Brown Sugar-Cinnamon Peach Pie

What could be more southern than Peach Pie?  Did you know I'm originally a Georgia girl? Every summer till I turned 13 my parents would drive us to Mississippi to visit the grandparents and on the way we would stop at Lane Packing Company.  There we would sample the peach ice cream or the peach cobbler.  It was wonderful!  Today I channeled some of those memories.

I went and bought 8 peaches for this Brown Sugar-Cinnamon Peach Pie, and got all excited...

Only to find out Mr. Gingerbread does not like peaches...

Oh well, more for me!  Especially when they are coated in brown sugar and cinnamon and topped with home made whipped cream!! 

This project started yesterday when I got to it's page in this month's Southern Living.  

Btw, there is a whole lot of butter in this pie!  It might as well be called "Brown Sugar and then you-need-to-go-work-out" pie. 

This is my first attempt at lattice work on the top.  I was proud.  I even made a cute lil' crust-peach to go on top... aww.. lil crust-peach...

It came out of the oven flaming-lava hot.  So watch out! 

But it looked and smelled like Granny's house.  

I couldn't wait for Mr. I-don't-like-peaches to get home and try it.  So I made a special trip to Publix to get some whipping cream (not heavy this time.. trying to save on those calories... right.).

It's two tablespoons of sugar for every cup of heavy whipping cream in a chilled bowl, and then whipped till you get the peaks.  With a cold bowl and hand mixer attachments (what are they called???) it goes a lot faster.

That lil crust-peach looks like a heart, cause this pie is full of all that southern summer love! 

I think if I had known he didn't like peaches before the wedding, it would have been a deal breaker. 

It's got that peachy, brown sugar, cinnamon syrup, and the crust was nice and flaky.  Flaky is a good thing when it comes to pie crusts.  You want your pie crust to be as flaky as that guy who invited you to that place, and then stood you up... that's how flaky it should be.  Reeeeeeeaaaaaally flaky.

In all seriousness, the trick to a flaky crust is cold everything.  Cold butter, cold water, even cold flour, and then chill the dough before you work with it. 

I made a happy plate! It was just that good.  In fact, I think I'm going to go for another piece right now!

Brown Sugar-Cinnamon Peach Pie (Courtesy Southern Living July 2011 issue)

• 1 1/3 cups cold butter
• 4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup ice-cold water
• 8 large fresh, firm, ripe peaches (about 4 lb.)
• 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar

• 1. Cut 1 1/3 cups butter into small cubes, and chill 15 minutes. Stir together 4 cups flour and 1 1/2 tsp. salt. Cut butter into flour mixture with a pastry blender until mixture resembles small peas. Gradually stir in 1/2 cup ice water with a fork, stirring until dry ingredients are moistened and dough begins to form a ball and leaves sides of bowl, adding more ice water, 1 Tbsp. at a time, if necessary. Turn dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap; press and shape dough into 2 flat disks. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap, and chill 30 minutes to 24 hours.
• 2. Preheat oven to 425º. Place 1 dough disk on a lightly floured surface; sprinkle dough lightly with flour. Roll dough to about 1/4-inch thickness. Starting at 1 edge of dough, wrap dough around a rolling pin. Place rolling pin over a 9-inch pie plate, and unroll dough over pie plate. Press dough into pie plate.
• 3. Roll remaining dough disk to about 1/4-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface.
• 4. Peel peaches, and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices; cut slices in half. Stir together brown sugar, next 3 ingredients, and remaining 1/4 cup flour in a bowl; add peaches, stirring to coat. Immediately spoon peach mixture into piecrust in pie plate, and dot with 1 1/2 Tbsp. butter. (Do not make mixture ahead or it will become too juicy.)
• 5. Carefully place remaining piecrust over filling; press edges of crusts together to seal. Cut off excess crust, and reserve. Crimp edges of pie. If desired, reroll excess crust to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut into 3-inch leaves using a knife. Brush top of pie with beaten egg; top with leaves. Brush leaves with egg; sprinkle with 1 1/2 Tbsp. granulated sugar. Cut 4 to 5 slits in top of pie for steam to escape.
• 6. Freeze pie 15 minutes. Meanwhile, heat a jelly-roll pan in oven 10 minutes. Place pie on hot jelly-roll pan.
• 7. Bake at 425° on lower oven rack 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375°; bake 40 minutes. Cover loosely with aluminum foil to prevent excessive browning, and bake 25 more minutes or until juices are thick and bubbly (juices will bubble through top). Transfer to a wire rack; cool 2 hours before serving.
• Lovely Lattice: For an equally impressive top crust, cut remaining dough disk in Step 3 into 3 (1 1/2-inch-wide) strips and 8 (1/4-inch-wide) strips using a fluted pastry wheel. Proceed as directed through Step 4. In Step 5, replace whole crust with dough strips, making a lattice design. Omit pastry leaves. Brush lattice with beaten egg, and sprinkle with sugar. Omit slits in crust. Proceed as directed in Steps 6 and 7, shielding just the edges with foil.