What is Wet Bottom Shoo-fly Pie?
Discover the charm of Pennsylvania Dutch cooking with the famous Amish wet-bottom shoofly pie.
This simple yet delightful creation features three distinct layers: a lusciously gooey molasses bottom, and a middle layer boasting a cake-like consistency, crowned with a lovely crumbly topping. All of this perfection is wrapped up in a flaky pie crust.
Originating from southeastern Pennsylvania, this classic recipe uses simple ingredients like molasses and eggs for a delicious, homemade flavor. Simply bake it until golden brown, and there you have it - a beautiful authentic shoofly pie ready to enjoy!
Wet bottom shoofly pie is a traditional Amish breakfast pie that's served with breakfast in many Amish homes. Similar to coffee cake, it is perfect with a cup of coffee!
History of the PA Dutch Shoo-fly Pie
One intriguing aspect of the shoo-fly pie is its history. Where did it come from, and how did it get that disgusting name?
Shoo-fly pie seems to have its roots in the Pennsylvania Dutch. Some think its invention was due to Dutch housewives making do with what was left in the larder in late winter - namely flour, lard, and molasses.
According to one historian, shoo-fly pie started as a crustless molasses cake or Centennial cake. It was baked in 1876 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
I don't think anyone knows for sure where it came from, but its history with the Amish goes back at least as far as the 1800s.
And it has a rather unusual name that is presumed by some to come from the fact that pools of sweet, sticky molasses sometimes formed on the top of the pie while it was cooling, inevitably attracting flies. Thus "Shoo-fly!" pie was named.
Shoofly Pie (Wet Bottom-Style) is Popular in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
I grew up in the Lancaster County area, in the heart of Amish country. If you visit any Amish bakery in that area they will most likely have Shoofly pie on the shelf, as this pie is quite famous there.
We did not very often eat dessert with breakfast at our house. But I know that many Amish families serve this old-fashioned pie for breakfast quite regularly.
My aunt made shoofly pie every week because my uncle didn't think his breakfast was complete without a slice of molasses pie.
Do the Amish Eat Healthy Food?
I used to think that we ate fairly healthy, but looking back I'm not sure if we did.??
The Amish grow a lot of their own food, making it more organic. And they cook and bake from scratch, so there are no preservatives and not a bunch of processed food. So I guess they eat healthier than a lot of people do.
But we did eat a lot of carbs. We often ate bread, potatoes, and corn in the same meal, along with meat, a salad, and a dessert to finish it off. And sometimes we'd even add buttered noodles to the meal yet too. So you're looking at four different carbs plus dessert. And we always had dessert, except for breakfast.
We grew and froze a lot of sweet corn, and it seemed to be everyone's favorite vegetable. So we ate a lot of corn.
And the Amish love their baked goods. My dad was the one in our house who thought he always needed a little something sweet after his meal. He didn't eat a big serving but wanted at least a small piece of cake or pie. So we always had dessert in the house.
And I don't know if this sounds like a very healthy diet. But sadly, I still have a sweet tooth. And one of my hobbies is baking. Therefore, it's a constant struggle for me to leave the sweets alone. And I love wet bottom molasses crumb pie with its rich flavor and gooey bottom layer.
How to Make Authentic Lancaster County Amish Shoofly Pie with a Wet Bottom
To make this authentic PA Dutch wet bottom shoofly pie, start with the wet ingredients. Begin by bringing water to a boil, then remove it from the heat and stir in baking soda. Set this mixture aside.
In a mixing bowl, combine eggs and brown sugar and mix well until it achieves a creamy texture. Now add the molasses and water-soda mixture. Mix and set it aside to cool a bit before assembling your wet bottom pie.
For the irresistible crumb mixture, combine flour, brown sugar, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt. Add shortening or butter slices and then crumble it with a pastry blender, or let your mixer with the paddle attachment do the work. Either way, you're on your way to creating the beautiful layers of your shoofly pie.
Now blend 2 cups of the crumbs into the wet molasses mixture. Reserve the remaining crumbs to sprinkle over the top.
Remember that this fantastic recipe yields 2 delightful 9-inch pies, so make sure you have 2 unbaked pie crusts ready to go. (Click here for my flaky crust recipe)
Divide the wet batter between your two pies and quickly cover them with the reserved crumbs. Now it's time to pop them into the oven and let the magic happen.
Place one of your oven racks just below the middle of the oven and bake your pies at 425 degrees F. for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees and continue baking for an additional 40 - 50 minutes or until set.
