Crust
- 2 1/2 cups (315 grams) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting surfaces
- 1 tablespoons (15 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon table salt
- 2 sticks (225 grams, 8 ounces, or 1 cup) unsalted butter, very cold
- 1/2 cup water, very cold
Filling
- About 3 pounds peaches (approximately 6 large, 7 medium or 8 small)
- ½ pound blueberries
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, from about half a regular lemon
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar (see note up top; use 1/3 cup for a sweeter pie)
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar (ditto)
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Few gratings of fresh nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon table salt
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch or potato starch
To Finish
- 1 tablespoon milk, cream or water
- 1 tablespoon coarse or granulated sugar
Make your pie dough: Whisk together flour, sugar and salt in the bottom of a large, wide-ish bowl. Using a pastry blender, two forks or your fingertips, work the butter into the flour until the biggest pieces of butter are the size of small peas. (You’ll want to chop your butter into small bits first, unless you’re using a very strong pastry blender in which case you can throw the sticks in whole, as I do.) Gently stir in the ice water with a rubber spatula, mixing it until a craggy mass forms. Get your hands in the bowl and knead it just two or three times to form a ball. Divide dough in half. Wrap each half in plastic wrap and flatten a bit, like a disc. Chill for at least an hour or up to two days.
Meanwhile, prepare your filling: Halve and pit the peaches, then cut into about 1/3-inch thick slices. Add blueberries. (The proportion of peaches and blueberries is entirely up to you. You’ll want 6 cups of fruit; it’s okay if you go a little over. Toss with lemon juice. Stir in sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and cornstarch until evenly mixed.
Preheat: Oven to 425 degrees.
Assemble your pie: Flour your counter, unwrap one dough and roll to a 12-13” by pressing down lightly with the pin and moving it from the center out. You’re not going to get it all flat in one roll or even twenty; be patient and it will crack less. Roll it a few times in one direction, lift it up and rotate it a quarter-turn. And that’s what you’re going to continue to do, roll a couple times, lift the dough and rotate it. Re-flour the counter and the top of the dough as needed–don’t skimp! You should be leaving no bits of dough on the counter and none should be stuck to your pin. If at any point, the dough starts to get sticky or soft, it’s warming up and will only become more difficult to work with. Transfer it back to the fridge for a few minutes (or even the freezer, but for just a minute) to let it cool, then resume your rolling process.
Once your dough is a 12- to 13-inch circle, transfer pie dough to a standard pie dish by folding it gently into quarters (making no creases), arranging the folded corner into one quadrant of the bottom of your tin and gently unfolding it to fit over the base. Trim the overhang to one inch.
Scoop filling into bottom pie dough, including any accumulated juices (they contain the thickener too, also: tastiness). Roll out your top pie dough using the same procedure, until it is 12 to 13 inches in diameter. Gently place on top of the berries and fold the rim of the bottom crust over thetp and crimp decoratively. Cut 3-4 air vents into the top crust.
To finish: Brush pie with milk, cream or water and sprinkle with sugar.
Bake pie: For about 20 minutes in the preheated oven, until the crust is set and beginning to brown. Reduce oven temperature to 375 and bake pie for another 30 to 40 minutes, until filling is bubbling all over and the crust is a nice golden brown. If the pie lid browns too quickly at any point in the baking process, you can cover it with foil for the remaining baking time to prevent further browning.
Cool pie: For three hours at room temperature before serving. I know you won’t listen to me — there’s hot delicious pie to be eaten, after all — but if you’re concerned about the runniness of the pie filling, keep in mind that the pie filling does not fully thicken until it is fully cool. Pie can be stored at room temperature or in the fridge; from the fridge, it will be even thicker.
