Rye Rye Peach Pie

Growing up, I was never too keen on peaches. I suspect that stems from the sad excuse for peaches that were suspended in the syrupy goo of fruit cocktail. They were mushy, fleshy and tasted of tin. Honestly, the only thing worth eating were the illusive cherry halves anyhow.

I associated rye with the marbled bread of Reubens from the deli, piled high with corned beef, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut and Russian dressing. The most disgusting combination imaginable as a kiddo. Oh, and rye was from that song, American Pie:

"Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry
And them good ole boys were drinking whiskey and rye
Singin' this'll be the day that I die
This'll be the day that I die" 

I was well into my 20's before I learned that the lyric was "rye", not "wine". Thankfully, I've grown up, and so have my tastebuds. I now love rye bread, drink more rye whiskey than I care to admit, and I am coming around to peaches. So, when I was asked to participate in a food blogger collaboration celebrating all things peaches this summer, I decided to it was high time to get peachy keen. 

[wprm-recipe-jump text="*Skip ahead to the Rye Rye Peach Pie recipe"]

I was handed a sample of Red Top Peaches while strolling through the market last weekend, and I literally gave them all of the cash I had. I had a bag full of peaches and I had to figure out what to do with them. Pie, of course! I am a hardcore pie fanatic. I gravitate towards baking berry pies in the summer, like this Cherry Bourbon Pie, or these Huckleberry Hand Pies. If I'm gonna eat peaches, I can't imagine a better way than baked into a tender, flaky all butter crust. In an effort to grow up and enjoy some of the flavors that were lost on my youth, I developed this recipe for Rye Rye Peach Pie.  

I adapted my standard All Butter Vodka Pie Dough to have a more distinct and fuller flavor by swapping out ½ cup for the all purpose flour for a nuttier and heartier rye flour. I typically use vodka to hydrate the dough as the alcohol evaporates quicker than water and prevents the gluten strands from forming. The result is a super flaky crust. I figured rye whiskey would pretty much do the same in the crust, and would bring a woodsy richness to the peach filling. This Rye Rye Peach Pie embodies the peak summer flavors with freshly picked, locally grown peaches, but also has a depth from the rye that basic peach pie just doesn't offer. 

I am not gonna lie, developing this Rye Rye Peach Pie put me through the ringer. Rye flour has much more coarse grain than all purpose flour, and when you add moisture it tends to get gummy. Getting the rye pie dough dialed was a challenge, especially since it's summer and over 80° in my kitchen. For the record, cold butter and hot kitchens do not play nice. Thankfully, there was plenty of rye whiskey around to keep me from scrapping the experiment entirely. And boy, am I glad I didn't give up because this Rye Rye Peach Pie is far and away the most amazing peach pie I've ever had, and I am pretty dang picky when it comes to peaches.

I did the dirty work testing and retesting the rye pie dough. After 5 iterations, I landed on this flaky and full flavored rye pastry dough. With 2 cups all purpose flour and just ½ cup of rye flour, this recipe is distinctly nutty without being dense and heavy (as rye tends to be).  I am a big butter believer, so this pie only uses butter, no shortening, in the tender crust. The second round of rye is in the filling. The supple peaches get sloppy drunk on rye whiskey and sweeten back up with heavy doses of brown sugar and cinnamon.

This Rye Rye Peach Pie is slightly more labor intensive than a classic Peach Pie but the results are well worth effort. With my tips and tricks (an maybe a shot of whiskey), you'll barely notice the extra steps.

Here are some key tips to keep in mind when baking up my perfectly rustic Rye Rye Peach Pie.

1. Too much rye flour makes for a dense and heavy crust. Blending the rye flour with all purpose flour brings the nutty flavor of the rye without weighing things down. This recipe uses 2 cups all purpose flour to a ½ cup of rye flour.
2. Use rye whiskey in the crust instead of water. It slows the formation of gluten and evaporates faster while baking, resulting in a superior flakiness.
3. Rye pie dough needs to chill. I am not just saying that because that's what millennials say. The longer the dough rests in the fridge, the more it will become smooth and cohesive and band together instead of falling apart or turning to mush when you roll it out. I suggest chilling the rye pie dough for a minimum of 8 hours and up to 24 hours. It makes a huge difference and saves you the headache of underdeveloped dough. 
4. Work quickly when your dough is out. This rye flour pie dough is trickier and has more attitude than classic pie dough. It tends to act up faster when rolling it out. So, let the dough rest on the counter for about 5 minutes and start rolling when it's still pretty chilled. If it cracks, seal it back up and keep at it. If it gets sticky, use a bench knife to scrape it up from the counter. If it warms up too much and gets sticky, let it chill the F out again. 
5. Brushing the top of the Rye Rye Peach Pie with a mix of egg wash and rye whiskey just before baking will give the pie a nice sheen and the alcohol in the wash and the dough will help to caramelize the crust. Mmm.
6. I used Red Top Peaches. They are a yellow peach variety that is tart and tangy in a way that is similar to nectaries. For pies, it's best to use a peach with a more acidic punch, so reach for tangy yellow instead of mellow white peaches.
7. You could spend a bunch of time blanching and peeling the peaches, but I don't think it's worth it unless you have peaches that have an absurdly thick skin. The skin pretty much melts away when the pie bakes and adds a bit of texture and flavor.
8. Adding rye whiskey to the filling mellows the sweetness and adds a depth the the peaches. I don't know that I've ever met a soul who doesn't liked a little whiskey with their peaches.
9. Freezing the entire pie for at least 1 hour, up to a couple of months, will help keep the structural integrity of the pie. It is a rustic pie, but when you work so hard to shape it, you don't want it to fall flat when it hits the oven. Freeze it before you bake it.
10. This may be stating the obvious, but this pie pairs like a dream with a glass of rye whiskey, neat. 

