Ingredients
5 large slices country bread, torn into large pieces
6 tbsp. melted butter
1 tbsp. granulated sugar
5 large apples, such as Granny Smith, peeled and sliced
Juice of ½ lemon
3/4 c. packed light brown sugar
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
Vanilla ice cream, for serving
Preparation
Step 1 Preheat oven to 375°. In the bowl of a food processor, process bread until coarse crumbs form. Transfer to a large baking sheet and spread into an even layer. Toast until golden, 5 to 7 minutes.Step 2When bread crumbs are toasted, transfer to a bowl and mix with melted butter and granulated sugar.Step 3Toss apples with lemon juice. In a separate medium bowl, stir to combine brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt.Step 4To assemble: Add half the apples to the bottom of a large baking dish. Top with an even layer of 1/2 the brown sugar mixture and and 1/2 the bread crumbs. Repeat, using remaining ingredients, ending on bread crumbs. Step 5Cover dish with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Remove foil and bake until bread crumbs are golden and apples are tender, 8 to 10 minutes more. Serve hot with ice cream.
What is an apple brown betty? An apple brown betty is a variation on the classic apple crisp or apple crumble, but with some slight differences. In this traditional dessert, fruit—usually apples, but others can be used—is baked in layers with sweetened, toasted crumbs that turns into a golden, crumbly finish when done. What’s the difference between an apple crisp and an apple brown betty? Both are very similar apple desserts, but the difference mainly comes down to the crumble topping: Instead of the flour and oat mixture used in an apple crisp, an apple brown betty uses breadcrumbs for its crumbly, delicious topping. The toasted breadcrumbs are the star of the show in this recipe, and we’ve found that making them homemade is an absolute must—the varieties in shape and size give the dish a completely irresistible texture. What apples should I use? Crisp, slightly tart varieties work best in this dessert. We love Granny Smith when baking, so they were our first choice here— but, you can also use Pink Lady or Honeycrisp if that’s what you have on hand. If you can find Mutsu apples, they would also work deliciously. Made it? Let us know how it went in the comment section below!
