White Peach Pie

Fresh Peach Pie right out of my oven.

The white peaches are so very sweet and tender although you can't go wrong with a peach any way you look at it. So today I am making a fresh pie.

Crust:

4 C. all purpose flour, King Arthur is my preference
1 C. butter flavor Crisco
1/2 C. cold butter
1 T. sugar
2 t. salt
1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 C. ice water
1 egg
1 T. vinegar
1 T. sour cream

Combine the flour, diced butter, and diced Crisco in a large bowl and add the sugar, salt, and baking powder. Cut the ingredients altogether with a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles a coarse meal with lumps the size of small peas.

Make a well in the flour and set aside briefly while you combine and beat with a fork the water, egg, vinegar, and sour cream. Stir the wet ingredients into the well and mix until everything draws together in a ball. Knead a couple of turns until you achieve a smooth ball. Divide into quarters and form each piece into a disk. Wrap and refrigerate the pastry for about an hour before rolling out. Keep refrigerated 2-3 days or freeze up to 3 months.

Peach filling:

Drop the peaches into a large kettle of boiling water and leave for about 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon into a large bowl you have filled half full of ice and additional cold water. After a couple of minutes you should be able to loosen the skins and slip them right off. If not put back in the boiling water for another minute or two. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with foil and set aside.

Squeeze a whole lemon into a large clean bowl. Slice the peaches into the lemon juice turning them to coat. You need about 6 cups of fruit for a large pie, 9" deep dish.

Add to the sliced peaches 1/4 C. instant tapioca, 1/4 t. cinnamon, 1/4 t. vanilla, pinch of salt, 3/4 C. sugar and stir altogether. Set aside for about 10 minutes while you roll the pastry. I roll the bottom crust and fit it into the dish then set it aside while I roll the top crust.

When the pastry has been rolled out I fill the lower crust and dot the fruit with about 2 T. butter. Immediately fit the top crust atop sprinkling it well with sugar and pinching the crust edges. Place the finished pie on the foil lined tray and place in the center of the oven. Bake 50-60 minutes until bubbling and brown. Cool and slice, yields 6-8 portions.