Shoofly pie is synonymous with Amsh culinary culture and I have posted about it before. In fact, earlier this year I interviewed author and food historian William Woy Weaver who wades waist-deep into the molasses to find the roots of shoofly pie.
In a nutshell, shoofly pie, regardless of its culinary origins, is a good fit for everyday Amish cooks. It is sweet and simple and really can be enjoyed equally as a breakfast meal with a cup of coffee, an after school snack for the kids, or an evening dessert. There are now many variations of shoofly pie. A classic "wet bottom" shoofly is what Amish cooks in Pennsylvania favor. But in pockets of the Midwest you'll find a drier (no less tasty) version. This is a classic wet-bottom shoofly pie that one of our readers made yesterday. Yum!
This is a photo of a shoofly pie that I picked up at an Amish bake sale in Pearisburg, Virigina. See that layered look? That is what your pie should look like. The other photos come from one of our readers who also made a classic wet bottom, but, to be honest, her version looks better than the actual Amish-made one:) The crumb topping is a bit more uniform. Other variations on classic shoofly pie (as if a molasses soaked pie isn't enough) in include a chocolate shoofly pie which is being found increasingly in Pennsylvania Amish bakeries. By the way, Amish who run bakeries in the Midwest who have tried selling shoofly pie often are met with a lukewarm response from customers. Seems to be largely an eastern taste. This recipe comes to me from an Amish lady who lives in the "Big Valley" of Central Pennsylvania. A big "yum" to that!:)
CLASSIC WET BOTTOM SHOOFLY PIE
1 9-inch pie shell
1 cup molasses
3 /4 cup hot water
3 /4 teaspoon baking soda
1 egg, beaten
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 /4 cup shortening
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).To Make Bottom Layer: In a medium bowl combine molasses, hot water, and baking soda. Stir well. Whisk in beaten egg. Pour mixture into pie shell.To Make Crumb Topping: In a medium bowl combine flour and brown sugar. Mix well, then cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle on top of molasses layer.Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Lower temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Bake an additional 30 minutes.
CHOCOLATE SHOOFLY PIE
1 1 /3 cups boiling water
1 can (16 ounces) chocolate syrup
1 teaspoon baking soda, divided
1 1 /2 cups flour
1 /2 cup sugar
1 /3 cup butter, softened
1 unbaked pie shell (9 inch)
In a small bowl, stir together water, chocolate syrup and ¼ teaspoon baking soda; set aside. In a large bowl, blend flour, sugar, butter and remaining baking soda; reserve 1 cup for topping.Place pie crust on a baking sheet. Pour 1 cup of chocolate syrup mixture into shell; gently combine rest of chocolate syrup mixture with remaining crumb mixture and add to pie crust. Sprinkle reserved crumbs on top. Bake at 375° for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Yield: 8 servings.
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