For me, nothing is more perfect than a peach. And while there are so many different ways to eat and enjoy them, baking them into a pie is my go-to. After meeting Tara Coleman of Hot Hands Pie and Biscuit, I was inspired to create this next-level take on my Perfect Peach Pie recipe by adding bacon!
I made this peach pie with candied bacon on season 3, episode 4 of Zoë Bakes on Magnolia Network! You can find the full recipe below, and you can stream the episode on discovery+ and the Magnolia | Time Well Spent app.
Gorgeous peaches are wonderful in so many desserts, and if you’re looking for more peach recipes, look no further than my peach desserts collection!
Servings: 8
Equipment
Ingredients
All-Butter Pie Dough
- 4 1/2 cups (563 grams) all-purpose flour
- 2 1/4 cups (495 grams) cold unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon-sized pieces
- 6 tbsp (75 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1 1/2 tbsp vodka or white vinegar
- 3/4 cup ice water
Pie Filling
- 8 ripe peaches
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) raw sugar
- 1/4 cup whiskey, bourbon, or rum or 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- Pinch kosher salt
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- Egg wash 1 egg mixed with 1 tablespoon water
- Sugar for sprinkling
- Vanilla ice cream optional
- 1 recipe Candied Bacon Crumble optional
Candied Bacon Crumble (optional)
- 8 slices thick-cut bacon
- 1/4 cup raw sugar
- Honey powder optional
Instructions
Pie Dough
- In a large bowl, combine the flour and cold butter pieces and use a pastry cutter to blend the butter into the flour. Continue to do so until some of the butter is coating the flour, with large pieces of butter still intact. Once combined, add the sugar and salt, and use your fingers to work it into the flour and butter. Add the vodka to the ice water, then drizzle over the dough 3 tablespoons at a time, tossing with your hands until it just comes together in a shaggy dough.
- Turn your dough out onto the counter (or onto a chilled marble or tile slab if you have one). Pile the dough into a long rectangle and use the heel of your hand to smear the dough away from you to create long “sheets” of butter. This technique is called fraisage. Using a bench scraper, fold the dough on top of itself and continue pressing until the dough comes together into a log, folding a few more times. Do not overwork the dough. The goal is to make long, thin sheets of butter throughout the dough.
- Once formed into a log, cut into 2 pieces and form each into a disk. Wrap each in plastic and chill for at least 1 hour.
Peach Pie Filling
- Peel the peaches by cutting a cross on the base of each peach. Bring a pot of water to a boil and gently lower the peaches into it. Flip after a few seconds. After they boil for a minute or two, remove the peaches and submerge them in ice water. Now the skin will slip right off.
- Cut the peaches in half, remove the pit, and cut the peaches into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Combine the peaches, raw sugar, whiskey, and salt in a large bowl and let them sit for at least 30 minutes. This releases the juices from the peaches. Strain the peaches over a bowl and mix the juices with the cornstarch.
- In a saucepan, cook the cornstarch and peach juice mixture, whisking constantly, until it is thick and translucent. Add the thickened juices back to the peaches in the large bowl and toss. Refrigerate the peaches while you roll out your pie dough.
Make the Pie
- On a floured surface, roll out one disk of the pie dough to fit the diameter of the pie dish (the dough should be about 1/8-inch thick). Fold it into quarters so you can more easily pick it up and unfold it over a 9-inch deep dish pie plate. Ease it into the bottom and up the sides of the dish. Now you can fill it with your peaches.
- Create the lattice top with the second disk of dough by rolling it out to a 1/8-inch-thick disk and use a fluted pastry wheel to cut it into 2-inch-wide lattice strips. Layer the strips to create the lattice. Trim off the excess dough, then roll and crimp the edges.
- Place the pie in the freezer until completely chilled, at least 20 minutes. (You can also wrap it well in plastic and return it to the freezer until you're ready to bake.)
