Freshly Baked Shoo-Fly Pie |
A pie with a funny name, this
was one of my favorite pies, when I was a kid.
I was in the mood for one, so I thought I would share how to make it and
a little bit of its history, with you.
You would think there would be some German somewhere in my genes instead
of Swiss and English, because my family always liked German cooking the
best. My Mother was never much of a
baker, that was reserved for my Aunt Betty, but she knew where to buy the best Shoo-fly pies. The Pennsylvania Dutch made them. I don’t remember if my Aunt (who was the
baker of the family) ever made this type of pie. They are both long gone so I can’t ask. I am
left with only my good memories.
First of all I have to
tell you I hate dough pie crust as a rule, but I do like the kind of French crust
that I am sharing with you, in this blog, as long as it contains a tasty
filling. This dark molasses treat will certainly
fill that bill.
Ok, so what is a Shoo-fly
pie: Well, if you visit Lancaster County
Pennsylvania, Shoo-Fly Pies abound, in all the stores and restaurants. Actually this is more like a coffee cake with
a wet molasses bottom than a pie. In the early 1700’s, when William Penn was
looking for settlers, the Amish and Mennonites both settled in Pennsylvania
because of Penn’s policy on religious tolerance. These settlers became known as
“Pennsylvania Dutch” (actually a misnomer as others mistook Deutschland
(Germany) for Dutch), when asked where they were from. These settlers loved their pies and came up
with a lot of originals. They invented
pies out of the staples that were available and would last on long voyages, Staples like flour, brown sugar, molasses, lard,
salt, and spices. The Shoo-Fly pie, is
probably a variation of an older British tart, called a Treacle
Tart (Treacle is a syrup made from sugar cane) and the Amish made do with what
they had available. The name is debated,
but I like to think it probably came from shooing the fly’s away from the
cooling molasses in olden days. In any
case, if you have never had this pie, you don’t know what you are missing. Good luck.
The Pie
Preparation:
The Molasses Filling |
Prep a Pie shell (buy a 9 inch at the store or make
per recipe below)
9 inch Pie Plate (I have several Pyrex, but you
could use disposable aluminum)
A couple of medium mixing bowls (I have a 5 piece
stainless steel; nested set, love these. Easy to clean and don’t break)
Pastry Cutter.
Ingredients:
·
1 (9 inch) pie shell
·
1 cup molasses
·
3/4 cup hot water
·
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
·
1 beaten Egg
Crumb Topping and Fill |
·
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
·
1 cup packed brown sugar
·
1/4 cup shortening (not liquid) (I
always have Crisco Blocks in the cupboard)
Directions:
1.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200
degrees C).
2.
To Make Bottom Layer: In a medium
bowl combine molasses, hot water, and baking soda. Stir well. Whisk in the beaten
egg. Pour mixture into pie shell on top of half the crumb mixture..
Final Assembly |
3.
To Make Crumb Topping: In a medium
bowl combine flour and brown sugar. Mix well, and then cut in shortening until
mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle on top of molasses layer. Use all of the crumbs they will sink into the
molasses liquid.
4.
Bake in preheated oven for 15
minutes. Lower temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Bake an additional
30 minutes.
5.
Allow to cool on a rack. I like my pie refrigerated, for several
hours, traditionalist serve it warm with whip cream, but that’s up to you.
French Pastry Pie Crust
Ingredients:
Pie Crust |
·
3 Cups Flour
·
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
·
3 tablespoons sugar
·
1 cup shortening (not liquid) I always
have Crisco blocks in the cupboard)
·
1 egg
·
1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
·
5 tablespoons water
Directions:
1.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt
and sugar. Mix well, then cut in the
shortening until the mixture resembles coarse sand.
2. In
a small bowl, combine egg, vinegar, and 4 tablespoons of water. Whisk together, and then add gradually to the
flour mixture, stirring with a fork. Mix
until the dough forms a ball. Add one
more tablespoon of water if necessary.
3. Cover
with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rest in the refrigerator for 10
minutes before rolling out.
Roll out to plate size. Crimp the edges. Then bake at 375 F for 15 minutes.
4.
This will make 2, 9 inch pie crusts. You can cut in half and refrigerate for up to
a week. Or Freeze.
Hope you enjoy it
David
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