Baked Apple Crumble with Oat Topping

Soft baked apples under a crisp oat topping, served warm. The topping is rubbed together by hand, so it stays rough and crunchy, and the apples need only a little sugar and cinnamon to taste like themselves.

Ingredients

• For the filling: 6 apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• For the topping: 120 g plain flour
• 80 g rolled oats
• 80 g cold butter, cubed
• 60 g sugar
• A pinch of salt

Method

1. Heat the oven to 190 degrees C (170 degrees C fan).
2. Toss the apples with the sugar, cinnamon, and lemon juice, and spread them in a baking dish.
3. Rub the flour, oats, cold butter, sugar, and salt together with your fingertips until the mixture looks like rough crumbs.
4. Scatter the topping evenly over the apples, without pressing it down.
5. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until the topping is golden and the apples are bubbling at the edges.
6. Rest for 10 minutes before serving, on its own or with cream or custard.

Tip

A mix of apple varieties gives a more interesting filling: some slices soften fully while others hold a little bite.