Shoofly pie does not need to be refrigerated. I store mine in the pantry or on the countertop covered with a tea towel. But if you make two and don't have enough people to help you eat it quickly, you can wrap and freeze one to keep it fresh.
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Molasses for Amish Shoofly Pie
If you're a fan of the rich taste of molasses, then you're in for a treat with this wet-bottom PA Dutch shoofly pie, showcasing a delightfully fantastic molasses flavor.
It's worth noting though that there is a big difference in molasses. Some brands pack a stronger punch and can be a tad bitter.
One of my favorite kinds of molasses for making shoofly pie is Golden Barrel unsulphered baking molasses. (I grew up close to the Golden Barrel plant in Honey Brook, PA.) So while it's easier to find good molasses in PA than in Missouri, I can usually find it at bulk food stores, or I buy it on Amazon.
When purchasing molasses for shoofly pie, make sure that you don't end up with blackstrap molasses unless you want a deep, robust, and intense flavor of molasses. There's a big difference between blackstrap and baking molasses. Baking molasses has a milder, sweeter flavor.
Another option with a lighter taste is King Syrup, a viable substitute for shoofly pie. Though it lacks a robust molasses flavor, I often blend a bit of King Syrup with baking molasses for a lighter flavor.
Now, if molasses isn't your thing, you can still whip up this pie using only King Syrup or Karo corn syrup, although it won't quite be the traditional molasses shoofly pie. The choice is yours!
This is the best Amish wet bottom shoofly pie recipe from Lancaster, PA! It's good Amish food! And if you try this recipe, I would love it if you left me a comment and star rating below.
Amish Wet Bottom Shoofly Pie
Ingredients
- 2 (9") unbaked pie crusts
Wet mixture:
- 1/3 c. brown sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 1/2 c. light-tasting molasses (Golden Barrel unsulphered baking molasses and King Syrup are some of the best)
- 1 1/2 c. boiling water
- 1 tsp. baking soda
Crumb mixture:
- 3 c. all purpose flour
- 3/4 - 1 c. brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/8 tsp. cream of tartar
- 3/4 c. lard, shortening, or butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°.
Wet Mixture:
- Add brown sugar and eggs to a mixing bowl and beat well. Add molasses.1/3 c. brown sugar, 4 large eggs, 1 1/2 c. light-tasting molasses (Golden Barrel unsulphered baking molasses and King Syrup are some of the best)
- Bring water to boiling, remove from heat and add the baking soda. Stir.1 1/2 c. boiling water, 1 tsp. baking soda
- Add soda/water mixture to the egg mixture. Mix.
- Let this mixture cool a bit while you prepare the crumb mixture.
Crumb Mixture:
- Mix flour, brown sugar, salt, baking soda, & cream of tartar in a mixing bowl.3 c. all purpose flour, 3/4 - 1 c. brown sugar, 1/4 tsp. salt, 1/8 tsp. cream of tartar, 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- Add shortening of choice. Using a pastry blender or your mixer, mix until you have fine crumbs.3/4 c. lard, shortening, or butter
To Make the Pie:
- Add a scant 2 cups of the crumbs to the wet molasses mixture. Then divide the wet batter between the two pie crusts.
- Quickly cover with the reserved crumb mixture (try to get all the edges covered as well).
- Bake immediately, at 425° for 10 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350° and continue baking for another 40 - 50 minutes or until the pie is set and not too jiggly.
- Cool and store, loosely covered, at room temperature. You can also wrap and freeze one pie for later.
Notes
- This recipe was edited in 2023.
Ron Griffiths
Anna,
Ich hab dei Shoofly Boi Reseet fer es Danksfest 2023 gemacht. Der Boi waart arrig gut! Grooss Dank fer uff die Blog schreiwe es.
Anna
You're welcome. 🙂
Tammy
I am so happy to have found your blog! I now live in the mountain west, but grew up in Gettysburg, where my dad worked with the Penn State Extension Service. He spent many hours in Lancaster County, helping Amish farmers find new ways of getting greater yields and marketing their crops, etc. As a little girl, sometimes we accompanied him and Mom would visit with the wife - always in the kitchen. The smells of baking and roasting foods were amazing and I wished I could be there for meals, but never wanted to intrude as an outsider. We frequently visited Roots Market on Tuesdays and my first stop would be the Amish baked goods stands for a piece of shoofly pie (preferably wet bottom) and a pecan sticky bun. Can't wait to try your recipes soon. Thanks so much for sharing them!
