A classic British apple crumble with a crunchy, golden oat topping and a soft, just-sharp apple filling. Best with a jug of hot custard.
Servings 6servings
Course Dessert
Cuisine British
Ingredients
Apple filling
1kgapplesabout 6 medium; half Bramley and half eating apples such as Cox or Braeburn
50glight brown sugar1/4 cup; up to 75 g if using only Bramleys
1tbspcornflourcornstarch
1tspground cinnamon
1tbsplemon juice
Oat crumble topping
150gplain flour1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
100grolled oats1 cup, not instant
100glight brown or demerara sugar1/2 cup
1pinchsalt
125gcold unsalted butter1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp, cubed
Method
Heat the oven to 190°C (170°C fan, 375°F, gas 5). Butter a 2 litre (roughly 8x10 inch) baking dish.
Peel, core and slice the apples into chunks about 2 cm thick. Toss them in a bowl with the sugar, cornflour, cinnamon and lemon juice, then tip into the dish and spread level.
For the topping, mix the flour, oats, sugar and salt in a bowl. Rub in the cold butter with your fingertips until the mixture looks like rough breadcrumbs with some pea-sized clumps.
Scatter the topping loosely over the apples. Don't press it down; loose crumbs bake crisper.
Set the dish on a baking tray to catch drips and bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until the top is deep golden and the fruit is bubbling at the edges. A knife should slide easily into the apples.
Let it rest for 10 minutes, then serve warm with custard, cream or vanilla ice cream.
Make ahead: assemble up to 1 day ahead, cover and refrigerate, then bake adding 5 to 10 minutes. To freeze, freeze the unbaked crumble for up to 3 months and bake from frozen at 180°C (160°C fan) for 55 to 65 minutes.