Raspberry Pandowdy is brimming with sweet fresh raspberries cooked with a flaky pastry topping for a rustic dessert you’ll love! It’s a homey, relaxed dessert with classic American comfort food roots.
Despite it’s odd name, pandowdy is a favorite old-fashioned dessert recipe dating back to colonial times in the early 1900’s. That doesn’t make it out of date, quite the opposite! This easy, delicious dessert recipe is always a crowd pleaser. Sweet bubbling fruit filling topped with torn pie crust dough on top of the filling.
It all bakes into a tasty scoopable dessert made even better with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream served on top of the crust. If you like an easy cooking process this will be one of your favorite desserts!
Raspberry Pandowdy is one of the classic Americana recipes you’ll love!
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What is a pandowdy?
If you’ve never heard of a pandowdy or have no idea what it is, you aren’t alone. A pandowdy is part of the Crisp and Crumble family of desserts. Like cobblers and crisps, it’s very basic and simple to prepare.
It’s a homey comfort food with sweet berries cooked in a casserole dish or baking pan with a pastry topping making a relaxed summer dessert.
The homemade pastry topping is layered on in pastry scraps which allows the steam from the bubbling juices to escape during cooking. It has patchwork pattern look. Hence the name pandowdy; ‘pan’ from being cooked in a pan instead of a pie dish and ‘dowdy’ because of it’s messy, inelegant appearance.
A pandowdy is almost an upside-down pie in concept though with a format like a crumble. It’s very simple; fruit on the bottom, crust on top in a very rustic form. It is not a fussy dessert by any means but rather a flavorful and simple celebration of seasonal fruit.
Apple pan dowdy and peach pandowdy are more well known. We used fresh raspberries and I adapted one of my Great Grandmother’s pie crust recipes that is light and flaky for the topping.
Recipe Ingredient Notes
All-Purpose Flour. Regular or gluten-free measure-for-measure flour can be used. We love Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free 1-to-1 baking flour for a gluten-free version.
Unsalted butter. You’ll need 5 1/3 tablespoons of cold butter for the flaky crust plus a bit more to grease the baking pan.
Fresh raspberries. 5 cups of fresh raspberries rinsed and patted dry.
Granulated sugar. This is used to sweeten the fruit mixture.
Lemon juice. Use freshly squeezed juice for best flavor.
Nutmeg. If you can freshly grate the nutmeg, do it! If not ground nutmeg works great too.
Kosher salt. We recommend kosher salt because it’s a less salty tasting salt.
Cornstarch. Corn starch thickens the juicy filling as it cooks. Arrowroot starch can be substituted if preferred.
Ice water. Combine cold water with some ice to really chill it. This will be added to the crust mixture.
Note about pan and serving sizes
Raspberry Pandowdy is a scoopable dessert so though the size of the pan will determine how deep the recipe is, a serving is more the volume of your scoop!
Typically I’ve found making the recipe in an 8-inch by 11-inch baking dish is about right (refer to photo below for the depth), though even a 9-inch by 9-inch pan or a deep-dish pie pan would work well. The Raspberry Pandowdy in the photos above was cooked in a 9-inch by 13-inch pan which leaves it a bit thin.
It serves six perfectly maybe even eight with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream on top!
How to make Raspberry Pandowdy
STEP 1. Preparation
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease an 8-inch by 11-inch baking pan with butter (the extra butter).
STEP 2. Make the crust
Combine the flour, butter (1/3 cup), salt in the bowl of a food processor equipped with the kneading blade and process until forming a coarse meal. If making by hand use a dough or pastry blender.
Slowly add ice water while blending to allow the dough to make a smoother consistency and form a ball. Do not over blend.
NOTE: depending on whether you use gluten-free or regular all-purpose flour, you may not need to use all of the ice water.
Place the dough ball between two pieces of wax paper or plastic wrap and roll out to be about 1/8 inch thick with a rolling pin. Place in the dough in the wax paper in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes to chill.
Note: if the dough is too warm/sticky to roll out, you can chill the dough ball 20 minutes and then proceed with rolling out and re-chilling.
STEP 3. Make the raspberry filling
While the dough chills, in a large bowl combine the raspberries, sugar, lemon juice, and nutmeg and gently fold in to combine. Sprinkle the mixture with the cornstarch and fold in completely. Spoon berry mixture into the prepared baking dish.
STEP 4. Make and bake the pandowdy
Remove the crust from the refrigerator. Breaking off pieces of the crust, cover the berry mixture completely. Placing the crust in this way allows for steam to more easily escape as well for the berry juices to seep through to the top over some of the crust.