Anna
I am so happy that you are here!
Mark Quinn
This is as close as I have come to making a Shoo-Fly pie I recall from over 50 years ago. Believe me, I have tried various recipes over the years. Mrs. Fly's Shoo-Fly pies stuck in the brain. Family from SE PA. Problem I am having is it came out too thin and dry-ish like over cooked. Turns out I have 9.5 inch pie plates. No expert chef here. LOL
Tried to find 8-in pie plates. What a joke. I am no chef, so any suggestions on how to increase recipe for two 9.5-in pie plates (Made a BIG difference IMO) or reduce for 1 9.5-in pie plate would be appreciated. I can figure the syrup, flour, brown sugar and water, but all the small things like baking soda and cream of tartar. Add an egg, take away an egg? Does it matter? Most recipes for 9-in pie plate, but can u actually get one? Suggestions where to get the correct sizes?
I believe is a great recipe. Actually comes out looking like it should. Mine just too thin and too dry. 🙁 Too big a pie plate, to be expected.
BTW, I was told to only use King Syrup. Only place I could find in GA is Ingles markets. Do want to try the Golden Barrel molasses.
Thanks!
Mark in GA
Anna
I had a shoofly pie recipe on here for a long time already, and it was good. But I changed the recipe recently to make more wet bottom. It turned out perfectly for me in my 9" pie plates. However, I have recently had another person comment that it turned out too thin. Therefore, I am going to make this recipe tomorrow again, but increase some of the ingredients and see how it turns out, I will update the recipe accordingly. I'm sorry it didn't turn out perfectly for you.
Mark Quinn
Thanks Anna. I am all for more wet bottom. 🙂 If it matters, I used 9.5" Pyrex plates and butter cooked on bottom rack in gas range. Used ready-made pie crusts. Used a fresh box of baking soda and container of cream of tartar. Gold Medal All-Purpose flour and King Syrup. I took out at 35 minutes after the initial 15 at 425 deg. I think if I had smaller plates would have been perfect. I may have mis-read the clock, but nothing burned and still good enough to eat.
Mark
Anna
Thank you. I appreciate that! Baked these this morning and added extra quantity to create fuller pies, and they turned out great. The original recipe was to make five or six pies, so I guess I didn't get it cut down quite properly. Although, I tried the original recipe again too, and my pies were fairly full. So I am guessing your pie pans were larger. You may want to look for 9" pie pans. Should be able to find some on Amazon if not locally. Hope this recipe works better for you now.
Mark Quinn
Anna, someone found me a Pyrex 23 cm pie plate that converts to 9 inches. It easily fits inside my "newer" 9.5-inch Pyrex pie plate. I mean it can wobble around in it. I can very easily tell why mine came out thinner, etc. As I mentioned in an earlier comment, most recipes I have ever seen are for 9-in pies, so why in the world is 9.5-in the std. sold now? I like to make pumpkin pies for the Holidays. Came out OK, but I always thought were thinner than should have been. Now I know why.
I am an engineer, a pie plate is a pie plate, right? WRONG!!! Newer cooks who buy pie plates are going to end up with these 9.5" dishes...
I certainly appreciate ur efforts and have no issue with ur recipe. Not for a 9.5" pie plate. LOL Link to how to adjust? Sounds like u were successful!
Just checked, I recommend searching 23 cm Pyrex pie plate. I searched on 8- and 9-in pie plates and got all kinds of stuff. Now I need a second one. 🙂
Gonna see if u have a Funny Cake recipe. More chocolate the better IMO.
Thanks for ur help, Mark
Anna
You're welcome! Pretty weird that they wouldn't stick with standard sizes.
Gail
Anna - do you have this same recipe for just 1 pie? Your tutorial is very helpful and the pie photo is beautiful! I want to bake this pie! I'm originally from Bucks County, Pa. Thanks!
Anna
I don't have exact measurements for you. I cut this recipe down from six pies to 2. 😉 I would just divide everything in half the best you can. It's not a hugs deal if it's not exact. For the eggs, I would either just use one extra large egg or maybe use one egg plus a yolk. Good luck!
Valori
I made this double recipe pie today. This was my first time trying. It's delicious! My 88 year old mom is visiting and thoroughly enjoyed it too. Side note, the top screw on the inside of my oven came undone while baking the pies and the door wasnt quite shut tight! The pies still came out perfect. Isnt that how it is? Ive been cooking and baking for 52 years.
