Apple Brown Betty and Kindergarten

Recently, I asked all our Country Cook readers to let me know which dessert they would like to see me make from Gooseberry Patch's latest cookbook, Big Book of Homecooking.

The winner is the recipe you are seeing today ~ Apple Brown Betty.

To be fair, I had never actually made this dessert before. I knew what an Apple Brown Betty was but I had never actually attempted to make this historical dessert. If you have not tried or made Apple Brown Betty before and you are expecting it to be just another version of apple pie, well, think again. No pie crust to be found in here and no gooey, super sweet filling.

This is as rustic and as homestyle as you can get. Pieces of crusty bread, melted butter, apples and cinnamon all come together to make a homey and old-fashioned dessert. It isn't overly sweet, which makes it a perfect accompaniment to ice cream 
or whipped cream.

As you prepare this, you will feel a sense of timelessness making this dish. It's like you've stepped back into Colonial times as you slice the apples and toast the bread. It's a humble dish that I think apple lovers will truly appreciate.
I have put my recipe notes in parentheses below.

Ingredients:
8 slices white bread, torn
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon Cinnamon, divided
2 1/2 lbs. Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored & sliced
2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon nutmeg

Directions:
Place bread slices in a 15"x10" jelly-roll pan.
 (I just used my large sheet pan. If you have small cookie sheets, you may need to use two pans).

(The directions did not say how small or big to tear the bread pieces. I cut mine into one inch cubes but you may prefer to chop your pieces up a bit smaller)

Bake at 400F degrees for about 15 minutes until lightly toasted, stirring occasionally. (In my oven, it only took about 12 minutes for them to brown). Grease a 2 quart casserole dish (or 9x9 baking dish); set aside.

Combine melted butter (I used unsalted butter), 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and bread in a medium bowl; toss gently until moistened.

In a large mixing bowl, combine apples, brown sugar, lemon juice, vanilla, nutmeg and remaining 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon.

Place 1/2 cup bread pieces in a casserole dish.

Top with half the apple mixture. Layer with one cup bread pieces and remaining apple mixture.

Toss remaining bread over apple mixture, leaving a one-inch border around the edge.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 40 minutes. Uncover and bake 10 more minutes.

Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Serve with ice cream or whipped cream.

Cook's Note: The next time I make this, I won't remove the aluminum foil the last 10 minutes of baking. I think this browned my bread just a bit too much (but that is a personal preference). Also, if you like, you can chop the bread up just a bit smaller than I did. The bigger pieces do help you scoop it up on a fork a bit easier though. 

Don't forget to check out the other recipes I have reviewed from this book:

Hashbrown~Pork Chop Casserole

Cheeseburger Soup

Enjoy!

Printable Recipe Here

And as a side note....my baby started kindergarten on Tuesday!
I'm so immensely proud of my little guy.
Alex is such a great kid (if I do say so myself...and I do) and he makes friends so easily. 
This kindergarten stuff is gonna be easy for him I think.

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