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This shoofly pie has a crumbly buttery top, a sweet and ooey-gooey centre, and a crisp and flaky bottom. Its name may be unappealing, but it will certainly knock your socks off. Its sweet, sticky, ooey-gooey molasses filling is enough to make your mouth water. It's to die for, with its flaky crust on the bottom and buttery crumble on top. But you don't have to travel to Lancaster County to have a piece of this pie. Simply prepare it at home. Do you want to know how? Continue reading for my simple yet delicious shoofly pie recipe.
What Exactly Is Shoofly Pie?
Shoofly pie is a Pennsylvania Dutch delicacy prepared mostly with molasses and brown sugar. This mixture transforms the pie into something very sweet, sticky, and ooey-gooey, almost like caramel. It's ideal for anyone with a sweet craving. Some claim that shoofly pie was a less expensive form of treacle tart. Treacle is a similar-flavoured British treat made with refined sugar cane syrup. Molasses is widely used in recipes in place of treacle since it is more economical and readily available in the United States.
Theory Behind The Name ‘Shoofly’
There are three theories, and it is up to you to decide which one to accept. According to the first theory, the pie was called after "Shoofly the Boxing Mule." In the late 1800s, he was a well-known travelling circus animal in southeastern Pennsylvania. Shoofly had become so popular that people began naming goods after him, including this pie.
The second theory is that the pie's sugary and ooey-gooey texture attracts flies. As a result, you must push them away from it. The third theory proposes that the shoofly pie was created to attract flies away from other foods. The sticky, gooey filling acts as a fly-trap attraction.
Components Of Shoofly Pie
The gooey filling of a shoofly pie is the major draw, which is made by blending molasses and brown sugar. To help the filling set, a little flour, baking soda, and an egg are added. Other recipes call for flavouring the filling with cinnamon and nutmeg.
How To Make Shoofly Pie?
This pie is relatively simple to create, despite having three separate components.
1. Prepare the pie dough
This does not have to be made from scratch. Simply buy ready-made pie dough from the grocery store. Nobody needs to know. Roll the dough into a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate-sized flat circle. Crimp and trim the edges after fitting the dough into the bottom and sides. Allow the crust to chill for 30 minutes.
2. Prepare the filling
In a large mixing basin, combine the brown sugar, molasses, egg, flour, and baking soda. Pour and whisk in the hot water gradually until fully incorporated. Allow it to cool completely.
3. Blind-bake the pie crust
This baking procedure keeps the pie crust lovely and flaky even when filled with a moist filling. Without this step, the bottom of your shoofly pie will be soggy. Blind-bake the crust by lining it with foil and filling it with pie weights. Uncooked rice or dried beans can also suffice. 15 minutes at 425 degrees Fahrenheit in the oven should bake the pie. Remove the weights and foil from the pie and brush it with egg wash (beaten egg yolk). Brushing the pie crust with egg yolks will make it glossy and golden. For an additional five minutes, put the crust back in the oven. Allow the crust to completely cool.
4. Make the topping
In a mixing bowl, mix together the flour, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt. Cut in the chunks of butter with a pastry cutter or fork until the mixture resembles cornmeal.
5. Put the pie together and bake it
Fill the pie crust with the filling. Evenly distribute the topping on top. Cover the pie with foil and bake for 45 to 50 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. When the filling has set and turned golden brown, it's done. Before cutting, let the pie cool fully. This will take approximately 2 hours.
6. Cut the pie into slices, serve, and enjoy
