Peach Crumble
Juicy peaches under a rough, buttery oat-and-nut topping that shatters when you push a spoon through it. The filling thickens as it bakes, the crumble goes golden, and the whole thing smells like summer in the oven.
Ingredients
- 900 gripe but firm peaches, about 6–8 medium
- 50 gcaster sugar
- 1 tbspcornstarch
- 1 tbsplemon juice, freshly squeezed
- 1 tspground cinnamon
- 150 gall-purpose flour
- 50 grolled oats
- 100 glight brown sugar
- 100 gcold unsalted butter, cut into 1 cm cubes
- 50 gground almonds or roughly chopped walnuts
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180°C. Halve and pit the peaches. Cut each half into 3–4 wedges. Toss with caster sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and cinnamon. The cornstarch absorbs juice and turns it into a glossy sauce. Tip into a 23×30 cm baking dish.
- Make the crumble. Combine flour, rolled oats, brown sugar, and nuts. Add cold butter cubes. Rub in with fingertips until it resembles rough breadcrumbs with pea-sized lumps. About 2 minutes.
- Scatter the crumble loosely over the peaches. Don't press down. For extra crunch, chill 15 minutes before baking.
- Bake 35–40 minutes until deep golden brown and filling bubbles at the edges. If topping browns before filling bubbles, cover with foil and give 10 more minutes.
- Rest at least 10 minutes before serving. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
FAQ
Almost always the butter — it needs to be genuinely cold. Also don't skip the cornstarch in the filling. Try chilling the assembled crumble 15 minutes before baking.
Yes. Topping and filling can be made a day ahead separately. Assembled unbaked crumble keeps 24 hours in the fridge. Baked crumble keeps 2 days at room temperature or 4 days in the fridge. Reheat at 160°C for 10–15 minutes.
Yes, straight from the freezer. Increase cornstarch to 1.5 tablespoons and add 5–7 minutes to baking time. Canned peaches in syrup also work — drain well and reduce sugar to 25 g.
Use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend, or ground almonds (150–200 g). Make sure oats are certified gluten-free. The filling is naturally gluten-free.
180°C for 35–40 minutes. You need both: golden topping AND bubbling filling. If only one, keep going. Glass dishes need 5 extra minutes.
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Comments (1)
Don't open the oven door during the first two-thirds of baking peach crumble. The sudden temperature drop can cause sinking, cracking, or uneven rising. Trust the timer and check only in the final stretch.