I personally prefer crostatas over regular pies. They take way less time to make, less time to cool… Also, if I have a giant pie at home, guess what, I’ll probably end up eating all of it. Instead, this humble crostata serves 4-6 (depending on how generous you are with your portions) and that’s it – no leftovers, no additional unnecessary calories!
It’s very important to make this crostata large (if you compare, my apple crostata is way smaller in diameter), in order to help all of those abundant peach juices evaporate and avoid sogginess.
I absolutely love summertime and all the delicious seasonal fruit that comes with it!
Okay, let’s get cooking!
Roll your pie crust to about 13" circle in diameter. Place it on an inverted baking sheet lined with parchment paper, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour.
When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 400° and set the racks to the lower third of the oven.
In the meantime wash the peaches, halve them, remove the pit and slice each half into 4 pieces or so (around 8 wedges per peach.) You do not want to make the slices too thin.
Arrange these pieces in a circle that's just under 10" in diameter in a single layer on a piece of parchment paper- you are doing this to ensure you have just the right amount of peaches. I find that I usually need 3.5 large peaches. Snack on the leftover pieces.
Toss your peaches pieces with sugar and a pinch of salt, gently rubbing them with your hands to coat well but not to break the pieces. Sprinkle with flour and ensure it's distributed evenly. Arrange these pieces on top of rolled out dough, leaving the outer 1.5-2" uncovered.
Gently fold the edges of the pie crust over the peach circle forming a rustic crostata. Place this into the fridge for 15 minutes, but not much longer.
Remove the crostata from the fridge, brush the edges with the egg wash and sprinkle them with 1.5 tsp sugar. Bake in preheated oven for 40-45 minutes until the crust is golden and the filling is bubbling.
You can serve this warm (let it cool slightly first) or at room temperature. Enjoy!
Ingredients
Directions
Roll your pie crust to about 13" circle in diameter. Place it on an inverted baking sheet lined with parchment paper, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour.
When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 400° and set the racks to the lower third of the oven.
In the meantime wash the peaches, halve them, remove the pit and slice each half into 4 pieces or so (around 8 wedges per peach.) You do not want to make the slices too thin.
Arrange these pieces in a circle that's just under 10" in diameter in a single layer on a piece of parchment paper- you are doing this to ensure you have just the right amount of peaches. I find that I usually need 3.5 large peaches. Snack on the leftover pieces.
Toss your peaches pieces with sugar and a pinch of salt, gently rubbing them with your hands to coat well but not to break the pieces. Sprinkle with flour and ensure it's distributed evenly. Arrange these pieces on top of rolled out dough, leaving the outer 1.5-2" uncovered.
Gently fold the edges of the pie crust over the peach circle forming a rustic crostata. Place this into the fridge for 15 minutes, but not much longer.
Remove the crostata from the fridge, brush the edges with the egg wash and sprinkle them with 1.5 tsp sugar. Bake in preheated oven for 40-45 minutes until the crust is golden and the filling is bubbling.
You can serve this warm (let it cool slightly first) or at room temperature. Enjoy!
And here’s the recipe for pie crust:
This recipe makes 1 pie crust. Feel free to double it if making 2 pies or one double-crusted pie.
Add the flour, salt, sugar and butter to the bowl of your stand mixer. Place the paddle attachment into the bowl and place everything into the fridge to chill. Every ingredient as well as everything that touches the dough should be very cold. Chill for at least half an hour.
When chilled, set up the paddle attachment and mix on low until the flour resembles coarse crumbs. You are not looking for small pea sized crumbs - you are looking for large fluffy crumbs. Basically all of those 1/2" cubes should be gently smashed by the mixer without turning into a mealy powder.
With the mixer running on low, add water in a steady stream. Mix for one minute. The dough should be really smooth. You may even mix it for up to two minutes. Contrary to what we are told about overmixing pie dough - you are safe here because everything is very cold and the flour granules are well coated with butter preventing excessive gluten development. Your dough should be quite smooth.
Next, you have two choices:
- Roll out your dough to the required shape on a well floured surface. Don't be afraid of flour and use it liberally, simply brush it off after you are done rolling. This is what I do with great results to save time - I roll it out immediately.
- Or, form into a disk, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour. Then proceed to rolling your dough.
The important thing is to roll the dough to 3-4mm. It's 1/8 of an inch or just under to about 14 inches in diameter. Use this pie crust as directed in your recipe. (Be sure to chill the dough for at least an hour, ideally two, after you roll it out and shape it into your pie plate.)
We will need to loosely employ a French technique called Fraisage. Place all of your ingredients in a large bowl, ensure the butter cubes are coated with flour. Squish each butter cube with the heel of your hand, and move your hand forward smearing the butter cube by about an inch. As a result you will get large thin flakes of butter. Pour cold water over the flour and knead with your hands (or with a fork at first) until the mixture comes together into smooth dough. Proceed to step # 4.
Ingredients
Directions
Add the flour, salt, sugar and butter to the bowl of your stand mixer. Place the paddle attachment into the bowl and place everything into the fridge to chill. Every ingredient as well as everything that touches the dough should be very cold. Chill for at least half an hour.
When chilled, set up the paddle attachment and mix on low until the flour resembles coarse crumbs. You are not looking for small pea sized crumbs - you are looking for large fluffy crumbs. Basically all of those 1/2" cubes should be gently smashed by the mixer without turning into a mealy powder.
With the mixer running on low, add water in a steady stream. Mix for one minute. The dough should be really smooth. You may even mix it for up to two minutes. Contrary to what we are told about overmixing pie dough - you are safe here because everything is very cold and the flour granules are well coated with butter preventing excessive gluten development. Your dough should be quite smooth.
Next, you have two choices:
- Roll out your dough to the required shape on a well floured surface. Don't be afraid of flour and use it liberally, simply brush it off after you are done rolling. This is what I do with great results to save time - I roll it out immediately.
- Or, form into a disk, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour. Then proceed to rolling your dough.
The important thing is to roll the dough to 3-4mm. It's 1/8 of an inch or just under to about 14 inches in diameter. Use this pie crust as directed in your recipe. (Be sure to chill the dough for at least an hour, ideally two, after you roll it out and shape it into your pie plate.)
We will need to loosely employ a French technique called Fraisage. Place all of your ingredients in a large bowl, ensure the butter cubes are coated with flour. Squish each butter cube with the heel of your hand, and move your hand forward smearing the butter cube by about an inch. As a result you will get large thin flakes of butter. Pour cold water over the flour and knead with your hands (or with a fork at first) until the mixture comes together into smooth dough. Proceed to step # 4.
So delicious! Hope you guys make it and would love to see your pictures on Instagram!
