"Fried Peach Pies-Cooks Country

By RoketJSquerl

If desired, freeze fried pies after completely cooling. When reheating, I baked @400F for about 15 minutes - pie came out great. Next time, I'll add parchment paper when reheating to soak up the oil that was released.

Ingredients

• 4 ripe peaches, peeled, halved, pitted, and cut into half inch wedges, or twenty ounces frozen peaches (we used frozen because peaches aren’t quite in season yet, and they still worked perfectly!!)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• Salt
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice (we used a fresh lemon for this)
• 2 cups (ten ounces) all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, and cooled
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 2 quarts peanut or vegetable oil

Preparation

Step 1

Now it is time to get started…

Combine peaches, sugar, and 1/8 teaspoon salt in medium saucepan. Cover and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally and breaking up peaches with spoon, until tender, about 5 minutes for fresh peaches and 16-19 minutes for frozen peaches.

2. Uncover and continue to cook, stirring and mashing frequently with potato masher to course puree, until mixture is thickened and measures about 1 2/3 cups, 7-13 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in lemon juice, and let cool completely. (Filling can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.)

3. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Pulse flour, baking powder, and 3/4 teaspoon salt in food processor until combined, about 3 pulses. Add melted butter and pulse until mixture resembles wet sand, about 8 pulses, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add milk and process until no floury bits remain and dough looks pebbly, about 8 seconds.

4. Turn dough onto lightly floured counter, gather into disk, and divide into 8 equal pieces. Roll each piece between your hands into a ball, then press to flatten into round. Place rounds on prepared sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

5. Working with 1 piece of dough at a time, roll into 6- to 7-inch circle about 1/8 inch thick on lightly floured counter. Place 3 tablespoons filling in center of circle. Brush edges of dough with water and fold dough over filling to create half-moon shape, lightly pressing out air at seam. Trim any ragged edges and crimp edges with tines of fork to seal. Return pies to prepared sheet, cover with plastic, and refrigerate until read to fry, up to 24 hours.

Now this part is definitely not the easiest, but don’t be discouraged if the pies aren’t as pretty as you’d like! As you can see, mine definitely weren’t all picture perfect.

6. Line platter with triple layer of paper towels. Add oil to large Dutch oven until it measures about 1 1/2 inches deep and heat over medium-high heat to 375 degrees. Gently place 4 pies in hot oil and fry until golden brown, about 1 1/2 minutes per side, using slotted spatula or spider to flip. Adjust burner, if necessary, to maintain oil temperature between 350 and 375 degrees. Transfer to prepared platter. Return oil to 375 degrees and repeat with remaining 4 pies. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.