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Emily Doering-White, left, Diane Richardson, and Cherry Sharon, all of Detroit, with cookie dough.
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Sister Pie: Big-Hearted Bakery in Detroit that's worth a visit from Toledo

The Blade/Jetta Fraser

Sister Pie: Big-Hearted Bakery in Detroit that's worth a visit from Toledo

DETROIT — Sister Pie, the bakery situated at Kercheval Avenue and Parker Street in Detroit, is quaint, quirky, and quickly becoming a national sensation.

“There’s a lot happening,” founder Lisa Ludwinski said with a smile.

Not only is there a steady stream of customers to serve, starting the moment the doors open at 8 a.m. Not only is there a team of young women busily preparing a variety of baked goods, from pies (of course) to cookies and scones, to keep those hungry people happy.

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But on Tuesday, Ms. Ludwinski’s first cookbook, Sister Pie: The Recipes and Stories of a Big-Hearted Bakery in Detroit, will be published. It contains 75 sweet and savory offerings, with enough details, photos, and friendly advice to walk even a novice through making the perfect pie and other tempting treats.

The Original Betty's Salad.
Mary Bilyeu
Toledo a culinary journey around the world

Sister Pie (the book) captures the creativity, cooperation, and communal spirit that abound at the bakery, as well as the joy that infuses it. And it emphasizes “taking one step at a time,” its author says, just as the business itself has done.

A Michigan native, Ms. Ludwinski was raised in Milford and “definitely dabbled and helped in the kitchen with my mom,” she said.

She had no intention of embarking upon a culinary career when she moved to New York City after college “with plans to open my own all-female theater company,” she writes in the book. But she “got distracted by food,” and ended up working at two of the city’s most famous bakeries: Momofuku Milk Bar and Four & Twenty Blackbirds.

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“I kind of came into adulthood when food blogs were becoming very popular,” Ms. Ludwinski said. While many in her generation rely upon convenience items or ready-to-eat meals, others have rediscovered the art of crafting foods and baking from scratch, which has been “super inspiring” to her.

And so, Ms. Ludwinski’s theater aspirations ended up on standby as her dreams of owning her own bakery — and of returning to Michigan — found themselves in the spotlight.

Although it seems that Sister Pie is an overnight sensation after just six years, to its founder it’s felt more like a “drawn-out process” involving fund-raising, training in business and entrepreneurship, renovating her current building, and developing her menu.

In 2013, Ms. Ludwinski was still baking dozens of holiday pies in her parents’ kitchen for a network of customers just before moving her business initially into a shared commercial space. At that time, as the enterprise grew, she hired Toledo native Anji Barto for the newly created position of pie intern.

“I had only ever baked, maybe, two pies in my life,” Ms. Barto said with a laugh. She had thought the bakery was up and running, and had simply hoped to work as a barista to start out.

But she watched and learned from Ms. Ludwinski during that chaotic Thanksgiving pie-baking period, “and I’ve been here ever since,” she said happily. “When you know, you know,” she said, about finding the place where she belongs.

Now Ms. Barto works more behind the scenes, she said, in graphics, production scheduling, and event catering. “I’ve been trained in pretty much all aspects” of the bakery’s operations, she said, both front- and back-of-the-house.

In fact, all of Sister Pie’s employees — many of whom have worked there for several years — have been trained in a multitude of roles, and each is encouraged to add her own individual talents and interests into the mix whether from a culinary perspective or an artistic one. This further fosters a sense of working as a team, Ms. Ludwinski said.

This ethic is a part of the triple bottom line that Sister Pie champions, which supports “our employees, our environment, and our economy,” Ms. Ludwinski writes in the book.

“We care about people and the planet,” she said, and offer “something more to work for than just delicious pie.”

Sister Pie recycles, composts, and re-uses to the greatest extent possible, which even includes reducing wasted pie dough. It gets used for the full-sized pies and re-rolled for hand pies, with scraps then cut into small discs to be filled for Pie Sandwich Cookies.

This creativity also extends to the bakery’s flavor combinations, which “highlight what’s in season,” Ms. Ludwinski said. “That’s our best way to support the farmers” and celebrate Michigan produce.

Fall recipes include Cardamom Tahini Squash Pie and Buttermilk Pumpkin Streusel Pie, while the anytime selections range from Honey Lemon Meringue Pie to Toasted Marshmallow Butterscotch Pie, and even a gorgeous magenta-colored Sweet Beet Pie. Individual-sized hand pies are bursting with flavor from tomato, olive, and mozzarella or caramelized onion, squash, and sage.

