marilynpeight
My Mother-in-law makes the most delicious peach pie, her filling is always perfectly sweetened with fresh, plump peaches tucked inside. One of the best parts about the pie is the flaky pie crust that encases the delicious peach pie filling on the top and bottom. This recipe for peach pie with clear jell is made the way the Amish and Mennonites like to make it, with a homemade flaky pie crust and fresh peaches in season or with homemade canned peach pie filling. If you love homemade Amish and Mennonite pies you may also enjoy my recipes for Amish Pumpkin Custard Pie, Amish Coconut Cream Pie, or Rhubarb Pie with Crumb Topping.
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Amish Style Fresh Peach Pie
Equipment
- Glass Pie Plate (linked below)
- Saucepan (linked below)
- Mixing bowl (linked below)
- Whisk (linked below)
- measuring cups (linked below)
Ingredients
- 4 cups fresh peach slices
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup clear jell slightly heaping for a thicker filling
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 tablespoon bottled lemon juice
- flaky pie crust enough for the top and bottom layer in a 9 inch pie plate.
Instructions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees:
- Bring the water, clear jell, sugar and salt to a boil over medium-high heat while stirring constantly to keep the mixture from burning. Once the pie filling has thickened until it becomes more difficult to stir and is clear, remove from heat.
- Stir lemon juice into the cooked filling, then gently fold in the peach slices until well covered in the filling.
- Transfer the peach pie filling into a 9 inch pie plate lined with the bottom layer of chilled pie crust *see note on refrigerating pie crust for fruit pies. Fill the pie until almost level with the lip of the pie plate, but not heaping as the filling tends to bubble a lot while baking. If you have extra filling it can be used to fill mini pies or other desserts.
- Prepare the top pie crust by cutting it into strips the length of the pie for a lattice top (see below for instructions), or by cutting small shapes out of the pie crust with a cookie cutter or knife. (You will need to ensure the top layer of pie filling has adequate space to "breathe" while baking). Top the pie filling with the top layer or lattice top. Bake the pie at 425 for ten minutes, then lower the heat to 350 and bake the pie for an additional 50-60 minutes until the crust is golden on the top and bottom, and the pie filling is bubbling.
Notes
Equipment needed for this Amish Style Peach Pie:
- Glass pie plate I prefer to use a glass pie plate so that I can check the bottom of the pie for doneness while it is baking. Once the bottom crust is golden and dry it is one good indicator of doneness.
- Saucepan You will need a 2-3 quart sauce pan for cooking the peach pie filling in and for folding in the fresh peach slices once the filling is cooked.
- Mixing Bowl I prefer to use a mixing bowl for storing the peach slices in until the filling is cooked.
- Whisk A whisk is needed to stir the clear jell mixture for the filling while it is cooking. I prefer to use a wire handled whisk because they are easier to clean properly.
- Measuring cups Measuring cups are useful for measuring the peaches, sugar, water and clear jell needed to make this fresh peach pie filling.
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Ingredients needed for this fresh peach pie from scratch: Fresh peaches, clear jell, lemon juice, salt, water, sugar and Easy Flaky Pie Crust (not shown).
Why use clear jell instead of flour or cornstarch in this peach pie filling?
Flour or cornstarch can both lose their thickness while being reheated in the oven, resulting in a loose and runny filling. Clear jell does just the opposite, it actually continues to thicken a bit while being baked or canned, which makes clear jell the most ideal for pie fillings with fruit that release their juices into the filling as they cook/bake.
Step 1: Bring the water, clear jell, sugar and salt to a boil over medium high heat while stirring constantly to keep the mixture from burning. Once the pie filling has thickened until it becomes more difficult to stir, and is clear, remove from heat.
Does the filling burn easily if left to itself?
Clear jell thickens very rapidly when it gets hot and it also burns easily on the bottom of the pan. I definitely recommend keeping a close eye on it and stirring it constantly while it is heating up. If you see that the mixture is cooking too rapidly you can reduce the heat.
Step 2: Stir the lemon juice into the cooked filling.
Step 2-3: Gently fold in the peach slices until well covered in the filling, then transfer the filling to a prepared and chilled pie crust, filling until the peach pie filling is almost level with the lip of the pie plate.
What happens if you over fill the pie plate with peach pie filling?
As mentioned above, peach pie tends to bubble a good bit towards the end of its baking cycle. This is why I recommend keeping the pie filling level or even a little under the lip of the pie plate. I also recommend keeping a baking sheet on the lower oven rack under the pie to catch any leaked peach pie filling.
Step 4: Prepare the top pie crust for a lattice top or pie crust with plenty of open spaces for the peach pie filling to be able to breathe while baking. Bake at 425 for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350 and continue baking for another 50-60 minutes, until the pie crust is golden on the top and bottom and the peach pie filling it hot and bubbling.
Instructions for a lattice top:
Roll out a large circular pie crust, the size of a 9 inch pie or even bigger to ensure you have plenty of length. Cut the crust into strips half an inch to an inch across, depending on how many strips you prefer on top of your pie. Place 5-6 strips on the top side of the pie and gently fold them back. Place another 5-6 strips on the side of the pie crust and gently weave each strip through the top strips, doing one section at a time until the pie crust is evenly covered in woven strips of dough. This method takes some practice and gentle handling, but is fun to do. If you prefer a simpler route for the top crust, you can also use small cookie cutters, with a shape of your choice, and cut shapes into the top crust of the pie. Remove the extra dough to allow plenty of room for the pie to breath.
Why does the pie filling need to be able to breath while baking?
As the peach pie filling cooks it produces a good amount of steam. If the steam has nowhere to escape it will seek out the weakest points of the pie (such as the sides or any weak spots on the top or bottom) to overflow from. If the pie does not have adequate escape routes for the steam it can also produce a pie gap which collapses as you cut into the pie. For the prettiest pie with minimal leakage, go with plenty of gaps on top of the pie crust.
Allow the fresh peach pie to cool before cutting, then serve and enjoy on its own or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!
Storage options for this fresh peach pie:
If this peach pie is not consumed within 24-48 hours it is best to keep it refrigerated. I do not recommend freezing the peach pie as the filling can become watery and mushy when frozen.
Feel free to pin this recipe for later and don’t forget to tag me on Instagram to show off a photo of your own creation of this homemade peach pie. Thank you for your support!
