Shoofly and Sourdough-great combo huh!

I had a couple of requests for this recipe for Shoofly Pie. I got this recipe from an Amish woman while I was in Lancaster, PA a year ago. She had a small shop that sold this pie. I'd had the pie before and saw how it was made and it had a lot of layering involved. I love to bake and cook but really do not like recipes that involve a lot of "busy" work. It is a VERY rich pie. Make sure you have a tall glass of milk or like me coffee/tea. Enjoy!

Shoofly Pie

Crumbs

1 C flour

2/3 C light brown sugar

1 T shortening

Mix flour and sugar. Cut in shortening. Take out 1/2 cup crumbs and set aside.

Bottom Part

1 egg, beaten slightly

1 C molasses

1 C boiling water

1 t baking soda

1 nine inch unbaked pie shell

To larger portion of crumbs add egg and molasses. Blend in 3/4 cup boiling water. Dissolve soda in remaining 1/4 cup water and add.

Pour into unbaked pie shell. Sprinkle reserved crumbs on top. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake 40-45 minutes longer.

Now for something new I've tried.

I have always stayed away from homemade Sourdough Bread. Why....because I thought it had WAY too many steps. In a sense this one does, BUT they are very easy steps. Trust me these may seem like they are difficult but it really isn't. If they were I would not have tried it. First you need to make the starter. Later I will post a recipe I have for pretzels using this starter.

Sourdough Starter

1 t regular active dry yeast

1/4 C warm water (make sure it is between 105-115)

3/4 C milk

1 C all purpose flour (do not use self rising flour)

1. In 3 qt. glass bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Stir in milk. Stir in flour a little at a time; beat until smooth (it takes a while but does smooth out). Cover with towel or cheesecloth (cheesecloth is my choice, the yeast needs to breath to work really well); let it stand in warm, draft free place for about 24 hours. (Bubbles will start to appear on the top of the starter and you know you are in business.) If after 24 hours there is nothing happening throw it out and start again, you have some bad ingredients somewhere. If bubbles appear after 24 hours, stir well and cover with plastic wrap and return to warm spot. Let the starter stand for 2-3 days or until foamy.

These are your bubbles.

2. When foamy stir well, pour into glass canning jar with lid. Store in refrigerator. The starter is ready when there is a fairly clear liquid on top. Stir well before using. Usually the recipes call for 1 cup of starter, when you take the cup from the starter, add 3/4 C milk and 3/4 C flour. Store covered (with the jar lid or cheesecloth) at room temperature for about 12 hours or until your friendly bubbles appears. Then place back in the refrigerator.

Think of your starter as a "pet" you will need to use it every week or so. If you notice your baking products start to loose some of their umph, dissolve 1 teaspoon of yeast in 1/4 cup of warm water. Stir in 1/2 C milk, 3/4 cup flour and add it to your starter. IF I can do this YOU can! Let me know what you think. I am by no means a pro at this. I got this recipe from a dear friend of mine, who is a chef and who studied in Paris. When she first gave me this recipe she said "Oh come on it is very easy." I thought YEAH maybe to you...LOL But she was right.