Wiley is reissuing Pillsbury’s Best of the Bake-Off Collection, and taken together, the 1,000 winning recipes in this 50-year-old book paint a picture of how we used to be.

The winners’ names are the first hint. Many of the women are identified as Mrs. … whoever. Their first names are lost to history. Such is the case with Mrs. Louis Dees of Fort Worth, Texas, who created the recipe for Pineapple Cheese Cake Pie.

The recipe names are the next hint. Blueberry Boy-Bait? It’s a quick coffeecake recipe submitted in the junior category. Saucy Perk-Up Pudding? It’s made with pineapple, rhubarb  — and mint. Parisian Sophisticates? Almond cupcakes with a chocolate truffle filling.

Finally, a look at the recipes shows that everything was made from scratch. Today’s Bake-Off rules insist that recipes rely on convenience products. Not so in 1959 and before. Delicious-sounding cakes, yeast breads, pie crusts all were made from scratch… with Pillsbury flour, of course.

Here’s a crust recipe that can be used with the pineapple pie:

ONE-CRUST PASTRY

Sift together 1 cup sifted all-purpose flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt into a mixing bowl.

Cut in 1/3 cup shortening until the size of small peas.

Sprinkle 3 to 4 tablespoons cold water over mixture, while tossing and stirring lightly with fork. Add liquid to driest particles, pushing lumps to side, until dough is just moist enough to hold together.

Form into a ball. Flatten to 1/2-inch thickness; smooth edges.

Roll out on a floured surface into a circle 1 1/2 inches larger than inverted 8- or 9-inch pie pan. Fit loosely into pan; gently pat out air pockets. Fold edge to form a standing rim; flute.

If baking before adding filling, prick generously with a fork. Bake at 450 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes. Cool. Fill as desired.