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Brush the top of the pie with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar. Place on a baking sheet (in case the juices bubble over). If the pie was frozen, it goes into the oven frozen (don’t defrost it) and will just take much longer to bake, and you will probably need to tent the crust with foil.
- Bake the pie for 25 minutes, then lower the temperature to 375°F and continue baking until the filling is bubbling and clear. This can take anywhere from 45 additional minutes to 1 1/2 hours (if it was frozen). Tent the edges of the pie with aluminum foil if they start to brown before the middle is done.
- Cool the pie completely. Serve with ice cream and candied bacon if desired.
Candied Bacon Crumble
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and arrange the bacon slices in one layer. Sprinkle generously with the raw sugar and then sprinkle with honey powder, if using. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until cooked through and crispy. Remove the bacon from the grease and let drain on paper towels or a cooling rack. Crumble or chop into small pieces when cool. Use as an optional garnish for the pie and ice cream.
Notes
TIP: When making your pie dough, it’s very important for all of your ingredients to be cold, cold, cold.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Want to learn more about the guests on my show and receive exclusive recipes from them? Sign up for my Substack where I feature Q&As with the guests, exclusive recipes, and much more.
Where did the extra large mixing bowl, with a pedestal, and brown transfer leaves, come from? It was beautiful!
Hi Carol, This bowl is quite old and was a gift to Zoë from a family member. Someone shared this similar one on ebay: https://www.ebay.com/itm/353233402368 I hope this helps!
Hi! Where did you get that beautiful white mixing bowl with the brown flowers you used to make the dough?
Hi Talia! This bowl is quite old and was a gift to Zoë from a family member. Someone shared this similar one on ebay: https://www.ebay.com/itm/353233402368
Love the bowl used in making dough for peach pie in season 3 episode 4. Can you share where the bowl was purchased?
Hi Barbara! This bowl is quite old and was a gift to Zoë from a family member. Someone shared this similar one on ebay: https://www.ebay.com/itm/353233402368
Turned out really good. Delicious be great with ice cream.
What kind of pie plate was used to make this pie. I was not sure what pie plate would go from the freezer to the oven? Thanks.
Hi Sandra! It’s a deep dish ceramic pie plate from Emile Henry. Here is a link to it (affiliate link).
I am curious about the pie crust recipe. In season 1 Zoe made a strawberry rhubarb pie and the pie crust recipe included butter and shortening for structure. Why the difference?
Hi Ann! Zoë uses a few different pie crust recipes depending on what she’s going for. All butter crusts taste the best, but adding a little shortening adds a tenderness to the crust that you don’t get when you use all butter. There are so many pie crust recipes to try, Zoe suggests trying a few different versions until you find your favorite. Happy baking!
Is there any kind of stamp on the bottom of the beautiful bowl Zoe mixing the peach pie dough in? Looks like many people love it!
Hi Beth, The bottom has a few markings. One says BWM & Co and another says KEW. Hope you are able to find it somewhere!
Thanks for actually replying! I truly appreciate it! Looking forward to Zoe’s next teaching session!
This pie is delicious! I made the crust one day and the filling the next so it was not all consuming in one day. Zoe has the best crust with the best technique, so put in the effort! You will be glad you did.
This crust puffed so much when cooking that the edges unfolded and spilled out onto the baking tray beneath the pie dishes. It was OUT of CONTROL! Had to cut the excess off to keep it from burning but other than that, it was delicious and the lattice top stayed intact:)
Mine did the same. It didn’t shrink back the way Zoe’s did (as far as I can tell- we haven’t cut in yet). I wonder if her 9” pie plate had more volume/capacity than mine.
U need to freeze the pie for at least a half hour…I freeze for 40 min. And possibly use a larger pie plate.
So far my favorite peach recipe, it ended up being a little watery so I may need to adjust the cornstarch or reduce the peach juice.
Would this be a good pie crust to use for apple pie?
Hi Linda, yes! Basically all of Zoe’s pie crusts are interchangeable. Cheers!