This from-scratch lattice-top peach slab pie recipe feeds a crowd.
A couple of weeks ago I celebrated my birthday. Because we now live in a house with a yard, I was thrilled to plan the epic dinner party of my dreams. As it turned out, it was more like the simple dinner party of my dreams, which is actually just the thing for an August evening. That night, rain fell for a while early, but the skies cleared and our friends sprung into action setting up tables, chairs, and citronella candles. We started with these peach shrubs; then by tiki and candlelight, had a Lowcountry boil for dinner, and for dessert, lattice-top peach slab pie. There’s almost nothing better than a cookie sheet full of pie, especially one made with fragrant yellow peaches in all their summery perfection. We served the peach pie with lemon verbena ice cream, and ate as storm clouds blew through and stars appeared.
A slab pie has a lot going for it. Because the filling is in a thin layer, there are fewer concerns about whether or not it will set properly. This also means that it’s a little more like pastry than pie. I opted for yellow peaches in my filling, which were preferable to the clean sweetness of white peaches. I kept the filling absolutely simple to highlight the peaches themselves. With the peel left on, the filling had a hint of bitterness, which I loved; if bitterness isn’t your thing, peel your peaches.
This year, the summer has been so good. Mild, and beautiful, and filled with exactly the kind of ease I always craved back in Brooklyn. As things edge toward fall, I realize I need to eat more pie. You, my friend, do too.
This from-scratch lattice-top peach slab pie recipe feeds a crowd.
- 5 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 5 tablespoons sugar
- 32 tablespoons cold butter 1 pound
- 1 1/3 cup ice water
- 12 medium peaches, washed and cut into 1/2 inch thick slices (for about 10 cups total)
- zest of 2 lemons
- 3 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
- 1 cup turbinado sugar
- 5 tablespoons pulverized quick-cooking tapioca (grind it in your coffee grinder)
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 egg white, lightly beaten
- 2 tablespoons turbinado sugar
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This recipe calls for a lot of dough – if you have a large food processor or cut in butter by hand or with a grater, make it all at once. Otherwise, you may find it easier to make two batches.
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Combine flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of your food processor. Chop cold butter, and add to flour mixture by pulsing several times. Drizzle in ice water, pulsing food processor just until dough holds together. (If you are new to pie dough, add a little extra water to help dough hold together; just add plenty of flour while rolling dough out.)
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Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gather into a ball. Divide in 2, flatten into discs, and wrap each tightly with plastic wrap.
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Chill both discs 30 minutes, but preferably longer, in the refrigerator. Meanwhile prepare the filling.
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Meanwhile, toss all of the filling ingredients together and set aside while you roll out the crust.
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Grease a half-size rimmed baking sheet (12 x 17 x 1 inches) and set aside. Clear some space in your freezer to chill bottom crust.
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Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
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On a parchment-lined, lightly floured large working space roll out dough for the bottom crust. Your rectangle should be about 15 x 20-inches. Working quickly, fold dough into quarters, and unfold in greased cookie sheet. Trim all but 1-inch of crust from the edges. Place in freezer while you prepare top crust.
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Roll out top crust. With a sharp knife, cut into 1-inch strips.
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Remove bottom crust from freezer, spoon filling into cold shell, and then work quickly to weave your lattice over the top. (For a step-by-step guide on lattice weaving, click here.) Crimp up edges. Brush egg white on top and sprinkle with sugar.
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Bake 45 - 55 minutes, or until filling is bubbling and crust is a light golden hue. Cool several hours before serving.
Looks delicious. Great ratio of fruit to crust too. I’m happy to have a dispensation to not peel the peaches. Even with poaching and icing, they never want to come off for me.
Happy belated birthday!
I am so happy you posted about slab pie again! In my family we call it “yard pie” since it’s so big, and we typically make it as a thin apple pie. Peach sounds delicious. I’ll have to make it for my next big party!
Slab pie! This sounds like such a treat and what a perfect way to end a summer meal.
Beautiful pie! I’ve got slab pie on my to-bake list, and this one just makes me want to get baking! And, happy belated birthday!
Sounded like a lovely night with a lovely pie 🙂
Happy Belated Birthday!! The dinner party looks glorious. And I’m so excited for this recipe – I just bought tons of peaches at a local orchard!
Happy Birthday 🙂 slab pie is the best.
What a lovely dinner party.
This looks incredibly delicious and wonderful.
This is the first slab pie I’ve ever seen, and it sounds lovely! I love baking with peaches, and I’m sure this would be the PERFECT use for the summer’s fresh peaches. Bookmarking this one! 🙂
Ooooooh! Happy belated birthday! What a marvelous way to celebrate!!!
What a lovely dinner party! And that pie – I have never had a slab pie before, but I really need to change that because this looks so delicious!
Yummmmmmmmmmy , I love the idea of baking a pie on a cookie sheet!
This looks delicious! I’ve been looking through your site for the last hour, and I really love it. Beautiful recipes and pictures! I wish it was summer again so I could have a piece of this pie!
Made this yesterday with some perfectly ripe Georgia peaches bought from the The Peach Truck when it made it’s annual trek from Georgia to Ohio. It was just delicious. the crust was really good and easy to work with. I made it in two batches in my food processor which worked out since you make two crusts anyway. absolutely delicious all butter pastry and fresh peaches at their best. Little bit of sugar and i tiny bit of cinnamon. I might actually start using a half recipe of the dough for my regular crust.