A Hug From A Pie 🍑🥧
Each and every time life seems to not go according to plan, I find myself retreating back to the warm hug of a pie. Its golden crust blistered with tiny buttery hills, hiding layers of flaky pastry and a delicious treasure to uncover – will there be slices of crunchy apples slathered in a cosy blanket of spices and lush caramel? Or maybe berries freshly picked from the garden, lightly scented with the herbs from the Mediterranean?
There is comfort to be found in making a pie. The many steps force you into a meditative state by keeping your hands busy and giving you time to relax. Pie demands your attention and time. It requires patience and a calm presence. In that moment, there is only you and the dough. And yet, pie often intimidates and rightly so, there’s so much room for error despite requiring only a few ingredients. The humble pie is not as easy as they say.
To make a pie is to face the intricacies of crust and its many iterations. Every recipe has the same base of flour, fat, salt and water. Even then, they diverge on the type of flour and fat used. Beyond that, there is the matter of sugar and gluten-inhibiting liquids to comprehend. The only similarities that thread all pie recipes together are that the ingredients (and equipment) must be freezing cold (but not frozen) and the butter chunks should be in larger pieces (think walnuts, not peas).
Behold the crust conundrum.
Ultimately, the goal is to get a crust that is superbly flaky and tender. And the key is to minimise the formation of gluten structure and to create as many layers of fat within the dough.
Out of the five differing recipes, only J. Kenji Lopez-Alt uses vegetable shortening together with unsalted butter. The other four call for at least two-third of butter as compared to flour, excluding Petra “Petee” Paredez’s almost-equal fat-flour ratio. She also asked for a combination of plain and low-protein pastry flour, whereas Tara Jensen instructed to use only pastry flour in her own book ‘A Baker’s Year’.
Erin Jeanne McDowell omitted sugar out of her dough and Petra dissolved sugar and salt into boiling water before letting it cool in the freezer. The sisters at Four & Twenty Blackbirds added apple cider vinegar to slow down gluten formation, and Lopez-Alt has his infamous vodka. To increase the layers of fat, Claire Saffitz does the letter fold when rolling the dough out.
Once you’ve gone past the differences and settled on a recipe that works for you, it will seem less daunting. It strangely becomes a form of therapy and I call it my Pie Process.
And this is how I start, after my first cup of coffee.
The mixing bowl, rolling pin, bench scraper and whisk go into the refrigerator to be cooled down. Measured flour, vinegar, and cubes of butter go in too. I put the kettle to boil, pour the water out as needed, and add sugar and salt. That also gets cooled in the fridge. Glistening fruit will be tossed with sugar and I’ll let it sit in a bowl for at least an hour, creating a pool of sweet soup.
When ready, I take the cold tools and ingredients out and begin on forming the crust. With quick but sure hands, my fingers press the cubes of cold butter into slabs in the size of walnuts and bury them into the white snow of flour. With a trickle of water and apple cider vinegar, the dough comes together as though by magic.
Very quickly, it returns back to the chilly stillness to rest. It is strange that we give dough time to rest, but not ourselves. Sometimes, I would cook the macerated fruit in its juice and throw in a pinch of aromatics. Or a splash of liquor because I can – the possibilities are endless. A spoonful of tapioca flour (others use corn starch or arrowroot, that’s another matter to consider) slowly transforms the juice into a thick, luscious syrup.
A flick of the wrist to sprinkle a layer of flour across the surface. I gently (but also fearfully) roll the buttercup yellow ball out, admiring the specks of fat imbedded in the dough. Then, I perform a double letter-fold, wrap it closely, and let it rest for longer. At this point, I might get a second cup of coffee.
Draping the dough over the pie plate is like a seamstress stitching the silks of a Roman gown. I carefully trim the excess dough, tuck the folds under and crimp the edges to my desired style (I’m still terribly bad at it). The cooled fruit compote is poured into the pie and covered with a weave of cold pastry. Into the oven it goes, where the fruit will bubble and crust turn golden and crisp. I watch it like a hawk, making sure the pastry doesn’t turn the wrong shade of brown.
It’s tempting to cut into a pie that is fresh out of the oven. But as with its entire journey, it always needs rest. Like a perfectly put-together still life right out of a cottagecore Instagram feed, I let the piping hot pie rest by the windowsill. When it’s time to serve, my mind says a little prayer that it doesn’t get the darned soggy bottom. I like topping my pies with pouring custard or vanilla ice cream. But cream will do too. And maybe a third cup of coffee. B
Peach, Rose Water, and Cumin Pie
I often associate the peak height of summer with peaches. Its velvety skin in the shades of brilliant sunsets and juicy flesh bright yellow like pollen on a bumble bee. Oddly enough, I never grew up eating pie and I probably ate more peach-shaped buns than the actual fruit. Cumin and rosewater might be uncommon pairings with the fruit, but they intensify the flavour of the peach without overpowering.
