Easy, No-Sugar Pie Pan Shortcake

Tags

berry shortcake, shortcake, strawberry shortcake, vintage shortcake recipe

I returned home from vacation to this glorious sight.

Immediately, my mind returned to my childhood and the endless bowls of strawberry shortcake we enjoyed. My mom used Bisquick but I found this super-easy recipe from the Public School Domestic Science Cookbook, published in 1898. The cookbook was part of a public schools domestic sciences curriculum (the first version of Home Economics!) It took me 20 minutes from start to finish and has no added sugar.

You can substitute the milk with soy, almond, or coconut milk. You can also throw in some ground chia seeds or flax seeds to add a little nutritional value and give the shortcake a more nutty flavor. My gluten-free friends can substitute Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free All Purpose Baking Flour. You might need to add another 1/4 cup of milk to get the right consistency with the batter and allow the batter to sit for 20 minutes before putting it into the pie pan, so the gluten-free flour can fully absorb the liquid.

Ingredients

2 cups flour
3 tablespoons butter, slightly softened
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup milk

Instructions

Mix the flour, butter and salt in a mixer until the butter resembles small, coarse crumbs.

Mix in the baking powder.

Slowly add the milk until the dough is thoroughly wet, with a consistency like thick pancake batter.

Pour the mixture into a greased 9 inch pie plate.

Bake in a 400 degree oven for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Cut into pie-shaped wedges and top with milk, berries, and sweetener or whipped cream if desired. Enjoy!