Peaches.....sliced in a home made pie shell. Taste the peaches and estimate how much sugar you will need...and consider the juiciness of the peaches.
Then mix "some" flour with some sugar and toss it with the sliced peaches. 4 cups of sliced peaches will pretty will fill a 9 inch pie plate. Sprinkle the top with cinnamon and a few drops of vanilla.
I wish I could tell you that 3/4 cup of sugar and 1/3 cup of flour would always result in a perfect peach pie....not too runny nor too sweet, not too firm....but I can't.
While 4 cups of peaches and 3/4 cups of sugar to a 1/3 cup flour, mixed and tossed with the fruit usually results in a wonderful pie...if the peaches are less than ripe and not very juicy or sweet.... it won't be enough sugar and too much flour.
Anytime you are dealing with things like fresh fruit or vegetables....experience plays a big part in a good pie!
But....really? Peaches? sugar, cinnamon in a home made crust? How bad can it be????
Linda C

I agree with Linda C, "But....really? Peaches? sugar, cinnamon in a home made crust? How bad can it be???? "
exactly!
If it is too runny put ice cream underneath. Too thick, put ice cream on top, just right...ice cream on the side. Problem solved! It will be wonderful any way!
Sorry I don't have a peach pie recipe, I just make cobbler with peaches.
Murphy

LOL Murphy!!!
I like cobblers as well. Most of my fruit desserts are cobblers.

I agree with Lindac, 100%.
But,instead of flour, I use tapioca,
(the small beaded one), to coagulate
the extraneous juices. I use it in all
of my fruit pies. And don't forget to
'dot' the whole thing with butter before
you put the top crust on, YUMMMMMMMMMMMM.

Thanks everyone! I guess I had it all along. I always use my old red-checked cookbook recipe, which is pretty much the same as lindac's, without the vanilla.

When I haven't baked a pie in a while, I get to thinking there is a better one out there.

Most of the differences that I see in peach pie recipes are in whether to use tapioca, flour or cornstarch for thickening. And in the type of spice and amount used, which could make for a different taste.

I do love and make cobblers, but DH's favorite dessert is peach pie, so when the season hits I try to bake a few.

I agree, peaches/sugar/thickener/pastry=peach pie. It's all good.

I use the recipe from the 1969 Betty Crocker cookbook and it's always delicious, but I like this one too, with ginger. I like it better if I omit the cinnamon. It came from Midwest Living magazine:

Summer's Best Peach Pie

1/2 - 3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons finely chopped candied ginger (optional)
6 cups thinly sliced, peeled peaches or frozen unsweetened peach slices
1 recipe Pastry for Double-Crust Pie
Milk
Sugar
Ground cinnamon

In a large bowl, combine the 1/2 to 3/4 cup sugar, tapioca, and the 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Mix in ginger, if you like. Add peaches. Toss to coat peaches. (If using frozen peaches, let stand 15 to 30 minutes or until peaches are partially thawed, but still icy.)

On a lightly floured surface, use your hands to slightly flatten 1 dough ball of Pastry for Double-Crust Pie. Roll dough from center to edge into a circle about 12 inches in diameter. To transfer pastry, wrap it around the rolling pin. Unroll pastry into a 9-inch pie plate. Ease pastry into pie plate, being careful not to stretch pastry. Stir peach mixture and transfer to pastry-lined pie plate. Trim the bottom crust even with edge of pie plate. Roll remaining dough into a circle about 12 inches in diameter. Cut slits to allow steam to escape. Place remaining pastry on filling; trim pastry to 1/2 inch beyond edge of pie plate. Fold top pastry under bottom pastry. Crimp edge as desired. Arrange pastry cutouts around edge, if you like.

Brush top with milk and sprinkle with additional sugar and cinnamon. Cover edge with foil to prevent overbrowning. Bake in a 375 degree F oven for 25 minutes for fresh peaches or 50 minutes for frozen. Remove foil; bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden. Cool. Makes 8 servings.

Annie

I've always used tapioca to thicken fruit pies.
Seems to me it not only tastes better than flour,
But looks better, too.

And for me, nutmeg is the spice to use with peaches.
But the idea of the candied ginger
is appealing, too.

