Tapioca is made from starch extracted form the root of the cassava plant, also called manioc or yuca. It comes in various forms, with pearl, flour, and instant or quick (or Minute, a trademark) being the most common.
This how to baking technique is used with the Classic Double Crust Peach Pie Recipe Tutorial.
HOW TO TIPS:
1. Optionally, pulverize the instant tapioca in a food processor or a food mill.
SARAH SAYS: This creates a fine, powdery texture that will dissolve readily in the pie.
KELLY SAYS: Because I had never used tapioca as a fruit pie thickener before, I followed Sarah's suggestion to pulverize the tapioca in a mini food processor before proceeding. It works really well.
2. Place sugar, salt, tapioca, cornstarch, and cinnamon in a medium size bowl and stir with a large spoon until well combined.
3. Fill the pie pan with sliced peaches:
A. Remove your pie pan, fitted with the bottom crust, out of the refrigerator and begin slicing the peach wedges into the pie pan. Discard the peach pit.
KELLY SAYS: You may slice all your peach wedges ahead of time, and keep them in ice water, if you prefer.
B. After you covered the pie dough with a layer of peaches in the pie pan, sprinkle them all over with 1/3 of the sugar/tapioca mixture.
C. Repeat with another layer of peach wedges, grate some nutmeg over them, and then sprinkle with another even layer of 1/3 of of the sugar/tapioca mixture.
D. Finish with layering the pie crust with the last peach wedges, add another sprinkling/grating of fresh nutmeg and sprinkle with them evenly with the remaining 1/3 sugar/tapioca mixture.
4. Place in the refrigerator while you roll out the top pie dough.
