Crumble

A crumble is a baked dessert of fruit with a loose, sandy topping made from flour, butter and sugar. As it bakes, the fruit softens into a juicy layer and the topping turns crisp and golden. It is a British classic, usually served warm with custard, cream or ice cream.

How to do it

1. Heat the oven to 190°C (375°F).
2. Toss about 1 kg (2 lb) of prepared fruit with a little sugar and lemon juice. Apples, rhubarb, plums and berries all work. Add a spoon of cornstarch (cornflour in the UK) for very juicy fruit.
3. Spread the fruit in a baking dish.
4. For the topping, use a ratio of 2 parts flour to 1 part cold butter to 1 part sugar by weight, for example 150 g flour, 75 g butter, 75 g sugar.
5. Rub the butter into the flour with your fingertips until it looks like coarse crumbs, then stir in the sugar. Oats or chopped nuts are a common addition.
6. Scatter the topping over the fruit without pressing it down.
7. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes.

How to tell it is done

The topping is golden brown and crisp. Fruit juice bubbles up thickly around the edges. A knife slides easily into the fruit.

Common mistakes

• Melting the butter. Warm butter makes a dough, not crumbs.
• Pressing the topping down. It bakes into a hard lid.
• Too thin a topping. Use enough to cover the fruit fully.
• Serving it straight from the oven. Let it rest 10 minutes so the juice thickens.

In recipes

In the US the same dish is usually called a crisp, and crisps often include oats. A cobbler has a scone-like dough on top instead. A streusel is a very similar crumb mix, but it is used on cakes and muffins. You can make the topping ahead and freeze it, then scatter it on frozen. Leftover crumble keeps in the fridge for up to 3 days; warm it in the oven to crisp the top again.