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Epicurious

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

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.

What you’ll need

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