For years, I've vowed that the day I started liking peaches would be that day that I die. This Rye Rye Peach Pie is to die for. Time to drink more whiskey and rye.

Recipe

Rye Rye Peach Pie

---

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

No reviews

• Total Time: 2 hours
• Yield: 8 slices

Print Recipe

Save Recipe Recipe Saved

Description

This rustic Rye Rye Peach Pie is richer and more refined than a classic peach pie. With a tender yet hearty all butter rye flour crust and rye whiskey soaked peaches the flavors dive deeper into pie perfection. 

---

Ingredients

Units USM

RYE PIE DOUGH

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• ½ cup rye flour
• 1 tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 teas fine sea salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter (cold and cut into ½" cubes)
• 3 tbsp Rye whiskey (+ 1 teas for egg wash)
• 3-5 tablespoon ice cold water
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp sparkling sugar or turbinado sugar

RYE WHISKEY PEACH PIE FILLING

• 6-8 medium peaches (preferably Red Top or yellow)
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• ¼ cup rye whiskey
• 2 tbsp tapioca starch (aka tapioca flour)
• 1 teas pure vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp cold butter (chopped into ⅛" cubes)
• 1 teas cinnamon

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

---

Instructions

RYE PIE DOUGH

1. Place the all purpose flour, rye flour, sugar and salt in a mixing bowl with high sides and whisk together.
2. Cut the cold butter into ¼"- ½" cubes. Put back in the fridge to firm back up for a few minutes.
3. If you have a food processor, you can use it to mix the pie dough. Place the flour mixture and cubed butter in food processor. Gently pulse until the flour changes from silky to mealy; this should only take a handful of pulses so watch it carefully.
4. If you don't have a food processor, you can easily cut in the butter by blending the flour mixture with either a pastry blender, two butter knives or even just by squishing it between your fingers, just be careful that the butter doesn't start to melt.
5. If using a food processor, while pulsing, gently pour the rye whiskey through the feed tube just until combined. At this point, I like to turn the crumbly dough into a large mixing bowl to check the hydration level of the dough by gathering a small fistful; if it holds together, it’s ready. If it is dry or crumbly, slowly add the ice cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, using a pastry blender (or the butter knife method). Test the dough by pinching it occasionally. If you aren't using a food processor, use a pastry blender or fork to combine the rye whiskey into the dough.
   *Be careful to add only as much water as it takes to combine the dough into a ball or disk. The exact amount of water can vary depending upon the moisture content of the flour, the quality of the butter, and the weather. When it has the proper amount of water, the dough will come together without much effort or deliberate packing. If you need to add more water, make sure the ingredients are still cold.
6. Form the dough into two disks and wrap them in plastic. Chill for at least 8 hours, up to 24 hours before rolling and forming.

RYE WHISKEY PEACH PIE FILLING

1. Once the dough has chilled sufficiently, prepare the peach filling. To start, halve and pit the peaches. Then slice them into ¼" thick slices.
2. Place the peaches in a large mixing bowl and toss with the rye whiskey, vanilla, sugars and cinnamon. Set aside for at least 15 minutes so the juices begin to release from the peaches.
3. In a small bowl, stir the tapioca starch together with a few tablespoons of the peach juices to form a slurry. This will help thicken the filling so you don't end up with a soggy bottom pie. Then toss the slurry with the peaches.

