Shoofly Pie in Lancaster County

January 3, 2011 | Category: Amish, Food | Posted by: Sarah

Shoofly pie. Shoo-fly pie. Shoo fly pie. No matter how you spell it, it’s delicious!

Shoofly pie is a fluffy molasses pie that’s a traditional dessert here in Lancaster County, PA. The pie got it’s name because the molasses in it attracts flies, so when you’d sit the pie on the window sill to cool, you’d constantly be shooing the flies away.

Most people eat “wet bottom” shoofly pie, which differentiates from “dry bottom” shoofly pies because there’s a gooey bottom layer that forms when the pie bakes. “Dry bottom” shoofly pie is more cake like.

You may already know all of that, but did you know that now when the Amish are having a large picnic, they sometimes will bake extra shoofly pies to put around the perimeter of their picnic, so that the flies are drawn away from their food? Maybe that’s a trick that I should try at my next picnic!

Here’s a great recipe for some delicious shoofly pie!

Ingredients

1 (9 inch) unbaked pastry shell
1 egg yolk, slightly beaten
FILLING:

1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup molasses
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup boiling water

TOPPING:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
Dash salt
6 tablespoons cold butter

Directions

Line pastry with a double thickness of heavy-duty foil. Bake at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes. Remove foil; brush crust with egg yolk. Bake 5 minutes longer; cool on a wire rack.
For filling, in a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, molasses, egg, flour and baking soda; gradually add boiling water. Cool to room temperature; pour into prepared crust.
For topping, in a large bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking soda and salt. Cut in butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over filling. Bake at 350 degrees F for 45-50 minutes or until golden brown and filling is set. Cool on a wire rack. Store in the refrigerator.

Tags: Amish, Food, Lancaster County, Lancaster PA, PA Dutch, PA Dutch Country, pie, shoo fly pie, Shoofly pie

6 Comments

Lisa Brock
on January 3rd, 2011
1
I grew up in Lancaster but have been living in Portland, OR for over 23 years and although I have not had a single bite of Dutch Haven’s wet bottom shoo fly for all those years…it is STILL my most favorite pie on the planet. Now look what you did. *sigh*
jackie
on January 4th, 2011
2
Did you know that Dutch Haven does ship their great pies?
John at PHL
on January 18th, 2011
3
Wow! It really looks delicious but, I hope I can have the recipe and how it’s done. I love trying different food.
MommaHen
on March 7th, 2011
4
I saw this pie and recipe in Better Homes and Gardens and decided to make it. It was pretty good but VERY rich! One piece is enough to curb my craving for a few years! haha!
TxOma
on March 7th, 2013
5
I was always told to dissolve the soda in water. Does that make a difference?
Doris Elam
on May 1st, 2013
6
Do you need a different recipe for the Shoofly Pie to make the wet bottom pie and where can I get it or is this recipe the one you can use? I would like to make it but I think I would like the one with the gooey bottom. Thanks.