Never have I had an oven door come apart, let alone while in use. Id share pictures of the pies and the inside. Theyre nearly identical to your photo. The crumble crust is awesome.
I can see pouring warm milk over it too. Im going to try that tomorrow. I love baking and cooking to share with family and neighbors. I'll be bringing this to my church soon. Thank you so much for sharing your recipe.
Anna
You are welcome! I am glad you are enjoying it.
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Beth
I grew up in York Pa. Wet bottom shoe fly pie! We always used Grandma's yellow label. So yummy. I still make it for the holidays and on New Year's Day with saurkraut, pork loin and mashed potatoes for good luck. Nowadays I use unsulphered black strap molasses which we all love (except my husband). Anyone still make hog maw?
Anna
I prefer the baking molasses rather than blackstrap. Blackstrap is too strong. Never had hog maw.
Susan
This pie was delicious. My first attempt my crumbs sank made more of a cake like pie. I used a syrup often used. Next try was better with half syrup and molasses. This resulted in a thin wet bottom.
Third try was a charm. I used all golden barrel baking molasses.
Maybe the best shoo fly pie I’ve ever had. 1/2 wet bottom, 1/4 cake like layer and 1/4 crumbs. I used your pie crust recipe using all butter also really lovely. Thanks for the wonderful recipe. Now to try your lemon sponge pie!
Anna
Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment. I also recently updated my recipe, maybe that's what made the difference?? I kept working on the recipe to perfect it with more wet bottom. Glad it worked for you!
Lin Harris
Really disappointed that when I made these doubled cause I needed 4 that they came out about half full. Wanted to try a new recipe cause my grandma runs over a lot and then the crust sticks. Yours looked so promising that I made 4 pies. Now I have to make them again cause these are so empty looking. I would not give them away. I guess yours must be an 8 inch pie and that’s why it looked so full.
Anna
I am so sorry. Mine are indeed 9" pies. Not sure why yours turned out half full? Did you use deep pans?
Annie Bird
A friend of mine gave me a recipe for Amish apple pie, which I have since e lost. It had 1/2 pt whipping cream poured over the apples, under the crumb crust. I would love to have this recipe again.
Anna
This is my recipe that I love. https://amish-heritage.org/amish-dutch-apple-pie-recipe-with-crumb-topping/
And I don't have any recipes that have a 1/2 pt. of heavy cream. But maybe this is close to what you are looking for.??
Mix 4 c. diced apples, 2/3 c. sugar, 1 Tbsp. flour, 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, and 1/2 c. cream. Put in pie shell and cover with crumbs.
~Chrissie O.
Oh. My. Goodness!!! My grandmother was a Missouri native (St. Charles, Jefferson City area - Ozards), and this was THE. THING!!!
We had this ALL THE TIME - it was EXACTLY this. Isn't it funny how things pop up in different parts of the country? I volunteered in Appalachia for a season, and they ALSO had THIS. SAME. PIE. And then, in Chicago, I went to the Berghoff Restaurant, years ago, and here it was, again: This. Same. Pie!!!
Interesting, though, how German immigrants to Chicago, to Appalachia, and in your area have brought this recipe. I have ZERO thoughts as to how the Irish/Scots-Irish came to have it in the rural Ozark mountains unless it was brought to the area from, say, New York or Chicago where many immigrant families mingle... But IT IS DELICIOUS - but, oh, my goodness - have a glass of milk, coffee, etc., because it'll make your teeth itch, it's so sweet... and I mean that in the best, most indulgent-possible way!!! lol
Jeanette
I'm so glad I found your blog! Having grownup near Lancaster, now living in KY, I've missed these great foods so much. Especially this Shoo-fly pie! I can't wait to make one.
Anna
Glad to have you here!
Lex
I lived close to Gettysburg and Lancaster for so many years and this was such a treat! I also live in KY now and have missed this so much. Delicious recipe, reminds me of home. ❤️
Anna
I'm glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment.
Emily
I only have grandma's brand molasses. Will that work or do I need some Karo too?
Anna
I haven't tried Grandma's brand in a while. But if I remember correctly, it is lighter-tasting molasses. And it should be fine to use only that, especially if you enjoy molasses.
Douglass Ordahl
I love the way you write and share your niche! Very interesting and different! Keep it coming! Putlocker
Anna
Thank you!
Amber D
Thank you so much for this recipe! It really takes me back home. Lived near Lancaster and live in Fl now. People look at me crazy when I say shoofly pie too.
