American Heritage Baking—Let’s Bake and Learn
by Nancy Baggett

The Not So Dowdy Pandowdy

If Dinah Shore’s 1946 song, “Shoo fly Pie and Apple Pan Dowdy,” hadn’t been a big hit, it’s likely almost nobody today would know about the simple fruit dessert called pandowdy. As it is, most people I’ve asked have never eaten the treat that the lyrics say “makes your eyes light up and your tummy say howdy.” But they think it sounds enticing and would be delighted to give it a try.

After checking out the history of this old-fashioned American dish and making and serving up a few pandowdies—I’ve got some facts and conclusions to share. First off, yes, they are well worth trying. They are as enticing and gratifying as a similar old-fashioned American favorite, the cobbler.

Second, pandowdies were never very well known. A search through about twenty nineteenth century cookbooks netted me less than a dozen recipes, which varied considerably from one another. For example, one version in Maria Parloa's 1872 Appledore Cook Book called for covering sliced apples with a pastry crust, while another called for a biscuit dough top. A third recipe, in a collection entitled Housekeeping Receipts of M. J. T. Burke, called for covering the fruit with a bread dough.

Still, all of the heritage pandowdies I’ve seen have things in common: All pair apples and some kind of dough or bread crumbs. I’ve never come across an heirloom recipe calling for, say, peaches or pears, though I’ve tried substituting peaches in the recipe below, and it’s as good as the apple version. With one exception, the pandowdies I’ve found contain molasses, which it turns out, goes beautifully with both apples and peaches.

A third key bit of information I learned is that the name pandowdy probably didn’t, as I assumed, refer to the appearance of the dish. Sandra Oliver, editor of Food History News, firmly dismisses this notion in Newsletter 54, saying: “… know, remember, and repeat that dowdy comes from the word “dow” a variation on dough which points to the original use of yeasted dough in the dish, and not, not, not from plain or homely.” Dow meaning dough (but not always yeasted) does indeed appear in early English and American receipts, so it makes sense that an apple pandowdy simply referenced a pan with fruit and dough.

The same Food History News issue reprinted a pandowdy recipe that some experts suspect might be the very first one (see the sidebar). One expert, the late Karen Hess, thought that it may have been prepared at Thomas Jefferson's Virginia estate in the early nineteenth century.

Despite the possible Southern origins, pandowdy is now most often associated with Boston's old landmark Faneuil Hall eatery, Durgin-Park, where it has been on the menu off and on for more than forty years. Topped with a traditional pastry crust, it contains molasses and is served cut in squares. Another local establishment with a fancier, modern rendition, a Comice pear pandowdy, is the Meritage Restaurant in the Boston Harbor Hotel. I’ve never tried a pear pandowdy, but I’d bet that it’s good eating, too.

Lightly Spicy Apple Pandowdy (printable recipe)
Not all pandowdies call for spices, but many do, and with good reason. They enhance the taste of the fruit, as well as contribute to the amazing aroma that fills the kitchen during baking. A little molasses brings out the best in apples, too, and really distinguishes the dish from an apple cobbler.

This dough is easy to put together and work with and has a lovely buttery flavor and fragrance. It’s also tender and bakes up attractively, guaranteeing that nobody is going to think your dowdy looks dowdy!

Tip: For a fine peach pandowdy, substitute about 10 large, ripe peaches (about 4 pounds) for the apples. The peaches will be juicier, so will need more cornstarch. Otherwise, prepare the peach and apple versions exactly the same.

Filling
8 or 9 large Honey Crisp, Granny Smith, Golden Delicious, Stayman or other flavorful cooking apples (about 4 pounds), peeled, cored, and thinly sliced (or 10 large peaches, peeled, pitted, and sliced)
3/4 cup granulated sugar (use a little more for very tart fruit)
1/3 cup molasses (mild-flavored, not blackstrap)
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest (yellow part of the peel)
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into chunks
1/3 cup cold water blended with 1 tablespoon cornstarch (or a scant 2 tablespoons cornstarch if using peaches)
Dough
2 cups all purpose white flour
Generous 3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
11 tablespoons unsalted butter, well chilled and cut into 1/3-inch bits
3/4 cup sour cream or light sour cream

Grease a 9- by 13-inch baking dish (or coat with nonstick spray). Place a rack in the middle third of the oven and set it to 350 degrees F.

For the filling: Stir together the fruit, sugar, molasses, cinnamon, allspice, lemon zest, butter, and water-cornstarch mixture in a very large non-reactive saucepan or pot over medium-high heat. Stirring constantly, bring to a gentle boil; cook for 3 minutes or till slightly thickened. Spread the mixture in the baking dish.

For the dough: Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a food processor. Pulse several times to mix. Sprinkle the butter over top. Process in 30 1-second on/off pulses, or just until the butter is cut in with some bits the size of peas remaining. Drop dollops of sour cream over the top. Process in 15 to 20 1-second pulses, or just until the sour cream is thoroughly incorporated; stop halfway through and stir to lift up the crumbs from the bottom. Check the consistency frequently by stopping and pressing the mixture together with the fingers until it forms a smooth dough. (If it is too dry, add up to 1 tablespoon cold water and pulse until the mixture just holds together.)

Remove the blade; turn out the dough onto wax paper. Press and smooth it into a rough rectangle. Place it between two long sheets of baking parchment or wax paper. Roll it out until evenly thick and roughly 9 1/2- by 13 1/2-inches. Peel off and discard one sheet. With a large knife, trim off and discard the uneven dough edges, then use them to patch the rectangle to achieve the 9- by 13-inch dimensions. Center the dough, facing down, over the fruit. Peel off and discard the paper. Using a greased paring knife, cut decorative steam vents in the dough surface.

Bake (middle third of the oven) for 40 to 50 minutes, or until the top is nicely browned and the edges are bubbly. Transfer to a wire rack. Let cool at least 15 minutes before serving. Keeps, covered, for 2 days, refrigerated for 4 days.

Makes about 10 servings.