Makes one double-crust pie
Notes
On splitting the bake over two days: You can make the entire pie and the custard in a day. But pie needs to rest and if you’re serving this for an afternoon of Kaffee und Kuchen, then it might help making the dough and custard the night before.
On peaches: Choose ripe peaches of yellow flesh without mould, bump marks, or holes. I usually pick almost-ripe ones and leave them on the kitchen counter – the fruits never touching one another – until soft to touch. You can substitute with frozen fruit, but you will have to thaw them. If using canned peaches, par down the amount of sugar accordingly.
On spices: I like using whole spices as they keep fresh for longer. You can definitely substitute it with already ground cumin.
On rosewater: This amazingly floral liquid is not like rose syrup or essence. It doesn’t contain sugar and is not as intense as essence. It might come off as bland but its fragrance will linger in this pie.
On maceration: Sugar pulls moisture out of fruits – this important step can help reduce excessive juice and eliminate soggy bottoms. Some people macerate their fruits in the refrigerator overnight, but 30 minutes to an hour is sufficient.
On temperature: I’ve made pie in tropical climates and cannot stress this enough. Pie thrives in cool weather. Ensure the butter and water are extremely cold (but not frozen) before using, and if you want to go all the way, you can even pop your mixing bowl of flour, sugar, and salt in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes. Strangely, many cookbooks don’t talk about humidity. I find handling a crust a lot easier in Germany as compared to tropical Singapore.
On pie scraps: There will be leftover dough. So, you can either store them wrapped in clingfilm in the refrigerator for another pie project, or bake little pie crust cookies for a wonderful snack.
On troubleshooting pie crust:
Dough is sweating: Your kitchen might be too warm for pie-making and the butter is melting. Cover the dough with clingfilm and pop it into the refrigerator to chill. Chilling your pie dough is essential to rest the dough and harden the butter flakes, so put it in the fridge whenever needed.
Dough is too wet or dry: If its too crumbly, sprinkle more ice cold water over the dough with your fingers and work it gently. Once incorporated, form it into a disc, clingfilm, and chill it. If it’s too sticky, add a little more flour when rolling the dough out.
Dough sticking to the table: Always dust your work station with some flour when rolling your pie dough out. The dough should glide across the surface. It also helps to rotate and flip the dough frequently to prevent it from sticking to the surface. . You can always brush off the excess flour before baking.
Dough cracks when rolled out: It’s probably too cold or it hasn’t rested enough. Simply gather the dough back again and chill for longer. And if it still persists, use your fingers to seal the cracks together. Patchwork pie is still delicious.
Crust getting too brown in the oven: If your pie gets a little too much colour when baking, cover the top with some aluminium foil.
Crust shrinks when baking: The dough probably didn’t rest enough. Resting allows the gluten to relax so it doesn’t retract in the oven. Or you’ve stretched it when nudging it into its pan.
Ingredients
For the all-butter double pie crust
320g plain flour
230g unsalted butter, very cold and cubed
130ml water, boiling hot
1 tbsp caster sugar
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tbsp unfiltered apple cider vinegar, very cold
For the pie filling
1,300g ripe yellow-flesh peaches
2 tbsp lemon juice
100g caster sugar
½ tsp ground cumin
28g tapioca starch
1 tbsp rosewater
For the egg wash
1 whole egg
1 tbsp crème liquide (35% fat)
For the vanilla custard
150ml whole milk
200ml créme liquide (35% fat)
1 vanilla pod
4 egg yolks
70g caster sugar
Equipment
23cm pie plate, preferably ceramic or glass
Rolling pin
Pastry cutter (optional)
Spice grinder (optional)
Directions
Day one
Make the custard
Using a sharp paring knife, split the vanilla pod into half vertically and scrape the seeds out with the back of the blade. Put the pod and seeds into a large heavy-duty saucepan and add the milk and cream.
Bring the mixture to a boil and immediately remove from heat. Allow it to infuse for about 10 minutes.
In another large bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar together.
Remove the vanilla pod and pour a little of the heated milk into the eggs, stirring constantly with a heat-proof rubber spatula.
Pay close attention at this step. Pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan and cook the cream over medium heat – keep stirring the whole time, this is to prevent the eggs from curdling.
Once the mixture thickens and leaves a trail when you run your finger on the spatula, the custard is ready. Strain it using a fine strainer into a bowl and let it cool in an ice bath.
Cover with clingfilm touching the surface of the custard and cool overnight in the refrigerator.
