-
1
Preheat the oven to 375F.
-
2
Grease an 8 by 8-inch baking dish liberally with vegetable shortening.
-
3
To make the filling, peel, core, and slice the apples into 1/4-inch-thick slices.
-
4
Toss with the flour mix, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a large microwave-safe bowl.
-
5
Cook the apples in the microwave on high for 6 minutes, stopping to toss gently after 3 minutes, until the syrup is thick and glossy.
-
6
Remove from the microwave and set aside.
-
7
To make the crumb, combine the light brown sugar, lemon zest, cinnamon, and salt in a food processor.
-
8
Pulse to combine.
-
9
Add the bread and pulse until you have a rough crumb (about 20 pulses).
-
10
Spread half of the bread crumb mixture in the bottom of the baking dish.
-
11
Top with the filling, then with the remaining half of the bread crumb mixture.
-
12
Dot the top with the shortening.
-
13
Bake in the center of the oven for 40 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the fruit is bubbling, rotating the pan halfway through.
-
14
Serve warm or at room temperature.
-
15
Store, covered, at room temperature.
-
16
Precooking the apples in the microwave is a tip I learned from one of my favorite magazines, Cooks Illustrated.
-
17
What this does is convert the pectin within the apple cells into a more heat-stable form, so you can cook the apples longer without winding up with a soggy mess.
-
18
In this particular recipe, this provides the extra cooking time the apples need, without causing you to burn the crumb topping.
-
19
The finished product makes for a betty with a baked, not-too-mushy, not-too-soupy apple filling and a crispy, crunchy crust.
