Apple Brown Betty
If you've got soft fresh bread crumbs and apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced, you're most of the way to this vegetarian: about 65 minutes of cooking across 7 steps. Below: the ingredients split into pantry staples and a quick shopping list, a built-in serving scaler, and the method in 7 steps.
You'll mainly reach for oven and baking dish. At medium difficulty across 7 steps, it's manageable with a little attention. As written, it's meat-free.
What you'll need
Shopping list (2)
Pantry staples (you likely have these)
π Unit converter
How to make it
- Preheat the oven to 190 C (375 F) and lightly butter a medium baking dish.
- Toss the soft bread crumbs with the melted butter in a bowl until evenly moistened, and in a separate bowl stir together the sugar, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt.
- Spread a thin layer of the buttered crumbs over the bottom of the dish, then add half of the sliced apples and sprinkle with half of the cinnamon sugar and a little lemon juice.
- Add another layer of crumbs, the remaining apples, and the rest of the cinnamon sugar and lemon juice, then finish with a final layer of the remaining crumbs over the top.
- Pour the water gently and evenly over the surface so the apples can steam and soften, then cover the dish with foil.
- Bake covered for 30 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for a further 15 to 20 minutes until the apples are tender when pierced and the top is golden and crisp.
- Let the brown betty cool for about 10 minutes so it sets slightly, then serve warm on its own or with cream or vanilla ice cream.
You'll use: Oven Β· Baking dish Β· Steamer
Ingredient substitutions
- Butter
- olive oil (ΒΎ the amount) Β· coconut oil Β· margarine
- Lemon
- lime Β· 1 tbsp white wine vinegar per lemon
Tips & common questions
How long does Apple Brown Betty take to make?
About 65 minutes from start to finish β an estimate based on the 7 steps and 8 ingredients. Times vary with your kitchen and how much prep you do ahead.
What can I use instead of butter?
Try olive oil (ΒΎ the amount). See the substitutions section above for more swaps.
Can I scale this recipe up or down?
Yes β use the servings control above the ingredients and every quantity rescales automatically (fractions included). Cooking times stay roughly the same; very large batches may need a little longer.
Is Apple Brown Betty vegetarian?
Its ingredients contain no meat or fish, so it's suitable for vegetarians. Check any cheeses for animal rennet if that matters to you.
Related recipes
Apple Brown Betty is an original recipe developed in-house by Consomee. Photo: Brown Betty.jpg by KaMan, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons. We add the serving scaler, ingredient tools, timing and structure on top β how we source recipes.