This Hairy Bikers peach cobbler recipe bakes fresh peach wedges in dark brown sugar and vanilla under a soft buttermilk scone topping. So the Ultimate Comfort Food version serves 4 to 6 in under an hour, at about 415 calories each for 6 by my estimate.
This peach version is “a keeper” according to Si and Dave, who add a touch of vanilla and dark sugar for a butterscotch note. And where their Perfect Pies cobbler tosses the fruit in caster sugar and rolls the dough, this one keeps everything rough and spooned.
The dough is where it’s won or lost, because it should be soft and sticky, a little looser than a dumpling mix. So it goes on in heaps rather than a sheet, which leaves gaps for the peach juice to bubble through as it bakes.
Hairy Bikers Peach Cobbler Recipe
Description
Ripe peaches, skins on or off, get a coat of vanilla-scented dark sugar, cornflour and salt before the dough goes on. Then it bakes until risen and lightly browned, and it’s good hot, warm or cold.
Ingredients
For the filling
For the topping
Instructions
- Heat the oven: Preheat the oven to 180°C/Fan 160°C/Gas 4, then butter an oval ovenproof dish and put the peaches in the base.
- Flavour the sugar: Put the dark brown sugar in a small bowl and sprinkle over the vanilla extract. Then rub it between your fingers to spread the vanilla evenly and break up any lumps.
- Coat the peaches: Mix in the cornflour and a pinch of salt, then sprinkle it over the peaches and stir so they are nicely coated.
- Rub in the butter: Next, put the flour and baking powder in a bowl with a generous pinch of salt and add the butter. Then rub it in until it looks like fine breadcrumbs, and stir in the light brown sugar.
- Make the dough: Whisk the buttermilk, egg and vanilla together, then mix them into the dry ingredients until well combined. So the dough should be soft and sticky, slightly looser in texture than dumplings.
- Top and bake: Arrange heaped spoonfuls of the dough over the peaches. Then bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the crust is well risen and lightly browned and the juice is bubbling through.
- Serve: After that, serve it hot, warm or cold.
FAQs
Is this the peach and blueberry cobbler from Mississippi Adventure?
No, blogs credit that one to their Mississippi Adventure book, which isn’t among the cookbooks I’ve been able to check. And the quantities I can find online come from fan blogs, not the book, so I won’t print a version I can’t verify.
From what’s quoted, it tops tinned peaches with a quick blueberry batter, while this one uses fresh peaches and a rubbed-in dough. So if you want blueberries here, I’d scatter a handful over the peaches, though that’s my idea rather than theirs.
Can you make it with tinned peaches?
They ask for ripe fresh peaches here, but their Hairy Dieters cobbler in Make It Easy uses a drained 400g can of apricots. And they point out a can lets you make it any time of year, while that version is 243 calories a portion.
So drained tinned peach slices might work, though they’re softer than fresh, and none of the books I’ve checked prints that swap.
How is it different from their peach and raspberry cobbler?
Their Perfect Pies version adds 300g of raspberries, then rolls the dough to 1.5cm and cuts it into 6cm rounds. And each round gets a deep finger dimple and a brush of milk, kept off the sides so the cobbles can still rise.
And it bakes hotter, at 200°C/Fan 180°C, for 30 to 35 minutes, with a sprinkle of caster sugar over the cobbles first. Plus if you’d rather a crumble, their spiced plum crumble from the same book has a chewy oat topping.
When is it ready to come out?
The Ultimate Comfort Food cue is a well-risen, lightly browned crust, though I’d start checking at 30 minutes rather than trusting the clock. But their Perfect Pies cobbler warns that ripeness and dish depth change the timing, with very ripe peaches taking as little as 20 minutes.
So with a deep dish and firm fruit, I’d lift one cobble with a knife to check the dough underneath has cooked through. And they want peaches ripe but not too soft here, while their apricot tarte tatin goes further and picks firm fruit over ripe.
Can you freeze it, and how long does it keep?
Their Make It Easy cobbler can be frozen in individual ramekins, then defrosted and baked for 20 to 25 minutes. So I’d try ramekins of this one too, but that’s untested, because no freezing note is printed with the Ultimate Comfort Food recipe.
Otherwise I’d chill leftovers within 2 hours and eat them within 2 days, which is my rule rather than the book’s. And if you want a cobbler for dinner first, their potato-topped chicken cobbler works on the same idea.
