Peach cobbler, visible in the top left corner, is one of the classic Southern desserts.
Cobblers are among the simplest of fruit desserts, and perhaps that accounts for their continued popularity. For a traditional cobbler, all a baker needs is some fresh, juicy fruit or berries, a bit of sweetener, and a dough of some sort to cover the top. Peach cobbler is widely made, in almost as many versions as there are bakers. The choice of dough used to top the cobbler is a personal one, but there are several common options.
Sweet Biscuit Dough
Sweetened biscuit dough is a common and much-loved topping for peach and other cobblers. Some cooks like to pat or roll the dough into an even sheet, while others like to spoon it onto the top for a more rustic appearance. This comes down to personal preference. Some like their cobbler to look neat, while others agree with master pastry chef Bo Friberg, who opines that "a cobbler that does not look a little disheveled is not the genuine article." In either case, the top of the dough crisps in the oven, while the underside is steamed by the fruit filling.
Pie Crust
Pie crust is another traditional topping for cobblers. Both mealy and flaky pastry may be used, whichever a given baker has on hand or prefers to make. The dough should be rolled a little more thickly for a cobbler than it is for a pie, and is often brushed with milk and sprinkled with sugar. This is also an opportunity to use up leftover peaches and pastry after making peach pies.
Butter Cookie Dough
When the editors of Cook's Illustrated turned their attention to cobblers, one of the toppings they found to be popular was a form of butter cookie dough, similar to sugar cookies or shortbreads. This is not surprising, since that type of dough is widely used for fruit tarts in European baking. The dough is not as sturdy as traditional pie dough, and should be folded or rolled around the rolling pin when it is carried to the baking dish.
Pancake-Style Batter
One of the more surprising types of pastry turned up by the Cook's Illustrated editors was a pancake-style batter. Unlike the other types of dough mentioned previously, this batter is mixed up and poured into the bottom of the baking dish, and the fruit filling is poured over top. As the cobbler bakes, the fruit sinks to the bottom and the baked batter rises to the tip. Southern cookbook writer and peach grower Dori Sanders calls this "magic cobbler."
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