The Soul Food Pod Episode 8: Southern Peach Cobbler Recipe
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On this episode of The Soul Food Pod, host Shaunda Necole with her mom, Mama Mary (Ma-Ma), take a deep dive into a classic Southern dessert recipe – Southern peach cobbler!
Shaunda shares her easy recipe for Southern peach cobbler, passed down from her mom.
Apple Podcasts: Southern Peach Cobbler Recipe
Spotify: Southern Peach Cobbler Recipe
What is Southern peach cobbler?
A Southern peach cobbler recipe is a soul food dessert and one of the darling favorite Southern desserts – loved by folks from East to West, North, and South!
It’s made by layering dough over sliced peaches and baking with ingredients such as butter, brown sugar, vanilla, and spices like cinnamon and nutmeg.
Loaded with fresh, juicy peaches and topped with a light and airy cinnamon sugar crust, a Southern peach cobbler recipe is so delicious you may want to eat it all. All by yourself!
Easy peach cobbler recipe
Shaunda Necole’s mission on The Soul Food Pod is to provide accessible and approachable recipes for classic Southern soul food dishes.
Listeners of this episode will learn about the history of peach cobbler, its importance in Black food culture, and the recipe’s contribution to American cuisine.
Shaunda and her mom then give tips on making an easy peach cobbler recipe from self-rising dough (i.e., Bisquick) and selecting the best peaches, including convenient canned and frozen options.
Who invented peach cobbler?
Did Black people create peach cobbler?
Southern peach cobbler embodies a lot of African-American history.
The story of Black folks’ peach cobbler has the same Southern soul food legacy of Black people making something from nothing.
At first, it was out of sheer necessity. It then evolved into a gift of natural creativity and style.
Southern peach cobbler is one of those iconic dishes created with biscuit dough, perhaps leftover from breakfast.
The dough was dropped over sliced peaches at the bottom of an iron pot. Then baked in an open hearth, cooking over hot coals for… Presto! Peach cobbler.
What you’ll learn in this episode?
- African American peach cobbler history
- Easy Southern peach cobbler recipe with self-rising dough
- Southern peach cobbler FAQs answered
- What kind of peaches are best for cobblers?
- How to use canned peaches in a Southern peach cobbler recipe?
- How to use frozen peaches in a Southern peach cobbler recipe?
- The Soul Food Pots’ Southern peach cobbler recipe feedback
The Soul Food Pot’s Southern peach cobbler recipe goes viral!
The episode concludes with celebrating the podcast’s listeners and blog subscribers for nearly 100K YouTube views of its Southern peach cobbler recipe video!
Southern peach cobbler recipe FAQs
What kind of peaches are best for cobblers?
The best peaches for cobblers are ripe and sweet, but even tart peaches can work with enough sugar and spices in the recipe!
Do you leave the skin on peaches for peach cobbler?
Yes! Leave the beautiful skin on the sliced peaches. Once cooked, the peach skin will soften and melt away in the delicious cobbler filling!
Is it better to use fresh or canned peaches for cobbler?
Frozen, canned, or fresh peaches can be used in a Southern peach cobbler recipe.
If using frozen peaches, they should be thawed and drained first to avoid making the batter watery.
Can you substitute canned peaches for fresh peaches in a recipe?
Yes, canned peaches can be used for a Southern peach cobbler recipe. Simply drain the liquid from the canned peaches first.
Should you rinse canned peaches?
No need to rinse the canned peaches. Doing so would make them water-logged and your peach cobbler potentially soggy.
Is peach cobbler supposed to be runny?
A Southern peach cobbler recipe should not be runny but rather syrupy.
What is the best way to thicken cobbler?
What do you do if your peach cobbler is watery?
This recipe calls for cornstarch, which thickens the cobbler recipe filling.
If yours is runny, make sure you drained the peach juice (if using canned peaches). And check that you added the correct amount of corn starch. Corn starch or flour is used to thicken the filling.
Can you use flour instead of Bisquick?
Wanna make the cobbler crust from scratch?
No problem! You can use flour and make your own homemade Bisquick!
Follow the instructions below:
Makes 5 cups of baking mix
This Southern peach cobbler recipe calls for 2 cups.
- 4 cups of flour
- 2 tablespoons of baking powder
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- ¾ cup of shortening
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Fold in the shortening.
How do you make Patti LaBelle’s peach cobbler?
Ms. Patti’s Southern peach cobbler recipe incorporates agave sugar and ready-made pie crusts.
What is Paula Deen’s seasonal cobbler?
Does the peach cobbler need to be refrigerated?
Peach cobbler is a dessert that can be served warm or cold. If you make a peach cobbler and want to eat it right away, it does not need to be refrigerated.
However, if you plan on storing the cobbler for later consumption (within 2-3 days), make sure the dish is stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
You want the cobbler to maintain its perfect texture and not get mushy because of its sugar content.
Links & resources mentioned in the episode:
Transcript Ep. 8:
The Soul Food Pod – Episode 8 Transcript
Where to listen to the podcast:
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | Amazon Music
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Equipment
- Instant Omni Plus oven (optional)
Ingredients
Ingredients for Black folk’s Southern peach cobbler recipe filling
- 4 cups peaches ripe & fresh, peeled and sliced (or two 28 oz. canned peaches, drained)
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ginger minced
- ¼ cup water cold
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
Ingredients for the Bisquick peach cobbler batter
- 2 cups Bisquick *See the notes below for how to make homemade Bisquick from scratch!
- 1 cup milk
- ¾ cup sugar granulated
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup butter melted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Place the butter in the baking dish and then place the dish in the oven to melt the butter while the oven is preheating.
- Remove the melted butter from the oven after a few minutes and set it aside.
- Peel and slice the peaches into quarters, and then halve the quartered peach slices. (If using canned peaches, use a colander to drain the peach juice before slicing them).
- In a medium-sized bowl, mix the ingredients for the peach filling: peaches, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. (I mixed the peach cobbler filling in my Instant Pot inner pot with the lid off and the 'keep warm' setting on.)
- Add the cornstarch to the cold water and stir until smooth.
- Pour the cornstarch mixture into the peach mixture.
- Stir the peach mixture to combine the ingredients and then set aside.
- In a second medium-sized bowl, whisk the ingredients for the cobbler batter: Bisquick, milk, sugar, and vanilla.
- Pour the Bisquick mixture over the melted butter in the baking pan.
- Then, pour the peaches into the Bisquick mixture (the dough will rise around the peaches as it bakes).
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 50-60 minutes in the conventional oven. Bake at 350 degrees F for 35-45 minutes if using the Instant Omni Plus oven. Watch the cobbler while baking, and bake until the cobbler dough is golden brown.
- To test if the cobbler is done, insert a toothpick into the center of the cobbler dough. If it comes out clean, then it is done.
- Serve Black folks Southern peach cobbler recipe warm, and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- 4 cups of flour
- 2 tablespoons of baking powder
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- ¾ cup of shortening
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Fold in the shortening.