National Apple Betty Day

What the day is

National Apple Betty Day is observed on October 5, which places it squarely in apple season. A Betty, sometimes called a Brown Betty, is a baked dessert of sliced apples layered with buttered breadcrumbs and sugar, cooked until the fruit collapses and the top crisps.

It is worth separating from its relatives, which get confused constantly. A crisp has a topping of oats, flour, butter and sugar. A crumble is the British version of much the same thing. A cobbler has biscuit or batter dropped on top. A Betty is distinguished by breadcrumbs, and by the fact that they are layered through the fruit rather than only sitting on it.

Origin and background

The origin of the observance is not documented. The dessert itself is American and nineteenth-century, appearing in print by the 1860s, and it belongs to the family of thrifty puddings built to use stale bread. That is the whole logic of it: bread that has gone dry is better in a Betty than fresh bread would be, because it absorbs butter and fruit juice without turning to paste.

Apple was the default fruit because apples stored through winter, but the method works with whatever is at hand. Pear, rhubarb, plum and mixed berries all behave well.

How to take part

It is one of the easier desserts to make well, and almost impossible to ruin.

• Use firm baking apples that hold their shape. A mix of tart and sweet gives a better result than one variety alone.
• Toast the breadcrumbs in butter first. Untoasted crumbs go soggy in the middle of the dish.
• Layer rather than pile: crumbs, apples, crumbs, apples, crumbs on top.
• Add lemon juice and a little zest. The dish is sweet and dull without acid.
• Cover for the first half of baking so the fruit softens, then uncover to brown the top.

Serve it warm with cream, custard or vanilla ice cream. Leftovers reheat well and are entirely defensible at breakfast.