High Altitude Peach Pie

Indulge in a slice of freshly baked peach pie with a golden, flaky crust filled with sun-ripened peaches that melt into a sweet, tangy symphony of summer flavors. Every bite is bursting with juicy fruit, perfectly balanced with just the right amount of spice.

End of summer in Colorado means the Palisade peach season. Everyone in Colorado knows that the most flavorful, juicy peaches come from Palisade, Colorado. My family makes the 3 hour drive every year to get pounds upon pounds of fresh Palisade peaches. Our favorite thing to make with fresh, juicy peaches is this High Altitude Peach Pie.

Recommended tools:

• LARGE POT OR PEELER – to peel the peaches either blanche them in a large pot of boiling water (see below for directions) or use a peeler
• KNIFE – to slice up fresh peaches into perfect bite-size pieces
• LARGE MIXING BOWL – used for mixing the peach pie filling together
• MEASURING CUPS & SPOONS – remember baking, especially at high altitude, is like science. Accurate measurements are needed for a successful peach pie!
• 9 INCH PIE BAKING DISH – use a deep pie baking dish to prevent the filling from spilling over
• OPTIONAL: PIE CRUST SHIELD – this high altitude peach pie requires a long baking time, so the outer edge of the crust will need to be covered to prevent it from burning. Foil cut in a circle can be used instead of a pie crust shield.

High Altitude Peach Pie Ingredients:

• 2 PIE CRUSTS – use 2 pie crusts for the bottom crust and top lattice layer. Any store bought or homemade pie crusts will work. Check out this delicious homemade HIGH ALTITUDE PIE CRUST.
• PEACHES – fresh, ripe peaches that are peeled, pitted, and sliced into chunks
• LEMON JUICE – helps that peaches keep their coloring and adds a brightness to the flavor
• ALL PURPOSE FLOUR – helps the pie to set up and not be runny (especially at high altitude!)
• SUGAR – white sugar sweetens the filling
• SALT – never skip the salt, a tiny bit of salt helps to bring out all the other flavors
• CINNAMON – for the perfect hint of spice
• VANILLA EXTRACT – helps to enhance all the flavors (a little secret of mine…vanilla is the one ingredient I never measure when I’m baking)
• EGG & MILK – this creates the egg wash for a shiny baked pie crust

How to make High Altitude Peach Pie:

PREPARE BOTTOM PIE CRUSTS – place the bottom crust into the pie baking dish. TIP – keep the pie crust COLD for the best result. Place the prepared pie crust in the refrigerator while mixing up the pie filling. Keep the second pie crust in the refrigerator until you’re ready to make the lattice.

PEEL PEACHES, REMOVE THE PIT, SLICE INTO CHUNKS – cut the peaches into 1 inch square pieces to help the peaches maintain a soft texture instead of turning to mush

MIX TOGETHER PEACH PIE FILLING – gently mix together all the pie filling ingredients and pour into the prepared pie crust.

ADD LATTICE PIE CRUST TO TOP – roll out the second pie crust into a 12 inch diameter. Use a knife or pizza cutter to cut 1/2 inch wide strips across the length of the pie dough. Lay half of the strips from left to right approximately 1.5-2 inches apart. Gently pull back every other strip, add 1 additional strip top to bottom (or perpendicular), lay the strips back down, then repeat by pulling back the other left or right strips and adding another strip top to bottom. Continue to repeat this until the pie is covered with strips (as shown below). Seal the edges by cutting any excess dough that hangs more than 1.5 inches over the edge, then fold the bottom pie crust up and over the ends of the lattice strips, and press together for a smooth edge.

BRUSH THE LATTICE PIE CRUST WITH EGG WASH – combine the egg and milk and brush across the top and edge of the pie crust.

BAKE – bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes then decrease the temperature to 375 degrees (without taking the pie out). Continue to bake for 60 – 70 minutes.

Tips for a successful Peach Pie:

• SOFT NOT MUSHY PEACHES – soft, ripe peaches provide the best flavor and texture for a peach pie. Mushy peaches will make a mushy peach pie.
• BAKING SHEET BELOW – add a baking sheet with foil below the pie to catch any pie filling that overflows. This will make cleaning up so much easier.
• COOL COMPLETELY – warm peach pie sounds AMAZING but trying to get slices of pie out will be a disaster. Let the peach pie cool completely for a perfectly set up peach pie.
• MOVE OVEN RACK – move the oven rack to the lower 1/3 position in your oven. This will allow the bottom pie crust to crisp up and prevent a soggy bottom pie.
• INTERNAL TEMP – most recipes state a peach pie filling will reach 200 degrees when it is finished. But at 8,000 ft elevation the boiling point is much lower which means the pie will be done with the internal temperature of the filling is 175 degrees.
• BUBBLING PIE FILLING – the pie filling will start to bubble all over (including the center) when the pie is done.
• MAKE AHEAD – this pie is great for making 1 day in advance and store in the refrigerator. This will allow the filling to set overnight, resulting in a perfect slice of peach pie.

How to blanch peaches:

Blanching peaches in a pot of boiling water makes peeling them absolutely no work at all. All it takes is placing the whole peach in boiling water for 1 minute then using a slotted spoon immediately place the peach in ice cold water. The skin will peel off without any difficulty leaving the beautiful fruit.

Try out these other High Altitude Desserts:

If you make this delicious High Altitude Peach Pie leave a comment below and let me know how they turned out. If you have any questions, post them below and I would love to help you out.