Fruit, whether tart or sweet ā fresh from the harvest, the market, or the freezer ā berries, pome, or stone fruits, this desert has a place for it all. Mercy! Weāve enjoyed this tasty cobbler filled with low bush cranberries from the patch down the road, last years frozen rhubarb from the plants next to the driveway, frozen blackberries from the store for something a little different, frozen raspberries from last summerās harvest, and blueberries off the mountains lovingly picked and frozen by my mountain-climbing husband. Delicious!
I love sharing tasty sourdough recipes with friends, and this recipe is just that. I also enjoy recipes that can be tweaked to meet the needs of many. What fruit do you have in your freezer? Are you reducing your sugar intake? Are you dairy-free? Grain-free? This recipe is as flexible as you choose/dare to make it. See the notes below the recipe for soaked, gluten-free, dairy-free, and/or Low Vitamin A variations.
Different fruits and different moods require different amounts of sweetener. You may prefer one whole grain flour to another. Different fruits are in season at different times and complimented by different spices. Keep the bare bones of the recipe and have fun dressing it up in different ways. Find your favorite!
I enjoy using minimal sweetener with a tart fruit like cranberries or raspberries, whole wheat flour, and coconut oil. A little plain yogurt or maybe a scoop of vanilla ice cream balances the flavors perfectly. Enjoy!
Sourdough Fruit Cobbler
Ingredients
Souring
- 2/3 cup raw whole milk *
- 1 cup whole grain flour of choice**
- 1/4 cup sourdough starter ***
Baking
- 4 cups berries about 1 pound, frozen or fresh OR fruit of choice
- 1/4 cup dry sweetener
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon or preferred spice, optional
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 cup coconut oil or butter
- 1/3 cup dry sweetener such as sucanat or coconut sugar, additional from above
Instructions
Souring
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In a small bowl, stir together sourdough starter and 2/3 cup liquid.
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Add flour and stir to incorporate.
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Cover with a tea towel and plate.
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Set aside for at least 6 hours.
Baking
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When souring time is over, place oven rack in middle position.
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Put oil in baking dish and preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
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As your oven warms, prepare the following two additions.
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First, in a small bowl, stir together fruit, 1/4 cup sweetener (or to taste), and spice.
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Set aside.
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Second, take bowl of soured dough and sprinkle on top the 1/3 cup sweetener (or to taste), baking soda, baking powder, and sea salt.
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Use clean hands or mixer to thoroughly combine. I prefer the clean hands method.
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Get the baking dish out of the oven.
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Drop tablespoon-sized spoonfuls of prepared batter on top of the oil.
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Cover all of the oil, but do not stir.
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Spoon prepared fruit on top of the batter.
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Cover the batter, but do not stir.
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Bake the cobbler for 40 minutes.
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Cover with parchment paper and bake another 10 minutes.
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The cobbler should be browned and no longer gooey in the middle.
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Continue baking and checking every few minutes until a toothpick inserted into the cobbler come out clean.
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Enjoy hot from the oven or warmed for a fresh-from-the oven experience .
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Delicious with plain yogurt for breakfast or ice cream for dessert. Tasty on its own or with a splash of cold cream.
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Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator.
Recipe Notes
*In place of raw whole milk you can use; homemade nut or seed milk, coconut milk, or fermented dairy.
**Gluten-free? I encourage you to give this a try. You may want to add a couple teaspoons or so of ground flax or chia seeds to the original batter ā to help it hold together.
***No sourdough starter? Make it a soaked recipe eliminating the starter and using 1 cup flour and 2/3 cup liquid that is either fermented or spiked with a couple tablespoons lemon juice, raw apple cider vinegar, or whey.
For a delicious soaked, gluten-free and dairy-free version, use 2 tablespoons lemon juice plus coconut milk to make 2/3 cup liquid, coconut oil, and your favorite gluten-free flour blend plus 2 teaspoons ground chia or flax seed. Soak the liquid, flour, and ground seeds for 6 to 8 hours. When you are ready to bake, sweeten the batter and fruit with as little or much sweetener as you like, add a bit of your favorite spice, and follow directions as written below. Oh my! Absolutely delicious. It's guaranteed to bring smiles and requests for second helpings!
For a Low Vitamin A variation:Ā Choose water or almond, macadamia, or oat milk instead of dairy milk. Omit cinnamon. Choose coconut sugar as the sweetener. Use refined coconut oil or butter as the oil. If you'd prefer to soak instead of sour, use a non-dairy soaking acid such as raw apple cider vinegar or lemon juice.
Don't feel like heating up your kitchen on a hot summer day? Out camping and want to end your day with an extra special treat? Give the grill or the fire pit a try! Cobblers are taken to a new level of enjoyment when savored along with the beauty of the great outdoors. Cast iron cookware can be used in either place. You may need to play around with the temperature and the time depending on the heat of your fire and the hotness of your grill, but this cobbler is guaranteed to add a bit of sweet memory to your backyard or camping summertime fun!
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Who loves a cobbler? Whatās your favorite fruit to use in one? Any cobbler baking tips to share?
This post was featured in 57 Scrumptious Egg-Free Desserts,Ā 17 Yummy Desserts Using Sourdough, andĀ 92 Nourishing Grill & Barbecue Dishes, Drinks, & Desserts.
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Can I use honey or maple syrup to replace the sugar?? This sounds amazing.
Alexis~ It’s definitely worth a try. You just don’t want the batter to be too thin. That may end up changing the finished product. Maybe you could sour a bit more flour (1/8-1/4 cup) to account for the added liquid? I’d love to hear how it works for you!
