A historical pastry from The White House cook book; a comprehensive cyclopedia of information for the home .. (1913). The flour that sticks to the butter will fry into the crust to give it a fine, blistered, flaky look.
Preserved exactly as written in the original source
After you have rolled out your top crust, cut it about the right size
Spread it over with butter
Shake sifted flour over the butter, enough to cover it well
Cut a slit in the middle
Place it over the top of your pie, and fasten the edges as any pie
Take the pie on your left hand and a dipper of cold water in your right hand
Tip the pie slanting a little, pour over the water sufficiently to rinse off the flour
Enough flour will stick to the butter to fry into the crust, to give it a fine, blistered, flaky look
Modern guidance to help you succeed with this vintage recipe
This historical technique creates a compound butter-flour layer on the pie's surface. When exposed to oven heat, the butter melts and fries the adhered flour particles, creating steam pockets that puff and blister the top crust. The cold water rinse removes excess flour while leaving just enough to react with the melting butter, producing a distinctive crispy, textured finish that's both visually appealing and adds contrasting crunch to the tender filling below.
The pie can be assembled with this topping technique and refrigerated unbaked for up to 4 hours before baking. The butter layer will firm up during chilling, which actually helps the flour adhere better. Bake directly from the refrigerator, adding 5-10 minutes to the baking time.
Store baked pie loosely covered with aluminum foil at room temperature for up to 2 days, or refrigerate for up to 4 days. The blistered crust will soften slightly during storage but can be re-crisped by warming individual slices in a 350°F oven for 8-10 minutes before serving.
AI-generated tips from Chef Cecil's culinary database
The pie can be assembled with this topping technique and refrigerated unbaked for up to 4 hours before baking. The butter layer will firm up during chilling, which actually helps the flour adhere better. Bake directly from the refrigerator, adding 5-10 minutes to the baking time.
Store baked pie loosely covered with aluminum foil at room temperature for up to 2 days, or refrigerate for up to 4 days. The blistered crust will soften slightly during storage but can be re-crisped by warming individual slices in a 350°F oven for 8-10 minutes before serving.
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