My last pie was a throwback to my past, and in that vein I thought I'd try a shoofly pie. I remember the nursery rhyme about shooflies and also remember the song made famous by Dinah Shore, Shoofly Pie and Apple Pandowdy. I always thought the pie was a homely thing with the added insult of an unappetizing name. Shoofly pie in a pan....dowdy, indeed.
As I began investigating this pie, I discovered that it is traditional among the Pennsylvania Dutch. With its Amish origins, I can understand why this pie is nothing fancy. But I shouldn't be too hasty to judge by looks alone. Shoofly pie was prominently featured in the 2009 Pennsylvania tourism board marketing campaign. Apparently this pie, despite its homeliness, is good enough to lure travelers far and wide.
The Amish are known for their stark simplicity, and shoofly pie is true to its plain roots. Consisting of flour, brown sugar, butter and molasses, the recipe is certainly not a head turner. My curiosity was piqued, however, when I listened to Dinah Shore crooning over shoofly pie, "If you want to do right by your appetite, take a choo choo today and head New England way." Being a mere pie novice, I certainly could use the confidence boost of mastering a simple pie. The last thing I need is to get "ferhoodled" over a complicated recipe.
I've always admired the Amish, how they not only survive with just the bare necessities, but how they thrive as a community. I'm not ready to convert to such a lifestyle, but I will readily admit I am now a big believer in shoofly pie. As Laura Ingalls Wilder said, “It is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all.” Shoofly pie fits the bill, for sure and for certain.
This recipe is sweet and may have gotten its name because the molasses attracts flies that must be "shooed" away. I'll add that as you bake this pie, you may have to ward off family and friends in the vicinity. One whiff of the luscious aroma of molasses and cinnamon and they'll beeline straight to your kitchen! When serving the pie, repeat this Amish saying, "Better to bust one's stomach than to throw food away. Eat yourself full."
Crust:
I chose a basic all-butter crust featured in Ken Haedrich's pie cookbook. The pastry dough was a dream to roll out; no cracks or tears in the crust and thus no tears from yours truly! The crust does not require pre-baking which simplifies the simple recipe even further.
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1/4 cup cold water
Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Add the butter, tossing it with the flour. With electic mixer on low speed, blend butter into the flour until you have what looks like coarse, damp meal. Turning the mixer on and off, add half of the water. Mix briefly on low speed. Add the remaining water, mixing slowly until the dough starts to form large clumps. Do not overmix.
Test the dough by squeezing some of it between your fingers. Add water, a teaspoon at a time, if the dough seems dry and not packable. Using your hands, pack the dough in a ball. Knead once or twice, then flatten into 3/4-inch thick disk and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for at least an hour before rolling.
On a sheet of lightly floured waxed paper, roll the dough into a 12-inch circle with a floured rolling pin. Invert over a 9-inch pie pan, center, and peel off paper. Tuck the pastry into the pan, sculpting the overhang into an upstanding ridge. Place in freezer for 15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Filling:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1/2 cup unsulfured or blackstrap molasses
3/4 boiling water
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Combine the flour, 1/2 cup brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Add the butter and rub or cut it into the dry ingredients with your fingers or a pastry blender, mixing until the mixture resembles fine meal. Set aside crumb mixture.
In a medium bowl, combine the remaining 1/2 cup brown sugar and the molasses. Add the boiling water and stir to dissolve the sugar. Whisk in the baking soda, vanilla, and egg. Pour the mixture into the chilled pie shell. Scatter the crumb mixture evenly over the filling. Do not press down the crumbs.
Place the pie on the center oven rack and bake for 10 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees and rotate the pie 180 degrees so that the part that faces the back of the oven now faces forward. Continue to bake until the filling is set, about 25 minutes. When done, the filling should wobble as a whole and the center should not be soupy.
Cool pie on a wire rack. Pie can be served warm or at room temperature.
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