NOTE: If using a smaller pan, place on a baking sheet before baking in case of any spillage.
Bake at 375 degrees for 1 hour baking time. Remove and allow to cool 20 minutes before serving.
Variations
Use a store bought pie crust. If you are feeling lazy you can even use regular pie dough or a store-bought pie crust especially since it’s broken into pieces when added to the top to allow steam to escape. Regular or gluten-free pie crust will work.
Cut out shapes. If you’d rather have a less rustic appearance to the pandowdy, cut the top crust into dough squares or use a large cookie cutters to make shapes. Be sure to leave some small spaces when putting it on top of the fruit so it cooks properly.
How to Store
Store cooled pandowdy tightly sealed or transferred to an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days. Warm before serving leftovers.
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Recipe
Raspberry Pandowdy
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup all purpose flour regular or gluten-free measure-for-measure flour blend
- 1/3 cup (5 1/3 tablespoons) unsalted butter cold and sliced (plus extra to grease the pan)
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher Salt
- 2 1/2 tablespoons ice water
- 5 cups raspberries rinsed and patted dry
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 pinch ground nutmeg freshly grated if possible
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch or arrowroot starch
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease an 8-inch by 11-inch baking pan. NOTE: this is a scoopable dessert which will be about 1-inch thick in this pan size. The serving size provides enough volume per person.
- Equip a food processor with the kneading blade (or if making by hand use a dough/pastry blender). Combine the flour, butter (1/3 cup), salt in the food processor bowl. Blend until grainy.
- Slowly add ice water while blending to allow the dough to make a smoother consistency and form a ball. Do not over blend. NOTE: depending on whether you use gluten-free or regular all-purpose flour, you may not need to use all of the ice water.
- Place the dough ball between two pieces of wax paper or plastic wrap and roll out to be about 1/8 inch thick.
- Place in the dough in the wax paper in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes to chill. If the dough is too warm/sticky to roll out, you can chill the dough ball 20 minutes and then proceed with rolling out and re-chilling.
- While the dough chills, in a large bowl combine the raspberries, sugar, lemon juice, and nutmeg and gently fold in to combine. Sprinkle the mixture with the cornstarch and fold in completely.
- Spoon berry mixture into the prepared baking dish.
- Remove the crust from the refrigerator. Breaking off pieces of the crust, cover the berry mixture completely. Placing the crust in this way allows for steam to more easily escape as well for the berry juices to seep through to the top over some of the crust.
- Bake at 375 degrees for one hour. Remove and allow to cool 20 minutes before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Originally published: July 2012
Amy Desrosiers says
This reminds me of a cobbler. I have never had a raspberry dessert aside from a tart, but would love to turn all the berries in my yard into something like this.
Toni Dash says
There are several Americana desserts that definitely are similar though each having their own signature: cobblers, crisps, grunts, slumps, betty’s, pandowdy. All funny names but easy and delicious to make!
Jeanette says
This looks mouthwatering. I mean I really wish I could just take it right off the screen and eat it. My friend would enjoy it too and she was has trouble finding anything with gluten free in it. I can’t wait to surprise her with a dessert like this.
Stacie @ Divine Lifestyle says
That looks amazing! I have never heard of pandowdy, but it looks a lot like a cobbler, which I love. I cannot wait to make this! Om nom nom.
Anita at Hungry Couple says
I love your description and etiquette rules! I smiled when I saw the name of your post because I was intending to make some kind of lighter fruit dessert today and I thought about a pandowdy. 🙂
Elyse @The Cultural Dish says
Ahhh I love going fruit picking! That bunny was adorable too 😉 Great recipe and beautiful photos!
Dina says
that would be delish with some vanilla ice cream!
Kitchen Riffs says
I love down home desserts, and it doesn't get any more down home than a pandowdy. I haven't had one in years, and don't believe I've ever had one made with raspberries. Sounds great – and even better with the ice cream you suggest. Good stuff – thank you.
All That I'm Eating says
I love pick your own! This looks like a great place and I love the snell of picking fresh raspberries. Your pandowdy is a new dessert on me but it sounds fantastic.
Bob Poley says
What a WONDERFUL article on our farm, Toni! THANK YOU! Your writing is compelling and intelligent–I'll be begging Janet to fix pandowdy, or (heaven forbid) even try to do it myself. The photography is amazing! We have always felt we were making something beautiful. You have given astounding light to the beauty. Again: Thank you. Bob
The Mom Chef says
Raspberries are my favorite fruit. I'd turn off the road to that farm in a heartbeat if I saw the sign. I love pandowdy, especially with raspberries. Now I'm going to have to find me some!