Pie is Michael’s favorite dessert for Father’s Day, and usually I make blueberry pie since that is one of his favorite pies. This year I decided to change it up a bit and surprise him with something different. I had peaches from South Carolina in the freezer, blueberries from our garden, and a recipe for oatmeal crust that I had been dying to try.
Michael is a sturdy pie kind of guy. The filling shouldn’t be runny, it should be full of fruit, thick and well set, and there should be plenty of crust to hold it all up. So with this filling, I precooked the peaches with sugar to release the juice and drained a good bit of it off before adding other ingredients. The crust had an interesting flavor and texture, which we adore. The ground oatmeal is mixed with whole wheat pastry flour, and orange juice is added to help tenderize the whole grains. The crumb topping is a mix of ground and whole oats with brown sugar and cinnamon, and fills in the nooks and crannies in the fruit.
I’m sharing this pie with Pie Party 2012, a big pie bash hosted by Vanilla Garlic, Not Without Salt, Justcook NYC, and Gluten-Free Girl & the Chef. There will be sweet and savory pies all over the blogs, so have fun checking them out and bake a pie today.
Recipe Notes
The dough is interesting and full of flavor, a mix of whole wheat pastry flour and ground oatmeal. Because the whole grains need time to absorb the liquids, you should make the dough at least one day before you make the pie, though it will keep for up to three days in the frig.
If you decide to use frozen peaches or blueberries, I recommend thawing the fruit and draining the liquid, otherwise the pie will be too runny. Save the liquid and make some peach or blueberry syrup with it.
📖 Recipe
Peach Blueberry Pie with Oatmeal Crumb Topping and Crust
Equipment
- food processor
- plastic wrap
- medium saucepan
- medium bowl
- 9-inch pie plate
- baking sheet lined with foil
Ingredients
Pie Dough
- ⅔ cup old-fashioned oats
- ¾ cup whole wheat pastry flour
- 1 teaspoon buttermilk powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (cold, cut into small cubes)
- 1 tablespoon orange juice (cold)
- 3 to 4 tablespoons ice water
Filling
- 2 pounds peaches (peeled and sliced, fresh or frozen - Thaw if frozen and drain the liquid.)
- ¾ cup granulated sugar (plus 2 tablespoons)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen - Thaw if frozen and drain the liquid.)
- 1 tablespoon cold water
- ¼ cup cornstarch
Crumb Topping
- ⅔ cup old-fashioned oats
- ½ cup dark brown sugar (packed)
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (cut into small cubes)
- ½ cup old-fashioned oats
Preparation
Dough
- Grind the oats in the food processor until fine. Add the whole wheat pastry flour, buttermilk powder, baking powder, and salt. Pulse about 5 times to mix. Add the butter cubes and pulse until the cubes are broken into pea sized pieces and evenly distributed, about 10 times. Continue to pulse and drizzle in the orange juice, then add the ice water 1 tablespoon at a time until the dough starts to clump together. It should not be too wet or sticky.
- Scrape the dough onto a piece of plastic wrap and shape the dough into a flat disk. Wrap the plastic tightly around the dough and chill in the refrigerator until the grain fully absorbs the liquid and softens, overnight or up to 3 days. Remove the dough from the fridge and allow to soften, about 15 to 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 375° F/190° C. Sprinkle flour on a work board and roll the dough into a 12-inch circle. Transfer dough to the pie plate and trim the edges. Make a standing crimp tall enough to hold the filling and crumb topping. Cover with plastic wrap and chill while preparing the filling.
Filling
- If using thawed peaches, drain and reserve just 3 tablespoons of the juice. Cook the peaches in the medium saucepan with the sugar and the salt until the sugar dissolves and the peaches release their juice. Mash the peaches into large chunks, and drain off some of the liquid if the peaches are swimming. The blueberries will generate liquid when baking, so only leave about 1 to 2 tablespoons of the peach liquid.
- Stir in the nutmeg, cinnamon, lemon juice, vanilla extract, and blueberries. Whisk together the cold water and cornstarch and stir into the peach filling. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
Topping
- Grind ⅔ cup of oats in the food processor until fine, then add the brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt and pulse a few times until fully mixed. Pour into a medium bowl and whisk in the remaining whole oats.
Assemble & Bake
- Remove the chilled crust from the refrigerator and add the peach and blueberry filling. Spoon all of the crumb topping over the filling and gently lay a piece of foil on top to prevent the topping from burning. Place pie plate in the oven on the foil-lined baking sheet.
- Bake until the crust and topping are golden brown and the filling is bubbling, about 50 minutes to 1 hour. Remove the pie from the oven and allow to cool at room temperature before cutting, for at least 4 hours.
Emily says
YUM! Can't wait to try your recipe. And thanks for posting a link to my sour cherry pie!
kellypea says
I like sturdy pies as well. Would love to try grinding the oatmeal -- didn't think of it when I made my crust. But I did wonder for a minute if I could put oatmeal in it without grinding. Food for thought, right? Love the peach and blueberry combo!
Ramona Collins says
Wow, Andrea! Nothing quite says summer like seasonal fruit and this recipe sounds delicious! Thanks for sharing and enjoy the rest of your summer! – Ramona from Sam’s Club