It is the middle of October and I’m craving peach pie. Last month, I had the tastiest slice in Portland from Lauretta Jean’s. I was perusing the farmers’ market and couldn’t resist. “I’m just going to look” I said. There were 6 pies to choose from but the cashier said “streusel” and I was sold. The topping was really chunky and completely covered the sweet fruit. I’ve been thinking about it ever since.
So while everyone is in fall mode, I have been busy tinkering away at this pie. My first version had olallieberries mixed in but they overpowered the peach flavor so for my final version, I kept it simple and used only peaches. The streusel has oats, but when they’re whole, the texture reminds me too much of granola, so I ground them up so it still has flavor but the texture is finer. And lastly, with the thickener, the filling is pretty thick but a tad saucy. I didn’t want it to be too firm. Enjoy!
Peach Streusel Pie
Ingredients:
For the bottom crust:
My go-to dough recipe here.
For the streusel top:
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed golden brown sugar
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, chilled, cubed
For the filling:
2 1/2 lbs yellow peaches, pitted and sliced 1/2″ thick
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons tapioca starch or cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled, cubed
Directions:
Make the pie dough. Form a disc, wrap in plastic and place in the fridge for at least 2 hours but preferably overnight.
Remove the dough from the fridge and let thaw on the counter for 10-15 minutes or until pliable but still cold. Roll out to 1/8″ thick. Line a 9″ pie dish with the pie dough. Crimp the edges. Place in the freezer while preparing the filling.
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a half sheet pan with parchment paper.
In a food processor, blend the oats and granulated sugar until coarsely ground. If you wish, you can skip this step and leave the oats whole. Add the rest of the dry ingredients. Pulse to combine. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture clumps together. Chill while preparing the fruit.
In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar, tapioca starch, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt until combined. Set aside. In a large bowl, toss the peaches with the lemon juice. Add the sugar mixture and coat the peaches, making sure to catch any of the sugar that has fallen to the bottom of the bowl.
Remove the pie crust from the freezer. Fill the crust with the peaches and press down to pack them as flat as possible. Dot the top of the peaches with the 2 tablespoons of butter.
Remove the streusel from the refrigerator and scatter over the peaches, breaking up any large chunks into pieces to your liking.
Set the pie onto the parchment-lined sheet pan and bake for 30 minutes. Then lower the oven to 350 F and bake for another 45-55 minutes, or until the filling bubbles and the topping is golden.
Place the pie on a cooling rack and let cool for about 3 hours, until the filling is set. Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
If you make the pie, I’d love to see on Instagram @pastrywithjenn.
