Basic Crumble Topping Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is crumble topping made of? ›

Streusel is a crumbly topping usually made with real butter, flour, and sugar.

A pastry chef friend shared the technique. Instead of sprinkling the raw crumbs on top of the fruit, where they absorb the juices and turn a little mushy on their undersides, he spread them out in a pan and baked them separately, until crisp and cookielike.

Streusel is similar to crumb topping and the terms are often used interchangeably. Traditionally, the two have different ratios of the same ingredients, with streusel containing more flour, and crumb topping more sugar, so they offer a different texture and flavor on top of baked goods.

A crisp contains oats in the topping, while a crumble does not. Baking powder can also be added to a crumble topping (like it is here) to ensure it's extra light and tender.

For a traditional take on this classic dessert, try the Neelys' Peach Cobbler (pictured above). This all-American dessert features a crumbly topping of butter, sugar and flour that is rubbed together (possibly with oats, nuts or cookie crumbs), then sprinkled over a fruit filling before baking.

The main reason your crumble topping isn't crunchy is probably because you haven't used Demerara sugar. Although, it could also be that you've got your topping ingredient quantities wrong: either too much or not enough flour and butter alongside the sugar.

Butter, which encourages both browning and crispness, is the magic ingredient in getting your topping just right, so follow the recipe instructions. But if you feel your topping is still too dry and crumbly, (even for a crumble) add a bit more melted butter, a tablespoon at a time.

Typically, a basic crumble topping is made up of just three ingredients: flour, cold butter and sugar. However, we also love adding porridge oats for extra chewiness, as in these recipes for very-berry oat crumble and American-style apple crisp.

So what's a crumble vs. a crisp? A crumble is just a crisp without oats in the streusel. It may feature nuts, but the streusel topping is usually a simple combination of butter, flour, and sugar that is more clumpy than that of a crisp.

Often this happens if the crumb topping is over-mixed or if the butter was much too hot. Over-mixing will leave you with a pasty, batter-like mixture rather than the crumbly topping you are aiming for. Using very hot butter can cause the sugars to melt, leaving you with a greasy and not crumbly mixture.

What can I substitute for butter in crumb topping? ›

Make the crumble topping and store in a sealed plastic bag in the fridge for up to 24 hours. Keep for later? Store the uncooked crumble in a covered dish and keep in the fridge for up to 24 hours before cooking or freeze for up to three months.

Recipe FAQs

It can. However, the crumbs are a bit sturdier and not as soft as with cake flour. If using all-purpose flour, use the same weight. If measuring by volume, remove 2 tablespoons of flour.

Too much flour and not enough water can cause crumbly bread – people often do this if the dough is too sticky and they add more flour rather than kneading through it. Other culprits can be overproving or not kneading enough – the things you need to do to get a good structure.

Absolutely! As for the reverse, you probably don't want to use bread flour in place of AP for cookies, cakes, and tender pastries. But, if you've run out of AP and need just a few tablespoons of flour to make a roux, a crumble topping, or to butter and flour a cake pan, bread flour will work just fine.

How is Crumble Made? Crumble is made with a combination of freezing temperatures and solvent-based extraction. Basically, the cured flower buds are flash-frozen at an extremely cold temperature and then transitioned immediately into a solvent. This separates the plant material from the cannabinoids and terpenes.

Aunt Bessie's quick and easy crumble mix, just as it should be. We blend flour, sugar and oats for a satisfyingly sweet, golden, crunchy topping. Ready for you to sprinkle over fruit, bake in the oven, then ask the all-important question: ice-cream or custard?