Hot Water Cornbread made the old school way with corn meal, salt, butter, and hot water; fried to golden perfection
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American, southern
Keyword cornbread, cornmeal
Prep Time 10 minutesminutes
Cook Time 5 minutesminutes
Servings 8patties
Calories
Ingredients
Hot Water Cornbread
1cupfine ground cornmeal (yellow or white)
½teaspoonkosher salt
½ cup+ 2-4 Tablespoons boiling water (may need more or less)
2tablespoonsunsalted butter, melted
Easy Honey Butter
4tablespoonsunsalted butter, room temperature
1teaspoonpowdered sugar
1teaspoonshoney
salt, pinch
Instructions
Read the note section below before proceeding.
In a medium bowl, whisk cornmeal and salt.
Heat some water (About 1 cup. You won't use it all) in a kettle until boiling. (water MUST be boiling to soften the cornmeal properly)
Stir in enough boiling water to form a soft dough that can hold its shape. Be sure to stir after each addition of water to see where you're at. (I usually need about 1/2 cup + 2 or 4 tablespoons more. Once I add in 1/2 cup, I start adding the remaining water by the tablespoon while stirring. It's so easy to add TOO much water so be careful or you'll have to start over.)
Once you have a soft dough, stir in melted butter.
Let dough rest for about 5-10 minutes.
Meanwhile, add about a 1/4 inch of canola oil to a cast-iron skillet and heat to about 375 F.
When the oil is hot, shape the cornmeal mixture into patties (I make them about 1/2 inch thick) and place them into the hot oil. (I find it easier to lay the patty on the end of a rubber spatula and then slide them off into the oil)
Let them fry for about 2-3 minutes or until the underside is golden brown and then flip and let the other side brown. Cooking time will vary based on the thickness and temperature of the oil so keep an eye on them.
Remove from oil using a slotted spoon and place on the prepared tray to drain.
Enjoy hot or room temperature with a savory meal or as a snack with flavored butter or jam.
To make honey butter to accompany, combine all honey butter ingredients until creamy.
Video
Notes
Choose Your Hot Water Cornbread:The above recipe is for old-school hot water cornbread. It is a bare-bones recipe with a mild flavor. To me, it's an acquired taste. If you decide that you prefer a more "updated" hot water cornbread here are a few things you can do.
Use self-rising cornmeal mix instead of plain corn meal. This mix can be found in the grocery store next to the plain cornmeal and contains flour and leaving agents. You can omit the salt in this recipe if using a self-rising cornmeal mix that contains salt.
Add sugar. Sugar will compliment the flavors of the cornmeal.
Add spices. Once you know how you prefer your hot water cornbread (with plain cornmeal or a cornmeal mix) you can play it up by adding spices and herbs.
Taste it! One of the best ways to know how the flavor of your finished hot water cornbread will turn out is to taste a bit of the dough. Although the texture will obviously be different once fried, it's a good way to test for a balance of spices if used.