'Dotting' the top with butter
Is really REALLY good,
But not necessary.
No vanilla, though!
Not in fruit pies. . . .

Rusty

Just remembered I use almond extract instead of vanilla in my cobbler recipe, put in with the milk, sugar, flour mixture. Not a lot, just enough to say..."hmm what is that?"
Almond is a bit stronger than vanilla and goes very well with peaches.

I like vanilla with peaches....reminiscent of peach ice cream....and almond with cherries. I put vanilla in a lot of things that don't call for it...pancake batter, waffles pretty well all muffins even if they do contain almond and/or lemon.
Never had anyone say anything like..."Did you put vanilla in those cinnamon rolls" nor mention it in a pie.

I don't like the texture of tapioca as a thickener....nor corn starch nor tapioca flour. I keep it around and will use when cooking for a friend who has a wheat allergy, and use it to thicken cobblers and gravy....but usually send the rest home with her. I like flour as a thickener; it echoes the wheat flavor of the crust.

My mother also taught me to put a couple of drops of vanilla in buttered carrots.
Linda C

Lindac, seems you and I will forever be embroiled in the
battle of 'tapioca vs. flour, in fruit pies', BUT ...
you have piqued my curiosity with your mention of
a few drops of 'nilla in buttered carrots.
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm......gotta try it.

lbpod, I normally use flour to thicken fruit pies too, I've never used tapioca because I can't find it here, I didn't think those little round balls would do it, it would have to be powdered. Or not?

I do not like cornstarch at all as a pie thickener, it makes it too gelatinous.

Annie

No tapioca in White Cloud? Plain old Minute Tapioca in a box?
For tapioca pudding?
It doesn't have to be powdered. The Minute Tapioca has little bits. Directions are on the box. You mix it with the juicy fruit and let it sit for twenty minutes or so. This is the only way to make cherry pie. :-)

"gelatinous"...Annie? You put it nicely....
Tapioca gives a pie that same "gelatinous" texture....only I call it "snotty".....
Your word is much more polite!! LOL!

And I think using flour to thicken gives pie the slight taste of wallpaper paste. So there you have it, different strokes for different folks! I like tapioca and cornstarch and actually flour too. Or nothing at all, I just spoon up the delicious juices or drizzle them on the ice cream. Pie, it's ALL GOOD, IMHO!!!

I add a touch of sour cream or vanilla yogurt to my peach pie, for a "peaches and cream" flavor.

Annie: thanks for the recipe. The ginger sounds good with peaches; I'll have to try it.

Rusty: I wondered about nutmeg with peaches and also the almond...more things to try.

Lindac: the vanilla in the carrots sounds good. I would never have thought of that.

I've always thickened my pies with flour and been pleased with the results, but now have to try the tapioca just to see the difference.

This is going to take a few pies; my DH will be delighted!

Thanks to all!

lizbeth, you can never have too many pies. (grin)

cc, they have tapioca, I was just wondering if I put those little bits of stuff into the pie if I'd have those little balls of stuff in the pie. So they dissolve? I have eaten tapioca pudding, but not voluntarily, LOL, I don't like the texture.

Annie

No they don't completely dissolve....it's rather like tapioca pudding with fruit....

They do dissolve if cooked properly and for the right length of time. I prefer tapioca in blueberry and cherry pies but like flour in apple.
Tapioca gives a cleaner, fresher taste to me, like lpink said, flour is too wallpapery and I agree.

But improperly cooked tapioca is horrible.

Ick, I can't stand tapioca in a pie. Those little rolly ball things make me ill.

I have a recipe for peach pie where you cooking the peaches, etc and pour them into a baked pie shell, top with crumbs and bake just long enough to brown the crumbs. It uses cornstarch as a thickener and it does get a bit gel-like, not much, but I like it.

Cook's Illustrated says minute tapioca dissolves during baking, but can also grind in a spice grinder first.

The pearl tapioca supposedly doesn't dissolve well.

FWIW CI favors the tapioca as a thickner for juicy fruit pies.

