I love those recipes that we all grew up with; they are just too good to miss out on. Fried cornbread, also known as cornmeal hoe cakes and corn cakes, and sometimes Johnnycakes, is a sort of fried cornmeal flatbread – kind of like if you took cornbread batter and skillet fried it like a pancake. The inside puffs up like cornbread, while the outside gets nice and crispy from frying it in the oil.
It’s the perfect companion to a mess o’ greens, for breakfast, or as a sweet treat when drizzled with a bit of syrup.
I have read that hoecakes likely started with Native Americans who apparently cooked these on hot rocks inside an open fire. The method was later adapted by cooking the bread on the blade of a hoe, and that is how it got its name, though some folks dispute that.
Ingredients
To make this recipe, you’ll need the following ingredients:
- 2 1/2 cups cornmeal (60 mL)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour (250 mL)
- 2 tsp baking powder (30 mL)
- 1/2 cup brown sugar (125 mL)
- 1 tsp salt (5 mL)
- 2 cups buttermilk (475 mL)
- 2 eggs
- 1/3 cup melted butter (75 mL)
- 1 cup cheese (250 mL)
- 1 cup corn, fresh or frozen and thawed (250 mL)
- 1/2 pound crispy fried bacon, crumbled
- 3 jalapeño peppers
With the ingredients gathered, the real magic happens when everything comes together in the skillet.
Preparation
Heat a cast-iron skillet on the oven on high.
Preheat the oven to 425°F.
Close the ring of the oven on which the cast-iron pan is located and open the other rings at high temperature.
Mix all the dry ingredients with a fork. Add the remaining ingredients and blend well.
Coat the cast-iron skillet with corn oil.
Pour the batter into the skillet and place under the broiler at 425°F for approximately 20 minutes, until the bread is golden brown.
Once the cornbread is golden and crisp on top, it’s ready to become the perfect savory addition to your meal.
Serving
Serve for lunch with an omelet and slow-cooker ham.
Enjoy!
