Crumb Topping (2024)

FAQs

How to fix apple crumble topping? ›

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.

What happens if you put too much butter in crumb topping? If you use more butter than the recipe calls for, the crumb topping will be melted and greasy.

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.

The most common cause of hard crumble is using the wrong amount of butter. So, be sure to measure carefully! If you don't use enough, your crumble will be too hard. However, to fix it, just add melted butter one spoonful at a time over the mixture until it is a little moister and crumbles with ease.

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.

This is known as oxidation and occurs when the cells within the fruit are exposed to air. Lemon juice helps with this, acting to coat the flesh and protecting it. It also adds extra flavour to your apple crumble recipe and offsets the sweetness of the sugar.

Just place the large clumps of streusel in a plastic baggy and put them in the freezer. After it is frozen solid, place one at a time in the food processor and process just until it's broken into small pieces again. Refreeze for when you need it again in the future.

Cold is better. You want to break up the butter into pieces and you want the pieces to stick to the butter. If it's warm, the butter won't “break” because it will smear and the fat will stick to the pieces, which is the opposite of what you want.

Like an apple crisp, an apple crumble is a baked fruit dessert with a layer of topping. But unlike the crisp, the crumble topping rarely includes oats or nuts. Instead, a crumble's topping is more like streusel, made with flour, sugar and butter.

How to keep crumb topping from getting soggy? ›

A well-made crumb should be firm yet tender, and chewy, with big chunks—like granola. The best way to achieve this is to use cold cubed butter. Using room-temperature or melted butter will cause the topping to spread out and flatten when it bakes, rather than standing pert and perky.

Go too hot and the crumble topping with get too dark before the fruit is ready. You'll be left with too-hard fruit and a burnt topping, which will make both you and us sad. If the top could use a little extra browning, jack the temperature or broil it after it's fully baked. Just keep a vigilant watch!

“I can't stand crumbles that have a layer of floury sugary dust on top. They're supposed to be chunky and craggy, with big pieces of crumble on top. By freezing your topping, it makes it harden just slightly and that means the texture will be nice and crispy when it's cooked.”

Crumble requires more baking time than you think; the top should be brown and the filling should be bubbling. In order to thicken properly, the cornstarch in the filling must boil, which is why bubbling is a key indicator for doneness.

Why does my crumble topping look like dough? This is usually down to the butter being too warm when mixed together.

I always have oats in my crumble topping. I think without oats, it's more a streusel, but I might be wrong. Either way-a thicker layer of it helps it stay more moisture resistant and give that nice crunch.

Either the oven is not hot enough or you don't have enough fat and/or sugar in the topping. Browning is from caramelization of the sugar, not toasting the oats or flour. The colour of a cut Apple turns brown after sometimes because it reacts with air to form.…? Will orange turn brown just like Apple turns brown?

Go too hot and the crumble topping with get too dark before the fruit is ready. You'll be left with too-hard fruit and a burnt topping, which will make both you and us sad. If the top could use a little extra browning, jack the temperature or broil it after it's fully baked. Just keep a vigilant watch!