How about tapioca starch (flour?) in a fruit pie? I got a package of same from the local South Asian grocery but haven't used it for much. I do remember the pearl or granular tapioca....tapioca pudding was one of my least favourite desserts when I was a child. I haven't eaten it for at least 40 years, and I haven't missed it.

I have used tapioca flour as a thickener....it can get very unplesently ropey...sometimes. Not sure what causes that but it's really disgusting when it happens!
I don't find cooked flour pasty at all. I like flour in my gravy and in my roux in my bechamel and cream sauces.....the operative word here is cooked. If you don't cook it long enough it can really be like wall paper paste!
BUT....you make me a cherry pie with tapioca.....and I sure will eat it....but won't make mine with it....but really? How bad can any pie be????

So, eveyone thinks I am an idiot for using tapioca
in a fruit pie. I can live with that....but don't knock
it until you've tried it.... that's all I'm saying.
When I cut my fruit pies, they don't run all over
the place. Each piece stays 'put together', very
nicely, and nobody has ever said they were 'ropey',
or 'pastey', (sorry Lindac). I guess we should all
wait to hear from Dcarch. WASSSSSAHHHH DCARCH....

Sounds like we all need to participate in a Pie bake-off. The only way to begin to settle this controversy is to conduct controlled experiments. I think we each need to make at least 3 pies each, using various thickeners, but with exactly the same pastry and peaches. I mean, didn't someone above say something about "You can never have too many pies?"

Can we please delay the event for a few weeks? The peaches available here are still the imported-from-far-away-lands variety.

Any thickener can become problematic if you use too much of it. That's the problem I have with flour. A little is good, but sometimes it's not enough to thicken very juicy fruit and if I put more in, the pie can get pasty. But the same could be said for cornstarch and tapioca. I've used all of them, and you can also use liquid pectin. The pectin in your fruits varies too, which will help a pie "set up" (or not). I use flour in most of my pies, and sometimes my pies get runny. I've experimented with tapioca with good results in a strawberry rhubarb pie, since strawberries are very runny and neither strawberries or rhubarb has much pectin. I only had pearl tapioca at the time which I put in the food processor to grind up to a mostly powder. I have since bought some instant which I am experimenting with. All thickeners can work or fail, IMHO, depends on a lot of variables. I've even read online in some blogs that some folks macerate the fuit in sugar, then pour off the liquid and thicken it by reducing it in a saucepan and then mixing it back in with the fruit before filling the pie. I doubt I would ever bother with that method!

Whomever said "easy as pie" was being sarcastic! I find pies to take a lot of finessing, but even my most unsophisticated pies still taste pretty good. Mostly I just plop it in a bowl and call it "pandowdy" or "cobbler." I can well see why many cooks just said to heck with it and settled for those treats! As a couple of recent thread have pointed out, all fruits are not equal when it comes to juciness. We've gotten so far from agricultural diversity that we don't even realize that an apple isn't an apple isn't an apple. Some were bred for pies, others for cider, others for storing or drying, applesauce, or eating out of hand. Now you can usually only find a few varieties in most stores, and how many people dry fruit, make homeade pies, or mill cider anyway? Too bad for those of us that do, the good varieties could die out. Same with peaches, some are good for canning, some for fresh eating, and I imagine some for pies, although that I don't know for sure. And some years or on some farms the fruits are watery than others. I know I've found that with blueberries, which seem to be mostly tasteless around the East coast, but I'm a spoiled girl who grew up in the fruit belt of MI.

I use the amounts recommended on the back of the tapioca box. If the fruit pies aren't cooked long enough there will be balls but as LindaC stated, all thickeners can be problematic, particularly if used incorrectly.

Not a recipe, just a tip for a delicious peach pie/cobbler.

Add about 1/8 - 1/4 cup chopped crystallized ginger (depending on size) in the peach mixture. Very delicious!
I also use tapioca to thicken my fruit cobblers & pies, but as someone wrote, to each his own.

I am totally into the idea of a pie cook-a-long/bake-off this weekend! We have a potluck at work next week and a birthday party over the weekend so I would totally be into baking two peach pies, one with tapioca and one with flour, to compare! I'd like to try Annie's recipe since BF loves ginger! And my regular peach pie recipe which uses flour.