Apple Betty

Ingredients

• 6 ounces bread – torn into coarse fresh breadcrumbs (about 3 cups)
• 6 tbsp unsalted butter – melted
• 0.5 cup brown sugar – packed
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 0.25 tsp ground nutmeg
• 0.25 tsp kosher salt
• 2 pounds apple – peeled, cored, and sliced 0.25-inch thick
• 1 tbsp lemon juice – freshly squeezed
• 0.5 cup water
• heavy cream – for serving

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 375°F with a rack in the middle. Melt the butter; brush a little onto a 2-quart baking dish to lightly grease.
2. Tear the bread into pieces and pulse in a food processor to make coarse fresh breadcrumbs (about 3 cups), or tear finely by hand.
3. In a large bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Pour in the remaining melted butter and toss until the crumbs are evenly moistened.
4. In a separate bowl, toss the apple slices with the lemon juice.
5. Scatter one-third of the crumb mixture in the prepared dish. Add half of the apples in an even layer. Top with another third of the crumbs, the remaining apples, then the remaining crumbs; press lightly to compact.
6. Drizzle the water evenly over the top and around the edges. Cover the dish tightly with foil.
7. Bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 20–25 minutes more, until the apples are tender when pierced and the top is deep golden brown; tent loosely with foil if the top browns too quickly.
8. Let rest for 10 minutes. Spoon into bowls and drizzle with heavy cream. Serve warm.