Peach Cobbler - My Easy No-Roll Pie Crust

Peach cobbler (or any fruit cobbler) is one of those things people feel strongly about. Some insist on a biscuit topping; others, a cake-y topping. Me? I must do it my Southern grandmother's way: with pie crust. But I put a little different spin on it. 

Peach cobbler, the way I make it, is like peach pie, but much easier. Even if you don't "do" pie crust, you can do my Easy No-Roll Pie Crust. Of course, even among those who agree with me that cobbler must be made with pie crust, there is still controversy: top and bottom crust or top crust only. 

Grandma made her cobblers with pie crust, top and bottom, which explains why I make mine that way. Don't get me wrong, if you serve me one of those other types of cobblers, I'm going to lap it up; but I have to make mine Grandma's way! 

This time I added a half cup of finely chopped pecans to the pastry because peaches and pecans go so well together. What's your favorite kind of cobbler?

(In case you missed it, check out my post about Freezing Peaches Pie-Ready.)

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Peach Cobbler with My Easy No-Roll Pie Crust 

(Makes 8 servings) 

The Pastry

2 1/2 dip-and-sweep cups (12.5 ounces/354 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour 

1 teaspoon salt 

1/4 teaspoon baking powder 

2 sticks (8 ounces/226 grams) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes 

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice or cider vinegar 

Ice water to make 3/4 cup (6 fluid ounces/177ml) liquid 

The Filling

2 1/2 pounds (1134 grams) perfectly ripe yellow peaches 

1/2 to 2/3 cup (3.5 to 4.67 ounces/100 to 133 grams) sugar
1/4 cup (1.1 ounces/31 grams) tapioca flour (much better than cornstarch)
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon mace or nutmeg 

1 Preheat oven to 400F/200C/Gas6. In large bowl, whisk together flour, salt and baking powder. Add half the butter and with pastry blender cut butter into flour until mixture has the consistency of coarse meal. Cut in remaining butter until the butter is the size of small peas. 

2 In one-cup glass measure, combine lemon juice or cider vinegar and enough ice water to make 3/4 cup. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of it over flour mixture; stir with large fork. Pinch dough with fingers; if dough is dry and does not hold together, stir in a little more ice water a tablespoon at a time until dough holds together.

3 Put half the dough in a 1.5-quart oval Corning French White casserole or 11-by-7-inch 2-quart Pyrex baking dish. Press it out right in the pan (There, now isn't that easier than rolling it out with a rolling pin?). It should be between 1/8- and 1/4-inch thick. If it is thicker than that, just press it partway up the sides of the pan to thin it out. Bake for 15 minutes. 

4 Put remaining dough on a lightly floured piece of parchment paper and press it out into a rectangle about 1/4-inch thick. Doesn't have to be smooth, doesn't have to be pretty. Refrigerate until ready to use.

5  In small bowl, whisk together the sugar, tapioca flour, salt and spices. Wash the peaches well, rubbing off as much fuzz as possible. No need to peel. Really, there is no need to peel. Slice into a medium bowl (I use a 2-quart Pyrex glass measure). You'll have about 6 cups of sliced peaches. (I slice them like this: Quarter peach, cut each quarter into 1/2-inch wedges, cut wedges in 1/2- to 3/4-inch pieces.)  

Note: Freestone varieties are easiest to work with. 

6 As soon as you remove prebaked crust from oven, add sugar mixture to peaches and stir gently to combine. Pour over prebaked pastry. Remove top pastry from refrigerator, and cut into pieces and place them over berries in no particular way (doesn't matter if the pieces overlap or there are bare spots). You may not need all the pastry. 

7 Bake for 30 minutes; reduce heat to 350F/180C/Gas4 and continue baking until pastry is nicely browned and peaches are bubbling, about 30 minutes.

Jean