Water Pie

Custard-like pie with vanilla and nutmeg

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City/Region: Fulton, Missouri

Time Period: 1908

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While water pies have made the rounds on the internet as a Depression-era food, they were around long before the 1930s. In the decades leading up to the Great Depression, there was a series of smaller depressions, so there was plenty of opportunity for people to feel the need to make water pie.

This is surprisingly good with a texture like the filling of a pecan pie. Because the main ingredients are water and sugar, whatever flavorings you use are really important. The nutmeg and vanilla I use here are delicious, but the sky’s the limit. You could use citrus, flower waters, other spices, or basically anything that sounds good to you. Be sure to let the pie cool completely in order for it to set up to its soft custard-like texture.

“Water Pie.
One cup sugar, two tablespoons of flour mixed well with the sugar, then add one-half cup of hot water, lump of butter and flavoring, cook until it becomes thick, then pour into your prepared paste and bake slowly.”

— Mrs. Hollis Crews, Fulton Weekly Gazette, March 6, 1908

“Plain Paste.
1 1/2 cups flour.
1/4 cup lard.
1/4 cup butter.
1/2 teaspoon salt.
Cold water.
Wash butter, pat, and form in circular piece. Add salt to flour, and work in lard with tips of fingers or case knife. Moisten to dough with cold water; ice water is not an essential, but is desirable in summer. Toss on board dredged sparingly with flour, pat, and roll out; fold in butter as for puff paste, pat, and roll out. Fold so as to make three layers, turn half-way round, pat, and roll out; repeat. The pastry may be used at once; if not, fold in cheese cloth, put in covered tin, and keep in cold place, but never in direct contact with ice. Plain paste requires a moderate oven. This is superior paste and quickly made.”

— The Boston Cooking School Cook Book by Fannie Farmer, 1896

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Ingredients:

Crust

• 1/4 cup (55 g) lard or shortening
• 1/4 cup (55 g) cold butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 1/2 cups (180 g) flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons (45 ml) ice water, more or less as needed

Filling (if using a deep pie dish, double the filling ingredients)

• 1 cup (200 g) sugar
• 2 tablespoons (15 g) flour
• 4 tablespoons (55 g) butter
• 3/4 cup (175 ml) warm water
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg*
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla*

*Some historical water pie recipes specify nutmeg and vanilla, but this one just says “flavoring”, so swap these out with whatever spices or flavorings you like.

Instructions:

1. For the crust: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and salt.
2. Cut the lard into the flour with two knifes or a pastry cutter, or work it in with your fingertips until the pieces of lard are no larger than a pea.
3. Start with 2 tablespoons of the ice water and mix it into the flour mixture. Add more water as needed so that the dough just comes together, mine took about 3 tablespoons total. Turn it out onto a work surface and knead it a few times so that it’s cohesive.
4. Flatten the dough out into about a 6 inch (15 cm) circle. It’s okay if the dough is shaggy. Place the butter evenly on the dough circle, then fold it over in half and roll it out into a 6 inch (15 cm) circle again. Fold and roll out 2 more times. There should still be large chunks of butter visible in the dough. Wrap the dough disc and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
5. Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C).
6. Roll the chilled dough out large enough to line a 9 inch (23 cm) pie dish. Place the dough in the pie dish, crimp the edges, and pierce the bottom several times with a fork. Line the dough with aluminum foil or parchment paper and fill it with pie weights, dry rice or beans, or sugar.
7. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove from the oven and take out the foil and pie weights. Return the pie crust to the oven and bake for another 5 to 6 minutes, or until the bottom looks dry. Let the crust cool completely before filling.
8. For the filling: Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C).
9. Whisk the flour and sugar together in a saucepan. Once they’re combined, add in the butter, water, nutmeg, and vanilla.
10. Place the saucepan over medium heat. In about a minute or so, the butter should melt, and you can whisk everything together. After a few more minutes, it should thicken up to be about the consistency of heavy cream.
11. Pour the filling into the cooled pie crust and bake for 15 minutes, then lower the temperature to 350°F (175°C) and bake for another 45 minutes.
12. After the pie has baked, the filling will still be very liquidy, but will firm up as it cools. Let the pie cool completely to set up before slicing and serving it forth.

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