Nice to see you back with another sourdough recipe! Wish you would have included a picture of your three boys holding the cobbler or something. š Did you have a cold long winter? We
did here in PA. Things are just finally greening up and looking like spring? Blessings!
Hi Karen! Nice to hear from you. š Yes, you are right, next time I should include a pic of the boys! They do love this cobbler! And as far as winter goes, I feel like it was pretty mild. Many states seemed to be living through a much more severe winter than we were up here. But now, Spring has sprung, and we are loving it!
I only recently began using a sourdough starter and was hoping to find a recipe for Fruit Cobbler. A quick question, is milled flax seed the same as ground? Do I just need to run for a few seconds in a spice grinder or food processor? Thanks for the recipe. We will enjoy it many times.
Hi Lindy~ Welcome to the world of sourdough! Yes, milled and ground flax seed are one in the same and a whiz, whiz, whiz in a grinder of sort will do the trick. And just as a side note (in case it wasnāt clear) you only need the flax if you are going to make it gluten free. Iād love to hear what you try first. And might I suggest you give the sourdough pizza crust a try? It would be delicious with your artichoke spinach pizza!
Delicious, delicious as a soaked gluten-free and dairy-free recipe! I used the gluten-free All Purpose Baking Flour from Bob’s Red Mill along with coconut milk and coconut oil. My gluten-free and dairy-free friend was amazed at the flavor and texture. You truly couldn’t tell the difference! š
Erin – Am I understanding correctly that while the two additions are being made, the baking dish and oil are in the oven heating up? Thank you.
Hi Sarah- That’s correct. It gives the oil a chance to melt and heat up a bit. š
Hi Sarah- That’s correct. It gives the oil a chance to melt and heat up a bit. š
Oh that sounds delish! Thanks for sharing! š
Could you leave out the milk & flour and use 2/3 cup sourdough starter & add 2 eggs. Sort of like an impossible pie. In the sourdough A to Z book there isnt a fruit impossible pie. Trying to work it out myself.
I’ve just been delving into the world of sourdough, primarily with einkorn. I need to see if einkorn is cheaper on Amazon than at natural pantry!
Anyway, it was a great blueberry year, and I’m hankering for cobbler. But I just wanted to make sure I was reading correctly that the batter goes UNDER the fruit? Growing up on the east coast, that’s a new one for me! Usually it’s on top! Thanks!
hi wendy~ yeah for sourdough and double yeah for this cobbler! i love it! so tasty with rhubarb and raspberries and blueberries and… any fruit, actually. so glad you are going to give it a try. to answer your question, yes, fruit goes on top of the batter. see how it kind of bubbles up from below? my mouth is watering just thinking of it. enjoy! (oh! and i have yet to make it with einkorn. you may need to tweak the amount you add. the batter should be thick but not stiff.)
Just made this for our lunch, as a trial run for company dessert this weekend. To . die . for. Seriously can’t thank you enough for this recipe! Used blueberries we picked this summer. I actually think I might have had the batter a little too runny…the edges looked done, but the bottom was still doughy. (Easily solved by dishing out the edges to eat and putting it back in the oven lol)! I think I will try upping my flour a little so the batter is a little more substantial-good idea?
Thanks so much! (oh, also some of us topped it with vanilla coconut yogurt. Doesn’t everyone feed their kids dessert for lunch?) š
Is all that oil necessary ?
Can this be tweaked for THM ?
Just wondered.
Looks divine !
Thanks for posting
!
Hi Janet. You can definitely play around with the oil. I’ve successfully used 1/3 cup. Someone else will have to chime in about THM. But, I will say, this recipe is a wonderful one for tweaking. Let us know if you give it a try!
I have some extra starter I need to use, so I was just wondering…would it work to just use 2 cups of thick starter instead of the flour, liquid, and starter? And then I also wouldn’t need to wait 6 hours for it to sour. Correct?
Hi Melinda- Please feel free to give it a try and let us know! Yay for sourdough adventures!
This was awesome! Thanks! I made mine with honey vanilla yogurt and enough milk to make the dough a good consistency for my liquid. And I used a combination of fresh blueberries and loganberries from the garden for my berries. Going to try it again tonight with a rhubarb berry combination.
One question about the baking powder – did you really mean 1/2 Tablespoon? I used 1/2 teaspoon because it seemed like too much. Even then I think I could have left it out all together (the dough spilled over the edge while cooking). I usually have my starter very active before making things with it. Or maybe it is because I used white flour instead of whole grain.
My mother in-law is visiting right now and I always make a lot of sourdough goodies when she is here. She has a wheat allergy and I have some diagnosed issue with wheat that causes severe migraines (among other things). But I discovered that neither of us have any issues with the wheat when it is sourdough fermented long enough.
Hi Diane! I am happy to hear you are enjoying the cobbler! We’ve had it several times this week as I work to make room in my freezer for this season’s berries! I definitely use 1/2 tsp. of the baking soda and baking power… not tablespoon. I also have started increasing the fruit and baking the cobbler in a 9×13 or dividing it between 2 cooking vessels and decreasing the coconut oil to a quarter cup or so. With all these little tweaks it always seems to turn out splendidly!
Enjoy!
Hi there, should I be using ripe starter or can I use my discard?
Thank you!
Also wondering this! Fed starter or discard? Also I have never fermented with milk only water. If my milk isnāt raw is it safe to leave it out for six hours or do you ferment in the fridge?