Fresh Peach Cobbler

Ingredients

The Peach Filling

Ripe, fragrant peaches make this cobbler. If they smell like a peach should, you're in business. The ginger is optional. Leave it out and you have the cobbler as written.

• 1000g (7 cups sliced (about 7 medium)) fresh peaches, sliced ½ inch thick
• 100g (½ cup) granulated sugar
• 20g (2½ tbsp) cornstarch
• 15g (1 tbsp) lemon juice
• 5g (1 tsp) vanilla extract
• 2g (¾ tsp) ground cinnamon
• 6g (1 tbsp) fresh ginger, finely grated (optional)
• 1g (¼ tsp) fine salt
• 15g (1 tbsp) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

The Biscuit Topping

A drop biscuit dough. Cold butter and a light hand are the whole game here.

• 190g (1½ cups + 1 tbsp) all-purpose flour
• 50g (¼ cup) granulated sugar
• 10g (2¼ tsp) baking powder
• 3g (½ tsp) fine salt
• 85g (6 tbsp) cold unsalted butter, cubed
• 150g (½ cup + 2 tbsp) cold buttermilk
• 5g (1 tsp) vanilla extract

For Finishing

• 15g (1 tbsp) buttermilk or heavy cream
• 15g (1 tbsp) coarse or granulated sugar

Pro tip: Peeling is optional. I usually leave the skins on. They soften completely in the oven and carry a lot of that peach color and flavor.

Equipment

Method

Prep the Peaches

Everything in the filling has a job. The cornstarch thickens the juice, the lemon keeps the flavor bright, and the salt makes the peaches taste more like peaches.

1. Heat the Oven. Heat the oven to 375F (190C). Butter a 9-inch square or similar 2-quart baking dish.
2. Slice the Peaches. Cut the peaches into ½-inch slices. No need to peel unless you want to. Slices thinner than that turn to mush, and thicker ones won't soften evenly.
3. Mix the Dry Ingredients First. In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, and salt before any fruit goes in. Cornstarch added straight to wet peaches clumps. Dispersed in sugar first, it coats every slice evenly.
4. Toss the Filling. Add the peaches, lemon juice, and vanilla to the sugar mixture and toss until every slice is evenly coated. If you're going with ginger, add the grated fresh ginger here with the vanilla so it gets spread through every slice.

Tip: Taste a slice of peach before you start. If your fruit is on the tart side, that's fine. If it's very sweet, you can pull the sugar back to 80g and the cobbler won't miss it.

Give the Filling a Head Start

The peaches go in the oven alone for 15 minutes before the topping. This is the move that separates a cobbler with a baked bottom from one with raw dough hiding under the biscuits.

1. Fill the Dish. Transfer the peaches and all their juices to the buttered dish. Scatter the small pieces of butter over the top.
2. Par-Bake. Bake uncovered for 15 minutes while you make the topping. The filling starts bubbling and the cornstarch begins to activate, so the biscuits land on hot fruit instead of cold fruit.

Make the Biscuit Topping

This is a drop biscuit, which means no rolling and no cutting. Cold butter and minimal mixing give you a tender interior and a craggy golden top.

1. Whisk the Dry Ingredients. Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.
2. Cut In the Cold Butter. Cut the cold butter into the flour with a pastry cutter, bench scraper, or your fingertips until you have pea-sized pieces and some smaller crumbs. Those butter pieces melt in the oven and leave pockets of steam that lift the biscuits.
3. Add the Buttermilk. Stir the vanilla into the cold buttermilk, then pour it into the flour mixture. Fold just until no dry flour remains. Don't work it smooth. A shaggy, lumpy dough bakes into a tender biscuit. A smooth dough bakes into a tough one, because overmixing develops gluten and this is one place we don't want it.

Tip: If your kitchen is hot, cube the butter and put it back in the fridge until the moment you need it. Cold butter is what gives the topping its rise and its tender crumb.

Top and Finish

Rough and rustic is exactly right here. The gaps between biscuits are not a flaw, they're the ventilation system.

1. Drop the Dough. Pull the hot dish from the oven. Drop the dough in rough spoonfuls over the hot peaches, leaving a few openings between them so steam can escape. Sealed tops trap steam and give you soggy biscuits.
2. Brush and Sprinkle. Brush the topping with buttermilk or cream and sprinkle with the sugar. That's your deep golden color and crunchy top.