This is food of love. And it’s made with love, by hand (including pitting thousands of cherries with paper clips every summer).

Recognition for the deliciousness at Sister Pie has come from near and far. Just a few of the accolades include being featured on the Food Network (which Ms. Ludwinski grew up watching), placing third in MLive’s voting contest for Michigan’s Best Pie, and being named one of 50 finalists in Bon Appétit’s 2016 list of the best new restaurants and one of the nation's top 21 bakeries by Thrillist. In both 2017 and 2018, Ms. Ludwinski was a semifinalist for the James Beard Foundation’s Outstanding Baker award.

Despite the praise for, and popularity of, her bakery’s goods, Ms. Ludwinski doesn’t intend to franchise or even open a second shop. She might “make our one location a little bit bigger [by] building out a classroom,” she said.

“I'm not really interested in being a restaurateur. I just want to be a small business owner,” Ms. Ludwinski said with pride.

And, of course, now the author of a beautiful new cookbook too. 

Salted Maple Pie

This is “our signature flavor at Sister Pie,” Lisa Ludwinski writes. “It is reminiscent of the addictive quality of both Milk Bar’s Crack Pie and Four & Twenty’s Salty Honey Pie,” she writes in the book, remembering the seminal New York City bakeries where she received much of her training.

Filling:

½ cup plus 2 tablespoons (1¼ sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1 cup Grade B maple syrup

¾ cup packed light brown sugar

¼ cup fine yellow cornmeal

Heaping ¼ teaspoon kosher salt

3 large eggs, at room temperature

1 large egg yolk, at room temperature

¾ cup heavy cream, at room temperature

1¼ teaspoons pure vanilla extract

To finish:

1 9-inch crust made with All-Butter Pie Dough (recipe follows), blind baked and cooled (see note)

1 large egg, beaten

Flaky sea salt, for sprinkling top

Preheat your oven to 350F.

Make the filling: In a medium bowl, combine the melted butter and maple syrup. Whisk in the brown sugar, cornmeal, and kosher salt.

Crack the eggs and yolk into another medium bowl. Add the cream and vanilla and whisk until combined.

Slowly pour the egg mixture into the maple mixture and whisk just until combined.

Place the blind-baked shell on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush the crimped edge with the beaten egg. Pour the maple filling into the pie shell until it reaches the bottom of the crimps.

Transfer the baking sheet with the pie on it to the oven and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the edges are puffed and the center jiggles only slightly when shaken. It will continue to set as it cools.

Remove the baking sheet from the oven and transfer the pie to a wire rack to cool for 4 to 6 hours. Once fully cooled and at room temperature, sprinkle generously with flaky sea salt, slice into 6 to 8 pieces, and serve.

Store leftover pie, well wrapped in plastic wrap or under a pie dome, at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Note: To blind bake the crust, first roll out the dough and place it into the tin; crimp the edges decoratively. At this point, put the crust in the freezer for at least 15 minutes. Preheat your oven to 450F with the rack on the lowest level. Remove the pie crust from the freezer, tear off a square of aluminum foil that is slightly larger than the pie shell, and gently fit it into the frozen crust. Fill the crust with dried beans (they should come all the way up to the crimps) and place the pie pan on a baking sheet. Transfer the baking sheet to the oven and bake for 25 to 27 minutes. Check for doneness by peeling up a piece of foil — the crimps should be light golden brown. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and transfer to a cooling rack. After 6 minutes, carefully remove the foil and beans. You did it! You are now ready to fill the pie.

Yield: 1 9-inch pie

Source: Adapted from Lisa Ludwinski, Sister Pie 

All-Butter Pie Dough

2½ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon granulated sugar

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted European-style butter, straight from the fridge

½ cup ice-cold water-vinegar mixture (see note), or more if needed

In a large stainless steel bowl, combine the flour, sugar, and salt and stir to mix well. Place the sticks of butter in the bowl and coat on all sides with the flour mixture. Using a bench scraper, cut the butter into ½-inch cubes. Work quickly to separate the cubes with your hands until they are all lightly coated in flour. Grab that bench scraper once again and cut each cube in half.

Switch to the pastry blender and begin to cut in the butter with one hand while turning the bowl with the other. It’s important not to aim for the same spot at the bottom of the bowl with each stroke of the pastry blender, but to actually slice through butter every time to maximize efficiency. Continue to blend and turn until the largest pieces are the size and shape of peas and the rest of the mixture feels and looks freakishly similar to canned Parmesan cheese.

