Fire Roasted Pies

Last week, we discussed the delicious potential of roasting your food over the fire, and this reminds me of one of my most favorite summertime desserts from my childhood: fire roasted pies.

These pies are relatively quick and simple to make; they are essentially a smoky, toasted, dessert sandwich, yet they are far superior to many ordinary desserts when coupled with the experience of roasting them over the fire.

To make a fire pie for yourself, you first need a pie iron. You can buy pie irons online, and if you want my opinion, I would recommend this one on Amazon (I am not paid to recommend this product); I roasted my pie on a vintage pie iron, and the iron I linked seems to be similar in quality to the one I used.

Take two slices of your favorite bread, I find a brioche bread delightful, and butter one side of each slice; the best slices to use are ones that are moist, square, medium thickness, and lacking major holes.

Place a slice butter-side-down into the iron.

Scoop two or three spoons full of your favorite pie filling onto the previously mentioned slice. There is nothing to say that you cannot use chocolate pudding to make a chocolate pie or cheese to make a grilled cheese sandwich; you could also make a savory pie.

Then complete your dessert sandwich by placing the remaining slice of bread butter-side-up on top of the previous slice.

Close the iron by connecting its two halves and latch the iron using its hook; latching your iron will not only keep the iron together, but it will also apply pressure to the perimeter of your pie, which seals the filling inside. Don’t worry if the bread crust extends beyond the iron, you can cut the crust off with a bread knife before roasting if your prefer; you could still cut the crust off after roasting if it has burned.

The last step is to roast the pie. I find it works best to hold the toaster over a bed of embers after the fire has burned down rather than over open flames; this will help prevent any exposed portions of the bread from burning. Roast the pie for 10 to 20 minutes, switching sides every couple minutes, or until the pie is golden-brown on both sides, if you are confident with opening the toaster to check while roasting. Be careful, the handle and latching hook can be very hot.

That’s all it takes to have your very own fire roasted pie. This process may remind you of s’mores, and perhaps you are torn between pies and s’mores; this is a classic dilemma when it comes to fire desserts. If I am caught in this quandary, I often opt to consume one pie and one s’more.

Have you tried a fire roasted pie?

Onward American 🇺🇸