SHAPING THE RYE RYE PEACH PIE

1. While the peaches are soaking, set the dough disks on the counter for a about 5 minutes before rolling.
2. On a lightly floured surface, Roll out the first disk into a 12" round about ¼" - ⅛" thick. Be quick and deliberate with the dough. It tends to have an attitude. 
3. Gently transfer the dough disk into a 9" pie dish, leaving a 2" overhang all the way around. Settle the dough round down into the dish so there aren't any gaps. Place in the fridge while you roll out the top.
4. Roll the second dough disk into a round shape ¼" - ⅛" thick. Using a straight edge and a pizza cutter or small knife, cut the dough into 1" - 1 ½" wide strips. 
   *If the dough is getting too soft, chill in the fridge for a few minutes to firm back up.
5. Fill the bottom crust with the peach filling so that if forms a slight mound in the center. Dot the top with the butter cubes.
6. Arrange half of the dough strips horizontally over the filling, evenly spaced out. Use the longer strips in the center and the shorter strips towards the edge. 
7. Gently fold back every other strip just past the center and lay another long strip across the pie, perpendicular to the horizontal strips. Unfold the strips to their original position, back over the top of the perpendicular strip.
8. Going in the same direction, fold back the strips that weren't folded back the first round, lay another perpendicular strip on top, them fold them back to their original positions. 
9. Repeat the process on the other side of the pie. Be sure you are alternating the strips that are folded back so that they weave in and out, over and under. 
10. Trim away any extra long edges. Tuck the edge underneath itself to form a ring around the edge of the pie dish. Flute the edges by pinching the dough between your thumb and pointer finger on one hand and your pointer finger knuckle on the other.
11. You can bake right away but I highly recommend freezing the pie whole to retain the shape. I like to freeze for at least 1 hour before baking but if you can't at least freeze the pie while the oven preheats.
12. Preheat the oven to 400° F.
13. Whisk the egg and 1 teas of rye whiskey until blended. Gently brush the top and fluted edges of the pie with the egg wash. Sprinkle with sparkling or turbinado sugar.
14. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes, then lower the temperature to 350° and bake for another 30-45 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. Bake until the filling is bubbly and the crust turns a deep golden color, you may need to cover the edges and or/tent the pie to keep from over-browning.
    *if baking a frozen pie, it may take an additional 10-25 minutes to bake thoroughly. You can test to see if it's ready by inserting a toothpick or skewer, if the peaches feel soft, it's ready. If they are still pretty firm, keep baking until the peaches are soft. 
15. Allow to cool on a rack for at least 1-2 hours before cutting, I know it's hard. Drink some whiskey.
16. Slice and serve with a simple vanilla ice cream and a side saddle of rye whiskey.

Notes

Here are some of the key ingredients to keep in mind when baking up this perfectly rustic Rye Rye Peach Pie.

1.  Too much rye flour makes for a dense and heavy crust. Blending the rye flour with all purpose flour brings the nutty flavor of the rye without weighing things down. So this recipe uses 2 cups all purpose flour to a ½ cup of rye flour.
2. Rye whiskey in the crust slows the gluten formation and evaporates faster while baking, making for a superior flakiness.
3. Rye pie dough needs to chill. I am not just saying that because that's what millenials say. The longer the dough rests in the fridge the more it will become smooth and cohesive and band together instead of falling apart or turning to mush when you roll it out. I suggest chilling the rye pie dough for a minimum of 8 hours up to 24 hours. It makes a huge difference and saves you the headache of underdeveloped dough. 
4. Work quickly. This rye flour pie dough is trickier and has more attitude than classic pie dough. It tends to act out faster when rolling it out. So, let the dough rest on the counter for about 5 minutes and start rolling when it's still pretty chilled. If it cracks, seal it back up and keep at it. If it gets sticky, use a bench knife to scrap it up from the counter. And if it warms up too much and gets sticky, let it chill the F out again. 
5. Brushing the top of the Rye Rye Peach Pie with a mix of egg wash and rye whiskey just before baking will give the pie a nice sheen and the alcohol in the wash and the dough will help to caramelize the crust. Mmm.
6. I used Red Top Peaches, they are a yellow peach variety that is tart and tangy in a way that is similar to nectaries. For pies it's best to use a peach with a more acidic punch so reach for tangy yellow instead of mellow white peaches.
7. You could waste a bunch of time blanching and peeling the peaches but I don't think it's worth it unless you ended up with peaches that have an absurdly thick skin. The skin pretty much melts away when the pie bakes and adds a bit of texture and flavor.
8. Adding rye whiskey to the filling mellows the sweetness and adds a depth the the peaches. I don't know that I've ever met a soul who doesn't liked a little whiskey with their peaches. 
9. Freezing the entire pie for at least 1 hour, up to a couple of months, will help keep the structural integrity of the pie. It is a rustic pie but if you worked so hard to shape, you don't want it to fall flat when it hits the oven.
10. This may be stating the obvious, but this pie pairs like a dream with a glass of rye whiskey, neat. 

• Prep Time: 1 hour
• Cook Time: 1 hour