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Stone Fruit Brown Betty

Stone Fruit Brown Betty in blue patterned bowl
Photograph by Emma Fishman, food styling by Mieko Takahashi, prop styling by Tim Ferro
  • Total Time

    55 minutes

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 authorRita Dove’s essay.

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What you’ll need

Ingredients

6–8 servings

2 lb. ripe stone fruit (such as peaches, plums, and/or nectarines), sliced ¼"–½" thick
2 Tbsp. cornstarch or potato starch
2 tsp. finely grated lemon zest
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
⅓ cup (67 g; or more) plus ¼ cup (50 g) sugar
½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt, plus more
5 slices white sandwich bread
½ tsp. ground cardamom
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
5 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
  1. Step 1

    Preheat oven to 350°. Taste a slice from2 lb. ripe stone fruit (such as peaches, plums, and/or nectarines), sliced ¼"–½" thick, for sweetness, then toss with2 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), and½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¼ tsp. Morton kosher saltin a 2½-qt. baking dish to combine.

    Step 2

    Pulse5 slices white sandwich bread在食品加工机chickpea-size碎片。双re out 2½ cups breadcrumbs and transfer to a medium bowl (save remainder for another use). Season breadcrumbs with salt. Add½ tsp. ground cardamom,½ tsp. ground cinnamon, and remaining¼ cup (50 g) sugarand toss to combine. Drizzle5 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.

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