Shoo-Fly Pie Update

When I’m quiet it generally means one of two things: I’m traveling or I’m having trouble with a recipe. Shoo-fly pie has turned out to be one of those problem children that I didn’t expect. It’s a really weird concoction, basically a thin mixture of water and molasses with some flour and soda stirred in. The idea is that the combination of the bubbles (from the soda) and gelatinizing flour thickens the filling during baking and the result is pie. I’ve mostly achieved that, the problem being that the filling so thin at the outset that it penetrates the crust before it can thicken, creating a sticky film that’s not only unappetizing to look at, it sticks the pie to the pan. So I’m chasing down some old recipes, the ones that have neither any added sugar or extra fat, which only seem to exacerbate the problem. I’m headed back to Amish country, in other words. See you back here shortly!