Peach Cobbler : 2 ways
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Peach Cobbler : 2 ways
Cobblers vs Crisps vs Buckles and all the best ways to bake summer fruit.
Hey Bakers! I hope you are still feeling summery, because I’m not ready to jump right into fall just yet. Believe me, I absolutely LOVE fall. But we have another heat wave coming this week and the kids are still on vacation until after Labour Day, so bring on the late summer treats!
This month I’ll be sharing some casual classics and perfect transitional desserts to help us cross into apple season. The nectarines and blackberries that still flood our market and backyard are begging to be used, and I know once we get rolling into all-things pumpkin, there is no turning back.
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When it comes down to a warm serving of jammy fruit with slightly sweet biscuit topping sitting in front of me, I honestly don’t care what you call it - I am diving in! But if you ever wondered what the difference is between a cobbler and a crumble, a brown betty and a pandowdy, then let’s chat-
Many of these desserts vary by region (and continent) but largely consist of some sort of fresh fruit baked with a batter or pastry dough topping. They are made in a single dish for easy serving. Arguably quicker and less precious than a full-blown pie, these recipes are the perfect use for an abundance of almost any fruit, especially in the summer.
Cobbler
With stewed fruit on the bottom and dough cobbled together on top, this dessert can be made with either biscuits or a cake-like batter. When the fruit bubbles through, the topping resembles cobblestones. I doubt the name is a coincidence.
Peach cobbler is always a popular choice, but other stone fruits and berries are often used. I will say that firmer fruit is preferred for shortcake-like biscuits so that the topping has a chance to get all flaky and delicious before the fruit releases too much juice. However, a tender, drop-style biscuit or batter can help soak up some of the juices of berries for a delicious pudding-like middle layer.
Choose a deep-dish for fruit-lovers and pack in all of summer’s sweet offerings. More of a crust person? You can create a cobbler with dough on the bottom too!
Crumble
A crumble is a streusel-topped fruit dessert. Like a cobbler, it is baked until the fruit stews and their juices bubble up through its pockmarked surface. Sometimes interchangeable with a crisp (see below), a crumble can be a bit sandier in texture and has larger crumble pieces than a crisp.
Crumbles can also be made savory - think winter root vegetable or butternut squash crumble, yum!
Crisp
Is there really a difference between a crisp and crumble? Not really, but it depends on who you ask and what region you are in. A crisp, is well, crispier on top and may contain the addition of oats, nuts, and other crunchy things (some may say crumbles can have oats too - but again, I’m probably going to eat it either way and won’t argue with what you want to call it).
Both crisps and crumbles can stand up to softer, juicer, or even overripe fruit since it doesn't take as long as a cobbler for the topping to crisp up. Although, an apple crisp will always be a favorite.
Brown Betty
Very similar to a crisp, a brown betty is made with sweetened breadcrumbs or crackers for the topping. ‘Breadcrumbs’ is loosely used here, because many recipes call for straight up cubed or torn pieces of bread. The breadcrumbs or pieces may also be layered throughout the fruit.
Pandowdy
Shoo Fly Pie and Apple Pan Dowdy
Makes your eyes light up,
Your tummy say "Howdy."
Shoo Fly Pie and Apple Pan Dowdy
When discussing all-things baked fruit and batter, my mom told me about a song my grandmother used to sing. I’m assuming this dessert is quite retro too, as I’ve never really heard much about (in the song or otherwise).
A pandowdy is similar to a cobbler, but topped with either rolled-out biscuit or pastry dough. As the whole thing bakes, the dish is removed from the oven, top shattered with the back of a spoon, and then returned to bake until the juices from the fruit bubble between the craggy edges of the topping. I have seen similar versions topped with shingled pie dough, but the idea of whacking it with a spoon until it cracks seems more fun.
Grunt
This dessert was born when the English made their way over to the new colonies and found their first ovens inferior to the brick they were used to. Unlike the other deep-dish style baked fruit dishes, a grunt is made on the stove in a Dutch oven or covered cast iron skillet. During cooking, the stewed fruit is topped with biscuit batter and cooked until the thick fruit syrup gurgles up and makes a grunt-like sound.
Slump
Very similar to a grunt, if not the same, a slump is made on the stove. The jammy fruit is dolloped with sweet dumpling dough then covered and steamed until cooked through.
Buckle
While the other desserts are spoonable, a buckle is the most reminiscent of a cake. It is baked in a single dish but can be sliced and served.
Fruit is typically scattered on top of a simple cake batter and sometimes topped with a streusel or crumb mixture. As it bakes, the batter rises and “buckles” around the fruit. Often the fruit is folded into the batter, but the end result should have the same effect. Think of a buckle as a more fruit-forward coffee cake or a less jammy, slice-able cobbler.
