Forget plain apple crumble. This umami twist changes everything

It’s hard to beat a great apple crumble – the combination of tender fruit and a buttery, golden topping is a fine example of simple comfort food. I love using a mix of Granny Smith and Pink Lady apples to get a good balance between tart and sweet flavours. While it isn’t traditional, a touch of white miso paste adds an intriguing depth and subtle savouriness. It’s completely optional, but I urge you to give it a try – you won’t look back.

One of my favourite things about crumble is the hot-cold contrast, so I like to serve mine with thick home-made custard and ice-cream (yes, absolutely both!). If you’re not up for making custard, a simple drizzle of cream works brilliantly. Leftovers also make for a legit breakfast – served warm or chilled with a dollop of yoghurt.

Think of this crumble topping as a master recipe – there’s plenty of room to riff, provided you keep the overall proportions the same. For instance, you can easily swap the oats for coconut, your favourite nuts, or a combination of all three.

The same rule applies to the flour and sugar – if you only have wholemeal flour on hand, use it. Short on brown sugar? Whatever you have in the pantry will work. Take a look at the comprehensive list of swap-outs below the recipe and start experimenting.

Notes

Note 1: Sugar in the filling
You can use caster sugar, raw caster sugar, granulated sugar, brown sugar, coconut sugar, rapadura sugar or a combo of any or all of the above. You could also swap out some or all of the sugar for maple syrup or honey.

Note 2: Fruit
Apples and pears, or a combo of the two, make for an excellent winter crumble. Feel free to add a handful or two of berries (frozen is fine). In summer, stone fruit crumbles are a thing of beauty. Peaches, nectarines, plums, cherries and apricots are all heavenly (again, berries make a lovely addition). If you’re using stone fruit, reduce the sugar and the cooking time slightly.

Note 3: Flour
Regular flour, wholemeal flour, spelt flour and gluten-free versions of these will all work, and a combo works well, too. If you have self-raising flour, there’s no need to add baking powder.

Note 4: Oats
You can swap out some or all of the rolled oats with coconut (shredded, desiccated or moist flakes), chopped nuts (a single variety or a mixture – this is a great way to use up the last few nuts lurking in a bag), pepitas, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds or a combo. Any kind of oats works (even quick-cook), although the more substantial texture of rolled oats makes them a winner for me. You could even use muesli (not granola), although you may want to reduce the sugar component slightly, as many mueslis are sweetened or contain dried fruit.

Note 5: Sugar in the crumble.
As with the filling, any granulated or soft sugar (or a mix) will work here. However, avoid honey or maple syrup in the topping, as liquid sweeteners add too much moisture and make the crumble soggy. Feel free to reduce the sugar to ⅓ cup if you prefer a less sweet crumble.