Brown Betty / Apple Brown Betty

Brown betty is one of those 'apple' based desserts dating back to colonial times in America. Apple betty was originally created to use up the stale bread and it is a rustic bread pudding. Sweetened and spiced apple slices were arranged in layers with bread crumbs or stale bread, mixed with butter and then baked. The recipe probably used brown sugar / molasses as processed, refined sugar at that time was an expensive commodity. The recipes uses white bread though I have substituted it with wheat one here. Berries or pears can be substituted for apples in the recipe. Apple betty is usually served warm with lemon sauce, whipped cream or ice cream.

The dish was first mentioned in print in 1864 in the Yale Literary Magazine, with 'brown' in lower case thus making 'Betty' the proper name. It is widely believed that it was perhaps alluding to the race of the cook rather than the browning of buttered breadcrumbs during baking. A recipe from 1877 used apple sauce and cracker crumbs to prepare apple betty. There is one more version from 'Better Homes and Gardens' published in 1970s. Whatever the method used, apple betty is quite an easy one to prepare.

Apple betty is said to be one of Reagans' favorite dessert in White house. Not surprising considering how good this betty tastes. I halved the recipe since I was expecting to serve only two and regretted it as soon as I tasted it. Everyone loved it, fresh out of the oven served with vanilla ice cream.

Source: Here
Ingredients:
4 cups Granny Smith or any baking apples * (I used honeycrisp.)
4 cups white sandwich bread slices (I used brown.)
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed (divided)
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
3 tbsp. butter + extra for greasing the pan

Directions:
* Preheat the oven to 375 deg F. Grease a 7x11 inch baking dish with butter. 
* Peel, core and slice the apples thinly.
* Slice breads into dices or tear into small pieces.

* Sprinkle 1/4 cup brown sugar in the prepared pan and arrange half of the apple slices evenly. 

* Add half of the bread crumbs. 

* Then sprinkle cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg.

* Repeat the layers of sugar, apple, bread crumbs and spices again.
* Slice the butter and lay them over the bread crumbs. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar.

* Cover the baking dish with aluminium foil and bake until done, about 30 - 40 minutes.
* Remove the foil carefully during the last few minutes of baking to brown the top. 

* Increase the sugar level by 1/4 cup if using Granny Smith apples.

This cake goes to Bakeathon and Blogging Marathon #95 under the theme 'Bookmarked recipes' events.


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