Paula Deen Nita’s Secret Peach Pie

Paula Deen Nita's Secret Peach Pie is an easy Southern dessert made with 7 cups of fresh peaches, almond extract and refrigerated pie crust, ready in 1 hour 15 minutes. This make-ahead lattice peach pie fits your cookout, holiday table, potluck and Sunday dinner, and it feeds 8 people.

Cook the peaches on the stovetop only until they are just slightly tender, because they finish softening in the oven. Cook them too long and you get a mushy filling that turns the bottom crust soggy.

Paula stirs almond extract and nutmeg into the cooked peaches, which gives the filling a warm, bakery-style flavor that plain fruit pies miss. Precooking the fruit also means the filling thickens before it ever meets the crust, so the slices hold together.

Paula Deen Nita's Secret Peach Pie

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Course: DessertCuisine: American, SouthernDifficulty: Medium

Servings

8

servings

Prep time

30

minutes

Cooking time

45

minutes

Calories

430

kcal

Peaches are simmered with lemon, sugar and flour until just tender, then spooned into a chilled crust and topped with a golden lattice. Brushing the top with egg wash gives it that shiny bakery color while the juices bubble up through the gaps.

Ingredients

• 7 cups fresh peaches, peeled and thickly sliced (can substitute frozen slices)
  

• 1/2 lemon, juiced
  

• 1 1/2 cups sugar
  

• 1/4 cup Flour
  

• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
  

• 1/4 teaspoon Nutmeg
  

• 5 tablespoons Butter, divided
  

• 1 box (two crusts) refrigerated pie crusts
  

• 1 egg
  

Directions

• Preheat and line: Preheat the oven to 425°F, then roll one pie crust out to fit your pie pan with a 1 inch overhang. Slide it into the refrigerator until you are ready to fill it.
• Cook the peaches: Stir 7 cups peeled, thickly sliced peaches, the juice of 1/2 lemon, 1 1/2 cups sugar and 1/4 cup flour together in a large saucepan until coated. Bring it to a low boil, then reduce the heat to low and cook until the fruit is just slightly tender.
• Flavor the filling: Take the pan off the heat and stir in 1/2 teaspoon almond extract, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg and three tablespoons of the butter. Let it cool slightly so it does not melt the chilled crust.
• Fill the pie: Pull the pie pan from the refrigerator and spoon in the cooled peach mixture. Then dot the top with the remaining two tablespoons of butter, cut into small pieces.
• Add the top crust: Roll out the second crust and cut it into strips for a lattice, or cover the pie completely. If you cover it, cut slits so the steam can escape, then crimp the edges.
• Egg wash: Whisk 1 egg with 1 tablespoon water in a small bowl. Brush it over the top crust so it bakes up shiny and golden.
• Bake the pie: Bake at 425°F for 10 minutes, then lower the oven to 350°F and bake 30 minutes more. The pie is done when the top is golden and the fruit bubbles through the crust.
• Cool and serve: Let the pie cool before you slice it so the filling can set. Then serve it with hand-churned vanilla bean ice cream and a cup of coffee.

Tools for this recipe

• Pyrex 9.5-inch glass pie plate, J.K. Adams French rolling pin, OXO silicone pastry brush, Nielsen-Massey pure almond extract. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

FAQs

Can I use frozen peaches instead of fresh?

Yes, the recipe says frozen slices work as a substitute. Thaw them and drain off any extra liquid first, because the pie only has 1/4 cup flour to thicken the juices.

How do I store leftover peach pie?

Cover the pie loosely and keep it at room temperature for a day, then move it to the refrigerator. The crust softens a bit as it sits, so a few minutes in a warm oven brings back some crispness.

Can I make the peach pie ahead of time?

You can cook the filling and chill it a day ahead, but let it cool fully before it goes into the crust. Bake the pie the day you serve it, since the crust is best fresh and the pie needs to cool before slicing anyway.

Can I bake this in a glass or metal pie pan?

Either works, and the pie in the photo bakes in a foil-style pan. A metal pan heats faster and tends to brown the bottom crust better, so a glass pan may need a few extra minutes.

Why is my peach pie runny?

Slicing too soon is the usual culprit, since the filling needs time to cool and thicken. Cooking the peaches too little also leaves the flour from activating, so bring them to a low boil as the recipe says.