Homemade, from Scratch Peach Pie for One Person

A Pie for One Person.

Homemade peach pie for one personIf you've been fortunately spoiled to eat homemade pies and cakes, it's sometimes challenging to not let your mouth get critical with industrial bakery goods.  You are cooking for one person, and sometimes a slice of homemade pie sounds so good. Thoughts creep up of trying to consume a whole pie, passing it around to friends to help you eat it, or how you could shrink that 9 inch pie pan in the cupboard. 

You can use a small, individualized tart pan, or you can just skip the pan altogether and make a hand pie. A hand pie doesn't require a special pie or tart pan, fancy dough techniques, or even a fork and plate to eat it.

Remember, from your childhood, those semi-circle pies sold next to those snack cakes that have an unbelievable shelf-life because of the unbelievable amount of preservatives and chemicals in them? Well, here's a hand pie with real homemade taste filled with fresh fruit.

Making Pie Crust

Making pie brings out one of humanity's dreaded phobias, making pie crust. Dreaded more than snakes or spiders by some people, yet good crust is luxuriously enjoyed by those same people. Pie crust is not hard to make. I think what gives it mystical suspense is that there's not too much to it: flour, fat, and a little salt and sugar, so it seems you have to really know what you're doing with little room for error.

Well, take a deep breath of relief. We'll get through this.

I have used many, many pie crust recipes, and a number of them are excellent. For a small amount of easy-to-make crust dough, I would default to Debby Maugan's recipe in her book, Small-Batch Baking. You may have this on your bookshelf now, and if you don't, I truly invite you to get her book. Now. I have it posted under myrecommended booklist, and I don't get one cent in commissions from it. It's just that good.

Peach Hand Pie for One Person

You can make this into one large hand pie or two small hand pies.

Ingredients Needed

Crust:

1 batch of Debby Maugan's Basic Pastry (see her book Small-Batch Baking)

extra flour for rolling out pastry

oil for lightly greasing the baking sheet

1/2 teaspoon heavy cream for top crust (optional)

1/2 teaspoon sugar for top crust (optional)

Filling:

1 large ripe peach, or 2 small-medium sized ripe peaches, skinned and sliced. (you can blanch peaches in simmering water and then plunge them into cold water to loosen their fuzzy skins, but if the peach is ripe - slightly gives to pressure - I find a vegetable peeler works just as well)

1 tablespoon to up to 2 tablespoons sugar (depending upon how naturally sweet the peaches are)

1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

1/2 tablespoon tapioca (quick variety)

dash of nutmeg (optional but very nice accent)

Equipment Needed

measuring spoons/cups

small mixing bowl

large spoon

paring knife

rolling pin

baking sheet or flat-bottomed oven safe dish

large spatula

How to do it

Chill your slightly flattened dough wrapped up in the fridge until its cold yet pliable.

1. After making the pie crust as per directions, wrap it, and cool it in the fridge as directed. Don't skip this step - it's important.

2. Mix the sliced peach(es), sugar, tapioca, lemon juice, and nutmeg in the small bowl. Allow to sit in the fridge until ready.

3. Once chilled yet malleable, dust your counter space with a wee bit of flour. This will help the crust dough from sticking. Place a oven rack in middle position. Preheat your oven to 425º F.

Lightly dust your work surface and rolling pin with flour to prevent the dough sticking. 

4. Take some of the flour from the counter and dust your rolling pin with it.

5. Place the chilled pie dough in the center of your floured work space. It should feel cold to the touch but easily indented with your thumb.

 Roll out your pie crust for one person gently yet firmly by starting from the center and rolling out to the edges. If the dough sticks too much, it is either too warm (mushy), or it needs to be dusted again with a bit of flour. If it cracks a lot, then the dough is too cold, allow it to sit. 

6. Decide whether you want two small hand pies or one large one. If you want two pies, divide the dough in half. You will roll each out separately.

7. With even pressure roll out the dough starting from the middle and roll outwards toward the edge. Gently lift up the edge of the dough and turn the round dough clockwise a bit. Lay it down and roll out the dough from the center to the edge again. Lift the dough up again and turn clockwise a bit. Repeat until you have gone all the way around. Have your dough be roughly 8-9 inches in diameter if you are having one large hand pie. If you are making two pies, then they will probably be about 4-5 inches in diameter. The pie dough should be about 1/8 inch thick.

Place the peach filling on one half of the rolled pie crust dough. Make sure your peach filling does not go all the way to the edge of the pie crust dough. 

8. Place your peach pie filling on one half of the round. Make sure there is a margin of crust along the edge of the peach filling. The peaches should not go to the very edge of the crust. 

9. Lift up the other half of the round and lay it over the side with the peaches creating a half-circle shape.

Fold the other half of the dough over the filling. Take a knife or a pastry wheel (I found an antique German pastry wheel for 50 cents!) and cut off the excess. Seal the two sides of the crust together by pressing with your thumb.

10. You can use a knife or a pastry wheel to cut off the excess crust dough. You should leave about 1/2-3/4 inch of excess dough along the half-circle edge.

11. Using your thumb, press the two sides together so they are sealed.

Cut three slits in the top crust to serve as vents for the steam to escape.  

12. Use a large spatula to lift the hand pie onto a lightly greased baking sheet. Peaches are juicy, and even with the tapioca, there may be bubbling juices seeping out.

13. With the knife, make three slits in the top side of the pie which go all the way through the top crust (you should be able to sneak at the peaches inside). These will serve as vents to allow steam to escape.

Allow the pie to cool completely before removing from the baking dish and savoring it.

14. If you wish, lightly dot the top of the crust with the optional cream and sprinkle with the optional sugar. This will give the crust a nice brown color and a sweet crunch.

15. Place it on the middle rack. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the crust is golden brown (not dark brown), and there are some juices bubbling through the vents.

16. Allow the hand pie to completely cool before lifting if off of the baking sheet and enjoying.