Sourdough Peach Cobbler (Or a regular version!)

This sourdough peach cobbler is a beautiful dessert. Sweet and jammy peaches are topped with tender sourdough shortcake (or biscuits in the U.S). You can make this with fresh or canned peaches, so it’s great all year round!

I place the dough over the peaches in rustic, flattened pieces. It makes it really easy and fuss-free to put together. There is some sourdough discard starter added to the dough, which brings a bit of acidity to make the biscuits tender. If you don’t have a sourdough starter don’t worry, I’ve got notes on swapping the sourdough discard.

If I’m using fresh peaches, I prefer them unpeeled. The peel of baked peaches takes on a yummy candied texture. However, if you want to peel them, I think using a vegetable peeler is the easiest way. If you’re using canned peaches, use those canned in juice rather than heavy or light syrup to avoid the excess sugar.

Sourdough Peach Cobbler

You can find the printable sourdough cobbler recipe on my website here.

Ingredients

Sourdough Cobbler dough

• 210g (1 2/3 cups*) all-purpose flour

• 100g (1/2 cup) granulated sugar

• 2 tsp baking powder

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 113g (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, cold

• 100g (1/2 cup) sourdough discard

• 60g (1/4 cup) cold milk, plus extra if needed

To make this without sourdough, increase the flour to 250g (2 cups) and the milk to 120g (1/2 cup) mixed with one teaspoon of lemon juice, or substitute the milk for 1/2 cup of buttermilk.

Peaches

• 1.5kg (3.3 pounds) fresh peaches or 4 x 15oz canned peaches in juice

• 50g (1/4 cup) soft brown sugar

• 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 1 Tbsp lemon juice

• 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest

• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

Sugar topping

• 1 Tbsp sugar

• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

*The cup sizes given are US-sized cups. These are smaller than metric cups; for best results, use grams.

Method

Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.

Add cold butter cubes to the dry ingredients and cut the butter into the flour using a pastry cutter or your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Pour over the sourdough, discard the starter and milk, and use a spatula or fork to combine it into a thick, crumbly, and just slightly sticky dough.

​Wrap the dough up tightly and refrigerate for at least an hour or up to 24 hours. 

Peaches and baking

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). 

Chop the fresh peaches into 2.5cm / 1-inch cubes and spread them into a 9x13-inch (23 x 33 cm) baking tray. For canned peaches, Drain them first in a colander and let them drip for at least 10 minutes to remove the excess juice.

Add flour, cinnamon, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, and vanilla. Toss everything together to coat.

Remove the cobbler dough from the refrigerator. Cut off pieces of the dough and flatten them in your palm. Place them on top of the peaches. It will be rustic, with spaces of uncovered peach mixture peeking through.

Mix the cinnamon sugar mixture together and sprinkle the top of the dough with cinnamon sugar.

Bake in a preheated oven for about 50-60 minutes until the dough is deep golden brown, the peach filling is bubbling, and the peaches have softened.

Let the cobbler cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Happy baking!