Category: sorghum

shoo fly, don’t bother me…pie #44 of 52

Published on by alisahuntsmanLeave a comment

and so it starts-the catching up that is.  so many pies, so little time to spend here sharing them.  first, let me say that it is wonderful to be able to share those pies.  after 3 weeks of wallowing in the whole robbery drama, i am now connected and secured but damn, i’m still mad!  i lost 10,000 photos and tons of files as well as one fantastic camera.  but, i need to move on…

so, first up is a personal favorite, shoo fly pie.  it even comes with its own catchy little song, “shoo fly, don’t bother me!  shoo fly, don’t bother me…”  just don’t ask me to sing that too you.  the inspiration was a trip to pennsylvania and a chance to roam antique stores with my mom.  i was up there to appear on qvc and if you like, you can watch my appearance on “in the kitchen with david” here.  what an amazing experience that was and david is every bit as nice and friendly as he seems on tv.  but, i digress, while out hunting with mom, i spied a nifty little pie dish and it came with a recipe for shoo fly pie-i had to give it a try.

i loved the design and colors but honestly, i had my doubts about the recipe.  

 as you can see, there aren’t any clear directions and the amounts are a bit sketchy too.  but i managed to figure it out and forged ahead with the plans.  something so simple, so easy and believe it or not, quite tasty.  however, being in the south, i used sorghum rather than molasses and for anyone who wants to make this, i suggest you do the same if you can find it.

shoo fly pie
1 (9″) pie serving 8
1 (9″) pie crust
1/2 cup sorghum (or molasses)
1/2 cup boiling water
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup dark brown sugar-packed
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
preheat the oven to 325.  partially bake the pie shell using the method described in pie #29 but do not bake the pie shell completely since it will be going back into the oven.  raise the oven temp to 350 and mix the filling as follows:  whisk the sorghum with the water and baking soda.   pour into the prepared pie shell.  rub the flour, brown sugar and butter together to form a crumb topping.  sprinkle over the top of the filling and no, it isn’t going to sink!  bake until the filling sets in the center and the crumb topping is a little toasty, about 45 minutes.  allow it to cool before serving.
so folks, stay tuned, i have at least 5 more to post just to get caught up and then i am going to go ahead a little so that my big finale will actually be posted before thanksgiving.  may the power of pie be with you!  and as always, bake one, take a photo and send it to me-i will post it here!  bakinbabe116@aol.com

shoo fly, don’t bother me…

Published on by alisahuntsmanLeave a comment

its that time of year again. the temperatures are beginning to drop and cane juice is being boiled down to make sorghum. that makes it time for shoo fly pie! yes, i know that it is a yankee thing-actually a pennsylvania dutch tradition, but it is a great way to showcase sorghum and it is on the menu today!

this is an interesting recipe. you whisk together sorghum and corn syrup with some spices, eggs and baking soda. it starts to get a little foamy and then you whisk in hot water and pour it into a partially baked pie shell. sprinkle struesal crumb topping over it and bake it. that is shoo fly pie-simple, easy, so tasty and sadly, not in the book…that means you need to stop by and get yourself a slice.

don’t call it molasses

Published on by alisahuntsmanLeave a comment

you wouldn’t think that these tall canes could be responsible for something as tasty as sorghum. sometimes called molasses, sorghum is a well kept southern secret. don’t be fooled by the reference to molasses, it may taste similar but sorghum is it’s own product whereas molasses is what is leftover from the refining process of cane and beet sugar-the “garbage” that they remove to make it white.

the seeds are an important grain in places like africa but they can also be ground into a gluten free flour. in my neighborhood, i can find it in the indian markets and at some point i want to buy some and try it out in some bread.
the tall stalks are cut, pressed for the juices and the juices are cooked down to make the sorghum. 5 gallons of juice will yield about one gallon of sorghum. every fall in the ellington agricultural center in nashville there is a music and molasses festival. i have watched them make the sorghum many times and have some pictures posted here.


my book wouldn’t be complete without at least one sorghum cake and here it is. a sorghum spice cake drizzled with some lemony glaze.