Peach Pie with Cornmeal Crumble Topping

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: African American, Soul Food, Southern

Keyword: cornmeal, Peach, pie

Prep Time: 35

Cook Time: 1 25

cooling time: 1

Total Time: 3

Servings: servings

Calories: 495kcal

A ginger spiced, fresh peach filling is baked inside a crisp pie dough and topped with a sweet, earthy corn-flavored crunchy topping.

7 large (3 pounds or 1.3 kilograms) yellow peaches peeled and sliced 1/8 to 1/4-inch thick
1 medium lemon juiced (about 2 1/2 to 3 tablespoons or 45 milliliters)
3/4 cup, packed (180 grams) brown sugar
3 tablespoons (45 grams) cornstarch
1 teaspoon (3 grams) ground ginger
3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon (3 grams) kosher salt optional

Roll out the mealy pie dough into a 1/4-inch thick, 12-inch circle and line the inside of a 9-inch pie plate with the dough, making sure you don't pull at the dough which causes it to shrink as it bakes.
Fold the hanging dough under the main body of dough and flute the rim of the pie dough or use fork tines to crimp it.
Next, use a fork to poke a few holes in the bottom and sides of the pie dough to allow steam to vent as you bake the pie dough.
Chill the dough for 20 minutes, allowing the butter to firm up again. This prevents the dough from falling as it bakes.
Preheat your oven to 425°F (220°C) 15 minutes before the chilling time is up.
Remove the pie plate from the fridge to the countertop for 10 minutes if you're using a ceramic or glass pie plate, or it may shatter in the hot oven. You can skip this step if you're baking the pie dough in a metal pie plate.
Bake the pie shell for 10 minutes in the preheated oven.
Remove the pie shell from the oven and use a measuring cup to press and deflate any bubbles that may have formed in the shell.
Set the pie shell aside to cool completely.
Decrease the oven temperature to 375°F (190°C). Slide a sheetpan onto a lower rack to catch any possible spills.

In a 1-quart mixing bowl, use your fingers to combine the masa harina, cornmeal, brown sugar, ground cinnamon, and kosher salt.
Add the chilled butter to the bowl after combining the dry ingredients and use your fingers to pinch the butter into the dry ingredients until a crumbly mixture forms.
Make sure the crumble pieces are pea-size or smaller.
Cover the bowl and place the cornmeal crumble in the refrigerator until you're ready to top the pie filling.

Add the sliced peaches to a large mixing bowl and toss them in the fresh lemon juice.
Combine the brown sugar, cornstarch, ground ginger, ground nutmeg, and kosher salt in a separate, smaller mixing bowl.
Remove 1 tablespoon of this mixture for sprinkling in the baked pie shell.
Sprinkle the 1 tablespoon of cornstarch mixture into the cooled, par-baked pie shell. This creates a layer to further prevent the bottom crust from becoming soggy.
Toss the rest of the cornstarch mixture into the peaches until the peaches are completely coated.
Scrape the peach filling and all of its liquid into the par-baked pie shell, pressing it down into the pie shell to eliminate any air bubbles.
Next, break up and sprinkle the cornmeal crumble over the peach pie filling in an even layer.
Bake the peach pie for 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 20 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 180°F (80°C) and the filling bubbles thickly, like lava.
You can place a piece of aluminum foil gently over the top of the pie if the crust is becoming too brown for your liking.
Remove the pie from the oven and allow it to cool for at least one hour before slicing it.
Slice and serve the peach pie on its own or topped with Vanilla Frozen Custard once the pie is cooled.

If you don't want to use masa harina for the cornmeal crumble, you can replace it with all-purpose flour.
You can use store-bought pie dough for this recipe, but you might end up with a soggy bottom.
For a gluten-free peach pie, replace the all-purpose flour used in the pie dough with gluten-free 1-to-1 baking flour or use prepare gluten-free pie dough.
Replace the fresh peaches with frozen peaches, and cut them down to the correct thickness.
The crumble is just enough to generously top a 9-inch pie. You can use less if you prefer.

Adding the fruit filling to a hot pie shell will cause it to become soggy.
Metal pie tins conduct the heat more evenly, producing a crisp bottom crust on your pie.
You can make the cornmeal crumble up to 2 days ahead and keep it in a covered container in the fridge.
Thaw frozen peaches and drain (and discard) any liquids.
Slide a sheetpan under the pie plate in the oven to catch any spills if the filling bubbles over.
When the peach pie filling begins to bubble up thickly, like lava, through the cornmeal crumble topping, that's an indication that it is done. Filling that flows freely, or "leaks" needs more time in the oven.
The cornmeal crumble might look wet when fresh out of the oven, but it will harden as it cools. You can return the pie to the oven for 5-10 minutes, uncovered, if it looks really gummy.
Cutting fruit pies right after they come out of the oven results in a runny filling. Allow the pie to cool for at least one hour before cutting it.
For a just baked flavor, warm your pie slices for 30 seconds in the microwave.

Store the pie, covered, in the fridge for up to 3 days or at room temperature for 24 hours.

You can freeze the prepared cornmeal crumble for up to 2 months in a freezer-safe container. No need to thaw it before using.
To freeze the pie after baking:
1. Wrap the completely cooled pie in a double layer of plastic film and one layer of heavy-duty aluminum foil.
2. Freeze the pie for up to 2 months.
3. To serve, just thaw the pie completely in the fridge. If you plan to freeze the pie after you bake it, use a disposable pie tin or one you won't need.