Peach – Mae Bakes

For this week’s bake, I wanted to do something fun and easy, but also on a personal level, I needed a bake that could be a little bit therapeutic. Baking is my therapy and my flaky crust is my therapist. I’m sure I’m not the only one out there feeling the feels, but with all of the chaos happening in the world, my anxiety has been out of control. This week’s bake is inspired by my need to find my way in the new out of (my) control world and the bakes that get me through it. An easy peach galette that is sure to make you feel good.

This bake is a little unconventional, but super tasty. The fun part of a galette is it does not have to be perfect. It’s more of a rustic pie with a hint of tasty tart. AND since it’s the middle of peach season in Texas I had to do one last peach bake. Below is the recipe for my easy peach galette along with my tips, tricks, and a few don’ts that I did. Enjoy!

Flaky Crust Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed
1 egg
2 tablespoons of milk
1 tablespoon of vanilla extract

Directions for Galette

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt.

Using a pastry blender, cut in the butter until it is the size of peas and the mixture holds together when you squeeze it.

In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, vanilla, and milk. Add to the dough. Mix together with a fork until everything is evenly moistened. Knead briefly on a floured surface.

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Divide the dough in half.

Roll out the dough halves in to 2 circles (they don’t have to be pretty)

Put on a baking sheet and refrigerate for another 30 minutes.

Ingredients and Directions for Pie Filling

4 cups of sliced peaches (about 5 medium peaches)

2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice

2/3 cup of brown sugar

1 tablespoon of ground nutmeg

2 tablespoons of cornstarch

Combine all ingredients into a saucepan and cook on medium heat for 5-10 minutes.

Let cool for 20 minutes.

Putting it All Together

Preheat oven to 425

Pull dough out of the refrigerator.

Add peach mixture to the center of each circle, leaving about 2 inches around the edges.

Fold edges to the peach filling.

Whisk egg with 1 tablespoon of water and brush egg wash on the sides of the galette.

Sprinkle with sugar.

Bake at 425 for 25 minutes or until the galettes are golden brown.

Slice and Enjoy!

Tips, Tricks and Don’ts that I did

I used peaches, but this recipe can be made with any fruit or combination of fruit you’d like. I made another one with strawberries and basil; it was divine!

If you use a fruit with a lot of water, be sure to add a little more cornstarch to soak up some of the extra moisture.

Don’t forget cold butter is key to this crust. If you feel your butter starting to melt while handling the dough, put it back in the refrigerator.

This recipe is very easy, but the dough can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator if you need a little extra time.

Serve these warm with a little homemade whipped cream or at room temperature.

As always, don’t forget to enjoy!

My love for Texas runs deep and one of the things I love the most about Texas is the produce. Texas has the best of every fruit or vegetable you can imagine, but the real stars of all things produce are the peaches. The peaches here are incredibly delicious and can only be described as juicy and juicy. Peaches here are so juicy you have to eat them over your sink… literally. I’m ashamed to admit that I lived in Austin for a full 3 years before ever trying one. I still remember my first bite in my friend’s car and the unexpected delicious juice explosion that happened. I came home after and ate 4 more over my sink. If you live in Texas and haven’t had a Texas peach, do yourself a favor and stop at the next peach stand you see on the side of the road. Trust me. You’ll thank me later.

For this week’s bake and to celebrate the start of peach season in Texas I decided to bake a few mini peach pies. This past weekend we made a trip to our local farmers market and grabbed the best peaches they had to offer. Below is the recipe for my mini peach pies with a hint of nutmeg and brown sugar along with my tips, tricks, and don’ts that I did. Enjoy!

Ingredients and Directions for Pie Filling

4 cups of sliced peaches (about 5 medium peaches)

2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup all purpose flour

2/3 cup of brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon of salt

1 tablespoon of ground nutmeg

Combine all ingredients into a medium sized bowl and toss to cover peaches.

Ingredients for Double Crust

2 cups of all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon of salt

2/3 cup of butter

1 tablespoon of white vinegar

5-6 tablespoons of 2% milk

1 egg white whisked plus 1 tablespoon of water

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

Directions for Pie Crust

In a medium bowl, combine the flour and salt.

Cut in shortening until mixture is crumbly.

Sprinkle with vinegar.

Gradually add milk, tossing with a fork until a ball is formed.

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes or until easy to handle.

Putting it all together

Divide dough into 2 portions, 1 slightly larger than the other.

Roll out larger ball on a lightly floured surface to fit 4 small pie pans.

Add Peach Pie filling to uncooked pie shells. (about 1 cup per mini pie pan)

Roll out remaining pastry to fit tops, trim and flute edges.

Cut slits in tops for venting.

Mix the egg white and water in a small bowl and brush over the pies.

Sprinkle with granulated sugar.

Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees and continue cooking for an additional 30-40 minutes or until tops are golden brown.

Tips and Tricks and Don’ts that I did

To peel or not to peel… lots of peach pie recipes say to peel the peach skin. I left mine on because I love every single part of the peach. Feel free to peel if you’d prefer.

I used a mix bag of super ripe to barely ripe peaches for this recipe. It took a lot of self control not to devour the super ripe peaches over my sink, but it was worth it for the pies. Pick whatever peaches you think are best. If you choose all barely ripe peaches you may need to bake your pies a tad longer.

The pie crust recipe can be used for a full pie instead of 4 minis. If you make the full pie you’ll need about 2 additional cups of peaches.

If you don’t like the taste of nutmeg, feel free to substitute with cinnamon.

Go ahead and wrap your edges with foil before you start baking the pies. Usually I wrap pie edges mid-bake, but for these lil guys you’ll get an even bake without any burnt edges if you foil wrap pre-bake.

Don’t over bake your pies. Once the pies are golden and the peach juice starts to bubble it’s time to take them out.

Don’t be sad if the pies aren’t perfect. I was a little dissapointed when my pretty pies ended up with peach juice all over them, but the peach juice is delicious and adds a little peach flavor to the crusts.

These pies don’t have a ton of added sugar which makes them fairly healthy so don’t feel guilty if you eat an entire mini pie… or two.

You can sub regular flour for a gluten free blend if you want a gf crust.

These pies are delicious by themselves or you can whip up some homemade whipped cream or vanilla ice cream to go with them.

Don’t forget to Enjoy!

Tag: Peach

Easy Peach Galette

Mini Peach Pies