Hoecakes
Updated Feb. 26, 2024
- Total Time
- About 2½ hours
- Prep Time
- 5 minutes
- Cook Time
- About 30 minutes, plus 2 hours’ resting
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 2⅓cups fine or stone-ground white or yellow cornmeal
- 2cups/480 milliliters warm water
- ½teaspoon active dry yeast
- 2teaspoons salt
- About 1 cup/227 grams unsalted butter (2 sticks), softened
- Honey, for serving
Nutritional analysis per serving (10 servings)
302 calories; 19 grams fat; 11 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 5 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 30 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 2 grams sugars; 3 grams protein; 253 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
In a medium bowl, combine the cornmeal and warm water. Whisk well into a thick batter. Let rest for 10 minutes.
- Step 2
Sprinkle the yeast over the cornmeal mixture and whisk well. Cover with towel or plastic wrap and set aside for 15 minutes.
- Step 3
Add the salt to the mixture and stir very well. Allow to sit, uncovered, at room temperature for 1½ to 2 hours. The batter will rise and puff at the center.
- Step 4
Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter, then whisk it into the batter until well combined.
- Step 5
Heat a large cast-iron pan or griddle on the stovetop over medium heat. Add about 1 tablespoon of butter to the pan. When the butter has melted, use a flexible spatula or brush to spread it around the pan’s surface.
- Step 6
Use a ¼ cup measure to scoop out the batter onto the pan. Cook the hoecakes in batches, leaving about 2 inches surrounding each hoecake. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes on each side or until lightly browned, adding 1 tablespoon of butter to the pan before turning the cakes to cook on the other side. (The cakes will become firmer once they are cooked.) Repeat until you’ve cooked off all the batter.
- Step 7
To serve, spread the hoecakes with softened butter and drizzle with honey to taste.
Private Notes
Comments
In Southern New England these pre-date Washington, are known as Johnny Cakes, and were first made by natives tribes like the Narragansett. Supposedly the English name derives from “journey cakes”, as corn meal doesn’t rot as quickly as wheat or other flours, so would last a traveler longer. They’re still made- crisp on the outside, moist in the middle- in homes and restaurants all over Rhode Island.
Born in the South in the 40ties, corn was our staple. In this recipe I found the use of water rather than milk or buttermilk made a very watery, batter; there was half again too much salt; the use of yeast seemed unusual but still I used it. Unhappy with this recipe I reverted to the way we made Hoe cakes in Georgia; half self-rising flour as well as half self-rising corn meal, an egg, vegetable oil and buttermilk. One can make small cakes on stove or one big one on iron griddle in the oven.
I have made these from Mount Vernon's recipe, and they are so good, I let the batter rest overnight.
Like many others have said, the batter kept sticking to the pan no matter how I adjusted the heat or how much butter I used. I ended up dolloping the batter onto a parchment-lined sheet pan and baking at 350 for ~15 minutes. The texture is probably a little different, but they came out great, and no mess!
An old-fashioned Corn Pone recipe: 1 cup cornmeal 1 ⁄2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon baking powder 2 tablespoons bacon drippings 1 ⁄2 cup milk Stir together the cornmeal, baking powder and salt. Add the bacon drippings and milk. Stir well. Making about 4 pones (flattened circles). Plop the batter onto a greased cast iron skillet. Cook until golden brown on each side, flipping once. Or, make as the Sioux sometimes did-form small rolls, wrap in green corn husks. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 45 minutes
How do you make it with instant yeast?