Welcome to Indiana! To celebrate the “Hoosier State”, we decided to make Hoosier Pie! There are not any official state foods from Indiana, so we picked this namesake dessert for our virtual road trip. The name “Hoosier” is said to have come from the word “hoosa” which is an Indian word for corn. It makes sense that Indianans were referred to as Hoosiers as corn is the top agricultural commodity in the state.
In some areas of the US, especially the South, a Hoosier can also refer to a “countryfied” person, and can be considered to be derogatory.
Hoosier Pie, aka Sugar Cream Pie, likely has its roots in Amish communities and dates to the 1800s.
Since the pie uses ingredients commonly in the kitchen, it was often made during the winter when fruits and eggs weren’t readily available.
Hoosier Pie
1/2 c sugar
1 T cornstarch
5 T flour
1/2 t salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 c cream
1 1/2 c milk
1/4 c maple syrup
1/4 t nutmeg
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 F
In a large bowl, mix together dry ingredients: sugar, cornstarch, flour and salt.
In a medium bowl, mix together wet ingredients; eggs, cream, milk and maple syrup.
Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix until combined.
Pour mixture into unbaked pie shell. Top with grated nutmeg.
Bake at 375 F for 1 hour, 15 minutes, covering the edges of the crust with foil for the last 30 minutes.
Cool for at least 1 hour before serving.
Single Crust for a 9-inch pie
1/2 c butter, chilled and cut into small (ie 1/2 inch) pieces.
1 1/4 c flour
1/2 t salt
3-5 T ice water (amount depends on humidity)
In the bowl of a food processor, pulse flour and salt. Add butter and mix until the butter is the size of peas (this takes about 20-30 pulses). With the food processor running, add the water through the feed tube 1 T at a time until the dough comes together. Flatten to a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Roll dough out to a 9 inch circle (it will be about 3/8 inch or 4 mm thick) and fit into pie pan.