Old-Fashioned Hot Water Cornbread

Old-fashioned hot water cornbread—also known as corn pone, hoecakes, or corn dodgers—is a simple yet simply delicious Southern dinnertime staple. Crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, these pan-fried corn cakes cook up in about half the time of regular cornbread, so they're a perfect last-minute addition to any meal.

What's the Difference Between Cornbread and Hot Water Cornbread?

While regular cornbread is made by pouring batter into in a pan or skillet and baking it in the oven, for hot water cornbread, the batter is shaped into cakes and fried in hot fat in a skillet on the stovetop.

What's Hot Water Cornbread Made of?

While some people use a self-rising cornbread mix to make the corn cakes, and some add a small amount of wheat flour or sugar, this version is very basic. Here's everything you'll need:

• Cornmeal: While you can use white cornmeal in this recipe, go for yellow cornmeal if you want that classic golden cornbread look. You can use either fine grind or medium grind cornmeal for this recipe—much of what you'll find in the baking aisle of the grocery store will be finely ground, and you can assume that's the grind if the label doesn't say. Just don't choose coarse grind, which takes too long to cook for this recipe and will make gritty cakes.
  
• Fat for the Batter: This recipe calls for melted vegetable shortening in the batter, which makes for tender cakes that hold together well. If you don't have shortening or don't want to use it, you can swap in vegetable oil, butter, lard, or another shortening substitute.
• Fat for Frying: Hot water cornbread is fried in fat, and you have options here too. If you have it, fry the corn cakes in bacon drippings for an extra hint of old-fashioned flavor. Lard is another classic choice for this recipe. You can also use melted shortening, vegetable oil, or canola oil.
• Salt: This recipe calls for kosher salt, which has a nice neutral taste. It's absolutely fine to use regular table salt instead, but if you do, use half the amount of table salt.
• Boiling Water: To make the batter, you simply combine the cornmeal and salt and then pour boiling water over the mixture, add the melted shortening (or other fat), stir well, and let it sit until it's cool enough to handle before shaping it into cakes. It's important to use boiling water to soften the cornmeal and make the batter come together.
  

How to Serve Hot Water Cornbread

Serve the cornbread cakes with maple syrup or cane syrup. They're delicious with sorghum molasses, as well. They also work wonderfully as a side bread with chili or beans, as well as any type of greens. They're also great for breakfast or a snack. While this recipe makes just four cakes, it's easy to double or triple it if you need more.

What You'll Need to Make This Hot Water Cornbread Recipe

A Heavy Skillet

A Big Mixing Bowl

A Great Metal Spatula