Bake, Then Wait

The bake is easy. The rest is where most people lose patience, and it's the difference between cobbler and peach soup.

1. Bake. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes. It's ready when the topping is deeply golden and the peach filling bubbles vigorously through the openings. The center of the biscuits should reach about 200F (93C) on an instant-read thermometer.
2. Rest at Least 30 Minutes. Let it rest for at least 30 minutes before serving. The filling will look loose straight from the oven. Cornstarch finishes setting as it cools, so the juices thicken during the rest, not during the bake. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Wait: PT30M

Tip: Vigorous bubbling through the gaps is your visual thermometer. Gentle bubbles at the edge mean the center juices haven't hit thickening temperature yet. Give it more time.

Bake

One oven temperature start to finish. The par-bake and the final bake both happen at 375F (190C).

Oven: 190°C / 375°F. Internal temperature when done: 93°C / 200°F.

Standard Oven (recommended)

A middle rack and an uncovered dish are all this needs.

Equipment: 9-inch square or 2-quart baking dish

1. Par-Bake the Filling. Bake the peach filling alone, uncovered, at 375F (190C) for 15 minutes.
2. Bake with the Topping. Add the biscuit topping and bake 35 to 45 minutes, until the topping is deeply golden, the filling bubbles vigorously through the openings, and the biscuit centers reach about 200F (93C).
3. Rest. Rest at least 30 minutes on a rack before serving so the filling thickens.

Note: If the biscuits are browning fast but the filling isn't bubbling hard yet, tent loosely with foil and keep baking. Color is not doneness. Bubbling is.

Storage

• Room temperature: Up to 1 day, loosely covered. The topping stays crispest at room temperature.
• Refrigerated: Up to 4 days, covered. The biscuits soften but the flavor holds.
• Frozen: Up to 3 months. Freeze fully baked and cooled, wrapped tightly, in portions or whole.

Warm at 350F (175C) for 15 to 20 minutes to re-crisp the topping. A few minutes uncovered at the end brings the crunch back.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to peel the peaches?

No. I usually leave the skins on. They soften completely during the bake and add color and flavor to the filling. If skins bother you, blanch the peaches in boiling water for 30 seconds, shock them in ice water, and the skins slip right off.

Can I use frozen or canned peaches?

Frozen works well. Use 1000g, thaw completely, and drain off the excess liquid before tossing with the sugar mixture. Canned peaches are the last resort. Drain them very well and cut the sugar to 60g since they're already packed in syrup.

My filling came out runny. What happened?

Almost always one of two things. Either the cobbler didn't rest long enough, since cornstarch keeps thickening as it cools, or the filling never reached a hard bubble in the oven. Weigh the cornstarch rather than scooping it, bake until the juices bubble vigorously through the openings, and give it the full 30 minute rest.

I don't have buttermilk. What can I substitute?

Stir 8g (2 tsp) of lemon juice into 150g (½ cup + 2 tbsp) of cold whole milk and let it sit for 5 minutes. It won't be quite as thick as true buttermilk, but the acidity does the same job of tenderizing the biscuits and waking up the baking powder.

Can I make this ahead?

Cobbler is at its best the day it's baked, but you can get ahead. Slice the peaches and refrigerate them plain, and cut the butter into the dry ingredients and refrigerate that too. On bake day, toss the filling, mix in the buttermilk, and you're 15 minutes from the oven. Don't combine the peaches with the sugar mixture until bake day or they'll weep.

Can I use other fruit?

Absolutely. Nectarines and plums swap in one for one. Berries are juicier, so bump the cornstarch to 25g if you go all berry or half berry. Apples need a longer par-bake, closer to 25 minutes, before the topping goes on.

Can I add ginger?

Yes, and it's a good pairing. Peach and ginger have been sharing a plate for a long time. Grate 6g (1 tbsp) fresh ginger and toss it in with the fruit and spices before the par-bake, right alongside the vanilla. Fresh is what you want here. It gives you a warm bite at the back of the palate without turning the cobbler into a spice cake. If ground is all you have, use 1g (½ tsp) and whisk it in with the cinnamon instead. Start on the low side the first time. You can always go bigger next season.

Nutrition

Per serving (1 serving (⅛ of cobbler)): 330 calories, 53g carbohydrates, 3g protein, 12g fat, 2g fiber, 320mg sodium. Makes 8 servings.