Peach Pandowdy
Crust
- 1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour (extra for dusting)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 stick cold unsalted butter
- 2 to 3 tablespoons ice-cold water
Filling
- 2 pounds peaches, peeled, seeded, and cut into bite-size chunks
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
The crust for a pandowdy is basically a piecrust. You can use the recipe above, your favorite recipe, or a store-bought roll-out dough. If using my recipe combine the flour, salt, and baking powder in a mixing bowl, work in the butter in pieces pinching as you go until the mixture resembles coarse sand. Add enough of the cold water to make the mixture stick together. Transfer to a work surface and press together into a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Heat a 10-inch oven-safe skillet to medium high heat and add the peaches, sugar, and cinnamon. Toss with wooden spoon until the sugar is melted. Add the butter in bits and continue heating and stirring until the butter melts.
Move the dough from the refrigerator to a flour-dusted work surface and roll out to an 11-inch disk. Place the dough over the top of the skillet and poke a few holes in it. Place in the oven and cook for about 25 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. Prior to baking, you can also use an egg wash on the crust and top it with some demura sugar. Use the back of a spoon to push down the crust in a few places so that it gets submerged into the filling. This gives it the traditional “dowdy” appearance. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.