This is the iconic PA Dutch pie.  Shoo fly pie has the goodness of a molasses crumb cake baked into a pie.  Leave it to the PA Dutch to combine the best of both worlds.

This recipes makes two 9 inch deep dish pies, so prepare two pie plates with a crust.

Crust:
2 cups flour
1 T salt
2/3 cups Butter-flavored Crisco, divided
5-7 T ice water
1 egg

Combine flour and salt. Cut in 1/3 cup of the Crisco with a pastry blended until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Cut in remaining Crisco until coarse crumbs form. Stir in egg. Add 1 T of water at a time and mix lightly until a dough holds together. A light hand at mixing pie dough is better, because it’s those little clumps of shortening that make for a flaky pie crust. Over-mixing will create a tough pie crust. Divide dough into two equal size disks. Flour your rolling surface and place one disk in the center. Lightly sprinkle disk with flour and also flour your rolling pin too. Roll out dough to fit a 9″ deep dish pie plate. Continue with second disk and line a second deep dish pie plate.

Crumbs:
4 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 T baking soda
1 cup butter or 1/2 cup butter and 1/2 cup shortening

Combine flour, sugar and baking soda in a large bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry blended until coarse crumbs form.

Filling;
2 cups unsulphured molasses ( I use the darkest molasses I can find)
2 cups warm water
1 egg
2 tsp. baking soda

Combine molasses, water, egg and baking soda in large bowl. The molasses and baking soda fizz a bit upon contact – it’s normal. Mix well.

To assemble pies: Add half the crumb mixture to the filling and stir only few times. Pour filling into unbaked pie shells, filling a little over half full. Sprinkle remaining crumbs over both pies to fill pies to the top. (depending on your pie plate size, you may not use all of the filling.

Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes for 35-40 minutes, until knife inserted in center comes out clean.

Helpful hint: Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper and place unbaked pies on the cookie sheet to bake, in case pie filling boils over while baking.