Make the pie crust
In a measuring cup, combine sugar, salt, vinegar, and hot water together and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Chill the liquid in the freezer until it’s ice-cold but not frozen.
Toss the cold butter cubes into the flour and make sure they are fully coated. Using your thumbs and index fingers, squash each cube into a flat piece. Once all the chunks have been squeezed, rub the mixture together until you get little butter pebbles the size of broad beans. If you have warm hands, use a pastry cutter.
Sprinkle the vinegar-water into the flour mixture a tablespoon at a time, using your fingers or a fork to slowly bring it altogether. Once the batter starts to gather, you can tip it onto the tabletop and press them together to form the dough. Try not to knead the dough too much or it will be tough. To test if the dough is good, take some dough and compress it in your palm. If it holds without crumbling apart, it’s ready. Note: it shouldn’t look smooth.
Wrap the dough securely with clingfilm and flatten it into a square. Refrigerate for 2 hours.
To roll out and fold the dough, let it sit on the counter to soften slightly. Unwrap and place the dough on a lightly floured surface and roll it out into a rectangle that is three times longer. Fold the dough in thirds like a letter, with the side facing you folded in and the side away from you folded over. This is the first fold.
Rotate the dough so that the horizontal fold becomes vertical. Likewise, roll it out to a rectangle again and perform the same folding pattern. This is the second and last fold.
Divide the dough into two equal portions and form into even discs of 2.5cm thickness. Wrap them in clingfilm tightly and refrigerate overnight.
Day two
Roll and line the dough
Lightly dust your work surface with flour. Place the first dough in the centre and sprinkle more flour.
Position the rolling pin in the centre of the dough and roll it out with even pressure away from you. Rotate the dough 180° clockwise and roll it away from you again. You can also flip it over now and then to prevent the dough from sticking to the table top. Roll it until you get a thickness of about 3mm to 6mm, or until big enough to cover your pie plate.
When ready, use the rolling pin to transfer the dough over to the pie plate. Use your fingers to nudge the dough gently against the contours of the pan, without stretching it unnecessarily. Trim the edges so that at least 6cm overhangs from the plate. Cover with clingfilm and return it to the refrigerator to chill.
Prepare the filling
You can skip this step if using already ground cumin. In a frying pan, toast the cumin seeds over medium heat until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Using a spice grinder, ground them until you get a fine powder.
Toss the ground cumin and salt with sugar and leave aside to infuse for about 30 minutes.
To remove the skins of the peaches, prepare a large pot of water and let it come to a boil. Set aside another large bowl of ice cold water on the side. Pop 3 to 4 peaches into the simmering water for about 30 to 40 seconds, and scoop them up with a slotted spoon and quickly plunge them into the iced water. Once they have cooled, you can easily peel their skins off.
Slice them into segments and in a large mixing bowl, combine with the cumin-sugar and lemon juice. Let it macerate for at least an hour.
Strain the juice into a large saucepan and set the peaches aside. Heat the peach juice over medium heat and add the rose water. Let it reduce till you get a thick syrup. Remove from heat immediately and let it cool completely.
Toss the peaches with cornstarch. Then, arrange the peach slices like a rosette into the prepared pie pan and top it with the reduced syrup.
Create the lattice top
Take the second dough out of the refrigerator. Follow the same steps as the first dough but roll out it slightly thicker. Transfer the rolled-out dough onto a lined baking sheet, so it’s easier to bring it back to cool if needed.
This recipe calls for a thick lattice design. Using a ruler and a sharp knife (or even a fluted pastry wheel), cut the dough into 4cm to 5cm wide strips.
Lay half of the strips vertically across the pie and pull every alternate strip halfway down. Lay another strip horizontally and pull the folded strips back.
Repeat the process but this time, pull the ones that were not moved before and place the next strip across. Continue until the whole pie is covered.
Trim away any excess strips. Take the overhanging bottom dough and fold the edges up and over to encase the ends of the lattice. Crimp the edges if desired.
Cover the pie in clingfilm once more and return it back to the refrigerator to chill for another 30 minutes.
Bake the pie
Preheat the oven to 205°C.
Prepare a simple egg wash by beating an egg with crème liquide. Remove the pie from the cooler and gently dab the egg wash with a pastry brush across the edges and lattice.
Bake the pie for 20 minutes and then reduce the temperature to 190°C, and continue for another 30 minutes. The filling should be bubbling so as to cook the tapioca starch off.
Transfer the pie to a wire rack to cool for at least 2 hours before serving. Pies that don’t cool completely will not set properly.
Warm the vanilla custard over medium heat, stirring constantly. Enjoy each slice of pie with a generous amount of custard.