Abu's Homestyle Bakery — Black-Owned Brooklyn

Photo courtesy of Abu's Homestyle Bakery

We went to Abu’s Homestyle Bakery to prepare for National Coconut Cream Pie Day (May 8), ordering their rich, creamy coconut custard variety. We stayed for their signature dessert: bean pie.

“My family’s Muslim, and the bean pie is part of the Black American tradition,” Idris Braithwaite, owner of Abu’s, says with regard to the Nation of Islam-originated staple. Braithwaite, who took the reins of the 17-year-old bakery from his father in 2011, says Abu’s bean pies — made from navy beans pureed to a smooth, custardy texture, well spiced and baked in a tender, buttery crust — are a cut above (pun absolutely intended). “There’s inconsistency when you’re driving and buy a bean pie from a guy selling them on the street. We provide a location where you can definitely come and get a quality bean pie.”

While the treat is among its best sellers, the occasional jokes cracked at its expense (i.e. “Bean pie, my brother?”) make Braithwaite bristle a bit. “I don’t mean to wax poetic about it, but we want to elevate the bean pie to its proper status as an authentic African-American invention,” he says. “This is something that Black people created, like jazz, like hip-hop, and it’s one of our contributions to the culinary world. So we should celebrate it like other people celebrate their things. At Abu’s we hope to be successful at bringing the product to the status it deserves.”

We advise ordering a medium bean pie and tearing into it whole — an admittedly carnal, but very satisfying, approach. And don’t miss Abu’s other fan favorites: pecan pie and their red velvet, carrot and German chocolate cakes.