Recipe: Pennsylvania Dutch Shoofly Pie

Pennsylvania Dutch Shoofly Pie
rec.food.cooking/Lynn Alford

My grandfather was Penn. Dutch and this is the recipe stolen from my mother.

1 unbaked pie shell

For the crumbs
3/4 cp flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp shortening
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp ginger
1/8 tsp cloves
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt

For the liquid
1/2 tsp soda
3/4 cup boiling water
1/2 cup molasses
1 egg yolk

1 pastry pie shell (uncooked 9-inch)

Mix together the spices, flour, shortening for the crumbs. Dissolve soda in water, mix in molasses and egg yolk. Pour in unbaked crust in layers of crumb and liquid, topping with crumbs. Bake at 400 F to brown and reduce heat to 350 F and bake for 30 minutes.

If I remember right, that first baking time is about 10 minutes. This really was an old family recipe, meant for expert cooks and the first time I made it, I had to ring my mother to find out what to do (the recipe then ended with the words reduce heat). Another friend who grew up in the Penn. Dutch area said that his version of the pie didn't have all those spices. So spice it or don't, whichever you like.