Wet-Bottom Shoofly Pie

Before you start

Shoofly pie comes from Pennsylvania Dutch kitchens, where molasses, flour, butter and brown sugar were pantry staples. There are two styles. Dry-bottom shoofly pie is cake-like all the way through, while wet-bottom pie, made here, separates as it bakes into a layer of soft, almost custardy molasses goo under a spiced, cakey crumb. The name is often explained as a nod to flies drawn to the cooling pie, but that story is uncertain.

The filling is a thin liquid of molasses, boiling water, egg and baking soda. Mix it in a large bowl; the soda foams up vigorously when it hits the hot molasses. Use a mild, unsulphured molasses rather than blackstrap, which is bitter and overpowering. The pie is ready when the crumb top is set and springs back, though the center still jiggles slightly underneath.

Ingredients

• Crust165 g (1⅓ cups) all-purpose flour
• ½ tsp fine salt
• 115 g (½ cup) unsalted butter — cold, cubed
• 60–75 ml (4–5 tbsp) ice water
• Crumbs190 g (1½ cups) all-purpose flour
• 110 g (½ cup packed) dark brown sugar
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp ground ginger
• ¼ tsp fine salt
• 85 g (6 tbsp) unsalted butter — cold, cubed
• Molasses layer180 ml (¾ cup) unsulphured molasses — mild or full-flavored, not blackstrap
• 180 ml (¾ cup) boiling water
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 large egg — beaten

Method

1. Mix the crust: cut the butter into the flour and salt, toss with ice water until it holds, flatten into a disk, and chill for 1 hour. Roll it to 30 cm (12 in), line the deep-dish plate, and crimp a high edge. Refrigerate while you make the filling.
2. Heat the oven to 200°C (400°F) with a rack in the lower third and a rimmed sheet on it.
3. For the crumbs, whisk the flour, brown sugar, spices and salt, then cut in the cold butter until the mixture looks like coarse, even crumbs with no large butter lumps. Measure out 70 g (½ cup) of crumbs for the bottom layer.
4. In the large bowl, stir the baking soda into the boiling water; it will fizz. Whisk in the molasses, then let the mixture cool for 5 minutes and whisk in the beaten egg.
5. Sprinkle the 70 g of crumbs over the bottom of the crust. Pour the molasses mixture over them slowly. Scatter the remaining crumbs evenly over the surface; they will float.
6. Set the pie on the hot sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Lower the oven to 175°C (350°F) and bake 30 to 35 minutes more, until the crumb top is set and springs back when pressed lightly, while the center still jiggles slightly.
7. Cool on a wire rack for at least 2 hours before slicing. Serve at room temperature, traditionally with coffee.

Tips for success

• Cool the hot molasses mixture briefly before adding the egg so the egg does not scramble.
• Use a deep-dish plate. The liquid filling rises as it bakes and can overflow a shallow pan.
• A dollop of lightly sweetened whipped cream offsets the strong molasses flavor.

Substitutions

Unsulphured molasses

Replace up to a third of it with dark corn syrup or golden syrup for a milder, sweeter pie.

Dark brown sugar

Light brown sugar works and gives a lighter-colored, less intense crumb.

Butter in the crumbs

Lard or shortening is traditional in some families; it gives a more tender, less buttery crumb.

Variations

Dry-bottom shoofly

Mix all the crumbs into the molasses liquid except 100 g, pour into the crust, top with the reserved crumbs, and bake until a skewer comes out clean.

Spiced crumb

Add ⅛ tsp ground cloves and ¼ tsp nutmeg to the crumbs.

Troubleshooting

Filling overflowed in the oven

The pie plate was too shallow. Use a deep-dish plate and bake on a rimmed sheet.

No wet layer formed

The pie overbaked, turning the whole filling cakey. Pull it while the center still jiggles slightly.

Bitter, harsh flavor

Blackstrap molasses was used. Choose mild or full-flavored unsulphured molasses.

Storage

Cover and keep at room temperature for 1 day; refrigerate after that for up to 4 more days, as the filling contains egg. Bring slices back to room temperature before serving. It freezes, well wrapped, for up to 2 months.

Safety notes

Do not taste the raw filling or dough; they contain raw egg and flour. Contains wheat, egg and milk.