The Breadmaster’s Kneads: Cobbler

     Have you made your way through the tasty recipes in the book, 4 Billion Pie Recipes, and are now looking for a new type of dessert to lend your baking talents to? I managed to sneak in an interview with The Breadmaster himself in the early morning while he was preparing baked goods for the day. We asked him what baking enthusiasts could start baking next. Read on to learn about what he had to say!

     One early morning, I headed down to The Bakery. From behind the counter in the kitchen area, The Breadmaster noticed me at the window, quickly put down his mixing bowl, and came over to open the wooden door. “Buongiorno! Come in! Come in!” he excitedly exclaimed.

     As I walked inside, I was immediately welcomed by the warm aroma of freshly baked bread.

     “Breadmaster, thank you for taking time out of your busy day for an interview. Our hungry readers are excited to hear about your tasty suggestions!” I, Gilly Penn, the latest addition to the junior editing team for the food section at The Neopian Times, said to The Breadmaster.

     Following The Breadmaster toward the counter while he returned to preparing a batch of doughnuts, I asked, “A lot of our readers are big fans of pie, but a lot of them have expressed wanting to learn how to make a new dessert. What would you recommend as another dessert our readers could learn to make? What do they need – or should I say knead – to make?”

     After giving a gasp of excitement, he said, “If you’re a fan of pie, you’re going to absolutely love cobblers! Cobblers are a delicious treat to have all year long, no matter the weather. Every season is cobbler season! Also, you can have it cold or hot!”

     As he finished placing a batch of doughnuts onto a tray, he explained, “One of my favourite things about cobbler is that they’re easy and quick to make. They’re perfect for beginner bakers.”

     As he checked his fryer’s settings, he explained, “I offer three flavours of cobbler–apple, peach, and strawberry–at my shop all year round for that reason. I am considering adding other flavours because the possibilities are endless in the world of cobblers! You could have- Oh, I am already getting too carried away!”

     The Breadmaster gave a short laugh as he started lowering the tray with the batch of doughnuts into the fryer.

     “Let me rolling pin it back to the start by telling you what a cobbler is.”

     Before continuing with his thought, he gave me a cheeky look and raised one eyebrow. Rather, should I say a Kacheek-y look.

     “A cobbler is like a fruit pie, but the difference is in the dough! With a pie, you have the pastry dough on the bottom and the fruit on the top. However, with a cobbler, you have the fruit on the bottom and the dough on the top. Isn’t that exciting?”

     I asked, “Is a cobbler essentially an upside-down pie then?”

     He responded, “Almost, but not quite! The dough that goes on top of a cobbler is actually made of biscuits.”

     While flipping over each doughnut in the fryer, he continued, “Just like how doughnuts can have a wide variety of icing and frosting flavours, cobblers are just the same. Think of any fruit, and I assure you it will be great in a cobbler. Purblare, Florange, Frootafruit, Ombus, Tchea–you name it!”

     “Now,“ he began, as he transferred the doughnuts over to his frosting station, “the fun doesn’t end there. You must not forget about the pièce de résistance! It’s almost essential to the overall cobbler eating experience, in my opinion.”

     “Didn’t you just say the biscuits are the topping? Are we missing a secret layer?” I asked curiously.

     He leaned in, as if to tell me a big secret, before saying, “If you are treating yourself to a cobbler, you must treat yourself right, mio amico! You must top your cobbler with a scoop or two of ice cream, which is my favourite choice, or whipped cream. This is the way.”

     As he began dipping his doughnuts into strawberry frosting, he mentioned, “I have a fantastic recipe that your readers can use with just about any fruit. It has never failed me. Follow it step for step, and I assure you that you will get a perfect cobbler every time.”

     Before I knew it, he tore off a piece of parchment paper and started scribbling down the recipe. I’ve shared his recipe at the end of this article.

     As he handed me the recipe, he noted, “While I truly could go on all day about cobblers, I’m afraid I must get going with the rest of my baking.”

     The Breadmaster asked me to remind our readers that they can always swing by his shop for ideas, suggesting, “Come by The Bakery any time! Perhaps you can grab one of my cobblers for some inspiration before heading home to bake your delicious cobblers!

     After thanking him for his time and fighting the urge to buy everything I was smelling, I headed towards the door, eager to grab ingredients to bake my own cobbler. Before I exited The Bakery, he called for me and said, “Don’t forget! Eata loafa breada day!”

     The Breadmaster’s Crucial Cobbler Code

     This recipe makes enough for 6 servings.

     Fruit Filling:

     - 5 cups your fruit of choice

     - 2 tablespoons flour

     - 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

     - ¼ cup sugar

     - 1 teaspoon cinnamon

     - ¼ teaspoon salt

     Biscuit Topping:

     - ¾ cup flour

     - 3 tablespoons sugar

     - ¼ teaspoon salt

     - 1 teaspoon baking powder

     - 3 tablespoons butter

     - ½ cup Kau Kau farm milk

     1. Make the fruit filling. Heat your Faerie Oven to 350 degrees F (176 degrees C) and lightly butter a 9-inch square baking dish. In a large mixing bowl, combine your fruit filling ingredients and then pour it all into the baking dish. Bake for 10 minutes.

     2. Make the biscuit topping. While that’s baking, prepare your biscuit topping. Start by whisking together your dry ingredients. Once the dry ingredients are well mixed, cut little bits of butter in until you get a crumbly mixture. Next, pour in the Kau Kau farm milk, and stir everything together with a fork until you get a soft dough.

     3. Assemble your cobbler. When your fruit filling is done, scoop large spoons of your biscuit dough on top of your fruit filling. Make sure to avoid adding the scoops of dough too close together because they will spread out during the baking process. If you’d like, sprinkle a little bit of cinnamon and sugar on top.

     4. Baking. Bake your cobbler for 45 minutes or until you see a golden-brown topping.

     5. Enjoy. Let your cobbler cool down for at least 10 minutes before serving (with ice cream, of course).