Take a trip to a farmer's market in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, and you are sure to find bakers with a Shoo Fly Pie (or two) on hand. This sweet pie with crumb topping could be described as a coffee cake that decided to be a pie instead. Made with corn syrup, molasses, or a lesser known variant, King's Syrup, it is believed to have gotten its name from flies hovering over this ooey-gooey delight.
History of Shoo Fly Pie
Shoo Fly Pie is largely associated with the Pennsylvania Dutch culture that settled in the southeastern region of Lancaster County. Though PA Dutch people are descendants from Germanic immigrants, it is largely believed that the recipe was swiped and altered from an old British recipe, Treacle Tart. Treacle was a cheap sweetener derived from sugar cane, but was largely replaced in the late 1700s when molasses became affordable to common people.
Shoo Fly Pie can fall into two categories: wet bottomed or dry bottomed. Wet bottomed pies retain a sticky gooey-ness on the bottom with more of a cake-like upper layer. Dry bottomed pies have little or any liquidy bottom.
King's Syrup Gets Substituted for Molasses
Right at the beginning of the 20th century, a company located in Baltimore (a mere 67 miles from the heart of Lancaster county), introduced a syrup called Kings' Syrup. Unlike molasses, King's Syrup is a blend of corn and sugar sweeteners that go through a high temperature refinement process. This process creates a golden syrup with smoother taste and provides for a less intense sweet flavor. Some bakers started reaching for King's Syrup rather than molasses to create a pie that lacked the intensely bold flavor molasses can yield.
King's Syrup Substitute
Unfortunately, access to King's Syrup may be limited. Though an equal portion of molasses or corn syrup can be substituted for King's Syrup in a Shoo Fly Pie, the flavor will not be exactly the same. For a closer flavor, try 1/2 cup corn syrup, 1/4 cup molasses, and 1/4 cup of a light-colored honey. Additionally, Karo® Brown Sugar Corn Syrup works particularly well.
Shoo Fly Pie Recipe
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 2/3 cup light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon shortening
- 1 C. King Syrup
- 1 egg, beaten
- 3/4 cup boiling water
- 1 teaspoon baking soda dissolved in 1/4 cup hot water
- 1 unbaked pie shell
In a large bowl, mix flour, brown sugar, and shortening with fingers. Reserve 1/2 cup of the mixture for the topping of pie. Add the remaining ingredients to bowl. Mix well, making sure the flour and sugar are incorporated well in the liquid. Pour into unbaked pie crust. Put the remaining 1/2 cup crumbs on top of mixture. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
If a thicker layer of crumb topping is desired, mix 1 heaping cup of flour with 1 cup of brown sugar and roughly 1 1/2 tablespoons of shortening. Reserve 3/4 to 1 cup of crumbs for topping.
This pie tastes delicious on its own, comforting with a steaming cup of coffee or kid-friendly with a dollop of whip cream. Though this pie is largely associated with a very specific geographic location, it is easily made in practically any part of the world.
Jennifer White - Jennifer White has authored parenting books and has worked in childcare and education fields for over 15 years. She now focuses much of ...