At this point, add the water-vinegar mixture all at once, and switch back to the bench scraper. Scrape as much of the mixture as you can from one side of the bowl to the other, until you can’t see visible pools of liquid anymore. Now it’s hand time. Scoop up as much of the mixture as you can, and use the tips of your fingers (and a whole lot of pressure) to press it back down onto the rest of the ingredients. Rotate the bowl a quarter-turn and repeat. Scoop, press, and turn. With each fold, your intention is to be quickly forming the mixture into one cohesive mass. Remember to incorporate any dry, floury bits that have congregated at the bottom of the bowl, and once those are completely gone and the dough is formed, it’s time to stop.

Remove the dough from the bowl, place it on a lightly floured counter, and use your bench scraper to divide it into two equal pieces. Gently pat each into a 2-inch-thick disc, working quickly to seal any broken edges before wrapping them tightly in a double layer of plastic wrap. Refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours or, ideally, overnight. When you go to roll out the crust, you want the discs to feel as hard and cold as the butter did when you removed it from the fridge to make the dough. This will make the roll-out way easier.

You can keep the pie dough in the fridge for a few days or in the freezer for up to a year. If frozen, remove the dough and place it in the refrigerator to thaw one full day before you intend to use it. If you’re planning to make only one single-crust pie, wrap the discs separately and place one in the freezer.

Note: To make the water-vinegar mixture, fill a 1-cup liquid measuring cup with about 1 inch of water and freeze until completely frozen. Just after you mix your dry ingredients, grab it from the freezer and fill with water plus 2 tablespoons or so of apple cider vinegar. Let it chill on your counter while you mix the other ingredients for the dough.

Yield: 2 discs, enough for one 9-inch double-crust pie or two single-crust pies

Source: Adapted from Lisa Ludwinski, Sister Pie

Contact Mary Bilyeu at 419-724-6155 or mbilyeu@theblade.com, and follow her at facebook.com/thebladefoodpage.

First Published October 1, 2018, 4:32 p.m.

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Emily Doering-White, left, Diane Richardson, and Cherry Sharon, all of Detroit, with cookie dough.  (The Blade/Jetta Fraser)  Buy Image
Molly Trahan, of Detroit, adds rose petals to the cornmeal recipe.  (The Blade/Jetta Fraser)  Buy Image
Lisa Ludwinski, the creator of Detroit's famed Sister Pie bakery, with an idea for staff.  (The Blade/Jetta Fraser)  Buy Image
Tianna Bogan, of Detroit, working the counter. She has been with Sister Pie since about one week after Ludwinski opened her bakery at this location.  (The Blade/Jetta Fraser)  Buy Image
Lisa Ludwinski, creator of Sister Pie, left, with office manager Anji Barto , of Royao Oak.  (The Blade/Jetta Fraser)  Buy Image
Some of the baked goods available at Sister Pie, above some of the ingredients in the baked goods.  (The Blade/Jetta Fraser)  Buy Image
Cups available for in-house use at Sister Pie, with the Kercheval Avenue reflected in the glass case.  (The Blade/Jetta Fraser)  Buy Image
Lisa Ludwinski, creator of Sister Pie.  (The Blade/Jetta Fraser)  Buy Image
Tianna Bogan, of Detroit, working the counter. She has been with Sister Pie since about one week after Ludwinski opened her bakery at this location.  (The Blade/Jetta Fraser)  Buy Image
Molly Trahan with rose cornmeal dough, left. Behind her are Emily Doering-White, left, Diane Richardson, and Cherry Sharon, right, all of Detroit, with cookie dough.  (The Blade/Jetta Fraser)  Buy Image
Pie sandwiches. The bakery tries to waste no food, so it makes use of small bits of pastry left over.  (The Blade/Jetta Fraser)  Buy Image
Flyers about the publication of Lisa Ludwinski's book, "Sister Pie", on a bakery case.  (The Blade/Jetta Fraser)  Buy Image
Pastry-working equipment on a shelf. Lisa Ludwinski (cq), the creator of Detroit's famed Sister Pie bakery, in the West Village bakeshop in Detroit, Michigan on September 27, 2018.  (The Blade/Jetta Fraser)  Buy Image
Brittney Bowen, of Detroit, with pastry for the oven.  (The Blade/Jetta Fraser)  Buy Image
Exterior of Sister Pie, on Kercheval Avenue at Parker Street on the east side of Detroit, Michigan.  (The Blade/Jetta Fraser)  Buy Image
Emily Doering-White, left, Diane Richardson, and Cherry Sharon, all of Detroit, with cookie dough.  (The Blade/Jetta Fraser)  Buy Image
The Blade/Jetta Fraser
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