"Slow Cooker Cobbler and the Case for Self-Rising Flour" sounds like a good short story to me!
in 1845, a British baker named Henry Jones combined finely milled flour, baking powder, and salt for people to make soft breads wherever fresh yeast could not be stored. Unlike dry yeast, fresh yeast requires refrigeration - a particular challenge in the nineteenth century when travelling long distances by boat.
Indeed, Jones first appealed to the Royal Navy to adopt his creation. He reasoned it could boost sailors' nutrition, or at the very least, spare them from consuming hardtack. But they resisted.
Jones's product instead found a home in civilian markets. Before long, other British bakers relied on self-rising flour for scones. Yet it was the Southern US that truly embraced this ingredient expanding its repertoire to include biscuits and cobblers, as well as cornbread and other quick breads.
As other baking mixes appeared on shelves, chefs began to distinguish between craft and convenience. The addition of television gave them a platform to describe the "proper" versus the "easy" way to make something with the latter regarded as a modification for anyone less skilled.
Along with mixes, self-rising flour was demoted from staple to shortcut. People were urged to make as much as they could from scratch - and some of them did!
Yet alongside this ephemeral encouragement, a lasting stigma was born:
Self-rising flour is for less serious cooks.
I maintain that self-rising flour is a distinct ingredient for all bakers. Despite claims, it cannot be easily made at home; its bulk is a lower-protein, finely milled flour - like cake flour, but not quite.
I personally do not have the necessary equipment to strip excess protein from all-purpose flour and mill it into a finer substance than it already is. If you do, godspeed! I'll be in the baking aisle.
Most of the slow cooker cobbler recipes I referenced call for cake mix. I love cake mixes! But a given mix is 13.25-16 oz (375-454 g) with 162-220 g being added sugar...
That's an approximate difference of 2/3 cup (160 mL) dry ingredients including 1/3 cup (80 mL) sugar!
I decided to use self-rising flour and sugar to control the amount and sweetness of the "cobblestone" top. (I chose frozen or fresh instead of canned produce for a similar reason.)
That said, you might not have self-rising flour on hand. Do you have cornstarch? By adding something super low-protein and super-light to your all-purpose flour, you can approximate true self-rising flour.
Now, the only issue remaining is: peach or cherry?
Self-rising flour is a distinct ingredient! For the ideal cobbler top, source - don't make - this ingredient.
However, if the difference between bought and purchased self-rising flour is cobbler now or cobbler later, use this formula from Food52.
If using fresh peaches, peel, pit, and slice; cherries, wash and pit.
Lightly grease sides of a 6-qt/L slow cooker. Cover bottom with 1 lb (โ450 g) fruit, then coat with 6 Tbsp (90 mL/72 g) sugar. Repeat. Evenly top with last 1 lb (โ450 g) fruit and vanilla extract.
In a separate bowl, whisk remaining 3/4 cup (180 mL/144 g) sugar, self-rising flour, and cinnamon. Uniformly sprinkle over contents of slow cooker.
Covering as much surface area as possible, dot flour mixture with thin slices ofย "butter".
Cover and cook on low for 5 hrs if using frozen fruit; 4 hrs, fresh. Remove lid for last half hour of cooking.
Enjoy at any temperature, with or without vanilla ice "cream". Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for 2-3 days.
Read why I recommend Country Crock and Miyoko's plant butter.
Checkout some of my other recipes with self-rising flour such as Vegan Strawberry Shortcake!
Kale yes, I'm soy excited you're here! My name is Christi, and sharing food brings me even more happiness than puns.
Does It Vegan? is a question for conventional recipes as well as an answer for my career. Because no matter what else I've been, I've been a plant-based cook who thrives on connecting with people through their favorite foods.
Gratitude is the most scrumptious seasoning!
Thank You โฅ
From the Bottom of My Hearth, Christi of Does It Vegan?
