Stone Fruit Brown Betty
The defining characteristic of a brown Betty is the use of fresh breadcrumbs as the crumble topping. Why is that important? It means that if you have some summer fruit and a few slices of sandwich bread about to go stale, you’re just a few steps away from dessert. Any soft sliced bread will work, but white bread is particularly apt because of its inherent sweetness; when tossed with sugar and warm spices and coated with melted butter, it evokes the nostalgic flavors of cinnamon toast. Serve the finished betty with vanilla ice cream for a hot-and-cold, fruity-and-creamy treat.
For the full backstory on this particular recipe, read author Rita Dove’s essay.
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What you’ll need
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Food Processor
$63 At Amazon
3-Qt. Baking Dish
$17 At Amazon
Microplane
$18 At Amazon
Rimmed Baking Sheet
$32 At Amazon
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Recipe information
Total Time
55 minutes
Yield
6–8 servings
Ingredients
2
2
2
1
⅓
½
5
½
½
5
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat oven to 350°. Taste a slice from 2 lb. ripe stone fruit (such as peaches, plums, and/or nectarines), sliced ¼"–½" thick, for sweetness, then toss with 2 Tbsp. cornstarch or potato starch, 2 tsp. finely grated lemon zest, 1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice, ⅓ cup (67 g) sugar (or up to ½ cup/100 g if fruit is on the tart side), and ½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt in a 2½-qt. baking dish to combine.
Step 2
Pulse 5 slices white sandwich bread in a food processor to chickpea-size pieces. Measure out 2½ cups breadcrumbs and transfer to a medium bowl (save remainder for another use). Season breadcrumbs with salt. Add ½ tsp. ground cardamom, ½ tsp. ground cinnamon, and remaining ¼ cup (50 g) sugar and toss to combine. Drizzle 5 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted, over; toss to distribute.
Step 3
Scatter breadcrumb mixture in an even layer over fruit. Place Betty on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet and bake until topping is golden brown and filling is bubbling, 40–50 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.
Do ahead: Betty can be made 1 day ahead. Let cool completely; store tightly wrapped at room temperature.