Shortcakes
Not quite the same as the others, shortcakes are individual biscuits that can be served with fresh or stewed fruit and sweetened cream. The components are baked and prepared separately. However, a shortcake-topped cobbler is what we are making here this week, so I thought they were worth mentioning. I like making cobbler with this type of topping, because each person gets their own individual flaky biscuit along with a serving of sweet, jammy fruit.
Shortcakes were (and still are) the alternative to egg-based sponge cakes. They are leavened with baking powder and made tender with buttermilk or cream. A ton of butter is responsible for their richness and flaky layers.
Peach Cobbler: 2-ish Ways
For this week’s recipe, I couldn’t decide between a biscuit or batter-covered cobbler, so I made both. The shortcakes are flaky with a crunchy, sugared top. I added raspberries to the second version where their juices are partially soaked up by the tender, buttermilk biscuit batter topping.
Peach Cobbler Shortcakes with cold cream
Serves about 8
Ingredients:
1 ¾ cups (228 grams) all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup (115 g) unsalted butter, diced
⅔ cup (158 ml) buttermilk, plus more for brushing
3 to 4 large peaches, sliced ½ inch thick (1 ½ to 2 pounds after slicing)
¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)
Pinch salt
Turbinado sugar, for sprinkling
Heavy cream for serving
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Butter a 9 x 9-inch baking pan and set aside.
Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a bowl and stir to combine. Toss in the butter and begin smearing the butter pieces between your fingertips. When done, the butter pieces should be coated in flour, no larger than the size of an almond.
Drizzle in the buttermilk and gently stir to combine. The dough will be quite shaggy.
Turn the dough out onto a cutting board and lightly knead together until combined. Pat the dough into a 1-inch thick disk.
Using a small cookie or biscuit cutter, cut the dough into circles, about 2-inches in diameter. Set aside.
Place the peach slices, sugar, cornstarch, vanilla, and salt in the buttered baking dish and toss to combine. Spread the fruit into an even layer then top with the biscuits.
Brush buttermilk over the top of the biscuits and sprinkle with turbinado sugar.
Place on a rimmed baking sheet and bake the cobbler for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the biscuits are golden brown and the fruit juices bubble and boil up in between.
Allow the cobbler to cool before serving. Pour cold heavy cream into each individual serving, if desired. There is no need to sweeten the cream since it will mix with the delicious fruit syrup.
Raspberry Peach Cobbler with whipped cream
Serves about 8
Ingredients:
2 cups (260 g) all-purpose flour
5 tablespoons granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoons salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, diced
1 ¼ cup (295 ml) buttermilk, plus more for brushing
2 to 3 large peaches, sliced ½ inch thick (about 1 ½ pounds after slicing)
¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoons vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)
Pinch salt
1 ¼ cup (310 g) frozen raspberries, unthawed
Whipped cream for serving
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Butter a 9 x 9-inch baking pan and set aside.
Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a bowl and stir to combine. Toss in the butter and begin smearing the butter pieces between your fingertips. When done, the butter pieces should be coated in flour, no larger than the size of a pea (much smaller than the shortcake variation).
Pour in the buttermilk and gently stir to combine. The dough will resemble a thick batter. Set aside.
Place the peach slices, sugar, cornstarch, vanilla, and salt in the buttered baking dish and toss to combine. Add the frozen raspberries and spread the fruit into an even layer.
Using an ice cream scoop or large spoon, dollop the batter all over the fruit.
Brush buttermilk over the top of the batter and sprinkle with sugar.
Place on a rimmed baking sheet and bake the cobbler for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the biscuits are light brown on top and cooked through in the center (check the biscuits with the tip of a knife or cake tester to make sure the batter is no longer raw). When done, the fruit juices will bubble and boil up around the edges and between the biscuits.
Allow the cobbler to cool before serving. Top with sweetened whipped cream, if desired (cold ice cream would be amazing too).
Baker’s Notes:
I prefer my biscuit topping to be nice and golden and crisp. The buttermilk and sugar on top will do that. If you do not want them quite as brown, skip the buttermilk all together. If you feel like the biscuits are browning too quickly before being baked through, carefully cover with foil.
Try to only bake with worthy fruit. If it isn’t ripe, then it won’t taste as good. If using overripe fruit, the cobbler will still be tasty and sweet, but you may want to toss in an extra teaspoon of cornstarch to help thicken the juices.
Adjust the sugar to taste. More sugar will create a juicer cobbler, so add accordingly.
Feel free to spice it up - try rubbing the sugar for the fruit with lemon zest or toss with cinnamon.
Store leftovers overnight in the refrigerator covered with foil or in a sealed container. Reheated cobbler makes for an excellent next-day breakfast!