evenly browned crust, a tender crust, and no mess (the bag catches drips)!
The bag won’t catch on fire, but just make sure it isn’t touching the walls of your oven. It will smell a bit funny while it’s baking, but this is completely normal. When your pie is done baking, pull it out of the oven and cut open your bag and leave your pie to cool for at least an hour. I know that it will be really tempting to cut right into, but I promise that even after an hour you will still have warm pie! Letting it cool helps the pie filling to set so that it won’t run all over the place. This isn’t quite a pie (though it’s common to make pot pies with only a top crust…) and it’s not a cobbler…maybe a pie-bbler? Either way, it’s delicious. I took one to a family dinner party on Sunday to try it out on everyone and it was a huge hit. So go and make it now before the delicious peaches in season start disappearing!
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Brown Bag Baked Peach Pie
Makes one 9-inch pie
Ingredients for the shortbread crust:
3/4 cup butter (12 tablespoons), softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
Ingredients for the peach filling:
2 ¼ pounds peaches (approximately 4 large, 5 medium, or 6 small peaches)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
Directions:
1. Make the shortbread crust: Beat the butter at medium speed with an electric mixer for about 1 minute, or until the butter is creamy. Add the granulated sugar and mix well with the butter. Add the flour approximately 1/2 cup at a time, beating in between each addition on low speed until just mixed. After adding all the flour, continue mixing the dough at low speed until the mixture is no longer crumbly and starts to come together into a ball.
2. Shape the dough into a log, wrap it in plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator until you are ready to top your pie.
3. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
4. Make the peach filling: Peel, pit, and slice the peaches into 1/3-inch slices. Toss in the lemon juice. Stir the dry ingredients together, then add the mixture to the peaches and toss to coat them.
5. Assemble the pie: Fill a 9-inch pie plate with the peach filling. Remove the shortcrust dough from the refrigerator, unwrap, and cut the log into ¼-inch slices. Flatten slightly with your fingers and cover the crust in a scallop design.
6. Center the pie inside a large, heavy brown paper bag. Close the end by folding the bag shut a couple of times (if it’s long enough), or by stapling it shut. Make sure the bag does not touch the top of the pie (it will stick).
7. Bake the pie: Bake the pie in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and continue cooking for 40 minutes. Don’t peek inside the bag while baking! At the end of the baking time, remove the pie from the oven and carefully tear or cut the bag away from the pie. Let the pie cool for 1 hour before serving. Store the leftovers in the refrigerator.
*Recipe Notes: To peel your peaches, cut a shallow X on the bottom of each peach with a knife. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Carefully put the peaches (3 or 4 at a time) in the water and let them boil for 40 to 60 seconds. Remove the peaches with a slotted spoon and immediately submerge them in a bowl of cold water. Repeat with any remaining peaches. When the peaches have cooled, remove them from the water. The peaches should come right off. You can use a paring knife to gently peel away any stubborn pieces of peach skin.
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Thank you for following up on this… cannot wait to try it ;-)
Wow, this looks absolutely delicious, and I heard from those who consumed it that it WAS absolutely delicious. It’s on my list!
Shortbread cookie crust — excellent upgrade! Can’t wait to try your great recipe, Rachael!
I’ve been buying fresh peaches this summer to mix into my breakfast smoothies, and to just eat for snacks! Your pie-bbler looks so tasty! Bring on the vanilla ice cream, say the Farmer!
Just canned and froze a 20# box of peaches yesterday! Good timing
This pie looks heavenly! I haven’t had peach pie in way too long. Also, I had never heard of the brown bag trick… I’ll have to keep that in mind!