Anna
You're welcome!
dee
I did not bake the pie yet, but I'm glad you cleared up the extra wet mixture. The last time I made this was 50 yrs ago. I will be making it for Thanksgiving.
sandra lowe
recipe for amish wet bottom shoofly pie and cake
Benjamin C Harman
Oh my gosh, this is the BEST SHOOFLY PIE RECIPE EVER!!!
I grew up in a small town near Shipshewana, which is a major Amish center, so even though I'm not Amish, I went to school with dozens and dozens of Amish kids, and the whole time growing up, at different school functions and whatnot, I frequently ate shoofly pie because that'd be what they brought in or what kids/parents who used to be Amish would bring in. I even remember that Mrs. Troyer, who taught 7th grade home-ec, showed us how to make it in class once and then had us make it ourselves. Well, I eventually graduated, went to college, and then after college, I moved to another part of the country where there aren't any Amish people, so for going on two decades now, I've been hankering to have me some shoofly pie, what with it not being ubiquitously around like it was for me growing up and me not knowing/remembering how to make it, despite Mrs. Troyer's best efforts (Sorry, Mrs. Troyer). I've tried bakeries galore, even a specialty boutique pie shop near me, but everywhere I've gone, they've all looked at me with the same clueless and bewildered expression the moment I utter the words "shoofly pie," like I'm speaking some foreign language.
So, a few years ago, I began a quest to find a recipe online. I found many, but none were right, some came close but not quite close enough. That was until I came upon this one! This is EXACTLY IT! What's more, the pie that comes about as a result is absolutely gorgeous, extremely impressive. When my guests saw it, they just oohed and ahead, it making me look like some world-class baker, which I most certainly am not. What's more, it totally delivered in flavor, texture, and gastronomy everything its impressive gorgeousness advertised and more, cutting through three visibly distinct layers of texture, not including the crust itself, the flavor of molasses comes on at first so mildly it's barely detectable in that first bite but then builds with every bite into an extremely rich and unmistakable yet not at all overpowering molasses flavor (Note: I ordered via the Amazon link in this recipe article the Golden Barrel Unsulfered Molasses the author recommends in the text of the article, even though I actually had Grandma's on hand, which appears below the article as an alternative, just because I wanted it to turn out like how the author actually makes it). Absolute perfection! I was bowled over. So were my guests. What's more, unlike every other shoofly pie recipe I've tried, it was exactly and totally authentic to the Amish-made shoofly pie I had growing up, for while some of those other recipes were close, none of them quite hit the mark, none of them did what this recipe did, everything about it bringing back this rush of memories and nostalgia from when I was a kid, from school bake sales, classroom parties, church potlucks, etc. SO THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! This recipe is exceptional, because the pie you get from following it is BEYOND EXCEPTIONAL!
This recipe is-- A GIFT!!!! AMAZING!!! Or should I say AMishAZING?!?!?!
THANK YOU!
THANK YOU!
THANK YOU!
Anna
I am so glad the pie turned out to be what you are looking for! I'm always glad to hear that people enjoy my recipes.
Mary
Hi Anna,
I grew up in Pottstown, PA, about 30 minutes from Lancaster. My father would buy shoo fly pie from a bakery in Zern’s Farmers Market in Boyertown,PA. ( no longer there).
Is it necessary to use cream of tartar in the recipe( I don’t usually have a need for it)? Is there a substitute ingredient for cream of tartar that I could use?
Anna
It should turn out OK without it, but you could also use a bit of baking powder in its place.
Dee Wylie
Hello Mary and Anna!
What fun to see your comment, Mary! I, too, grew up in Pottstown but attended Pottsgrove H S. (living near Ringing Rocks Park). Zern’s was a favorite each Saturday morning! “Zern’s Farmers’ market....Lots of fun for everyone!” Shoofly pie was also a regular with my family growing up except we used white sugar & no eggs. I still make it (living in Madison, WIsconsin now).
Thank you, Anna, for your stories and all these wonderful connections people have made! Just this week I was introduced to lemon sponge pie, never knew of it (?!!), and it was my search for a recipe that led me to your website. The marvels of our electronic age! I will make lemon sponge pie in the immediate future for family & friends and proudly share that it is a recipe from my PA Dutch heritage.
Dee 😀
Anna
I'm glad you are here!
Rochelle H
I think this is one of the best reviews of a recipe I have seen. Thank you for sharing your journey with food. I look forward to trying tasting this as it sits in the oven, filling the house with the sweet molasses scent.
Anna
Awesome! Let me know how it turned out.