Try this fun 18th century colonial cornbread recipe with your kids this Fourth of July. Hoecakes: a Revolutionary War recipe.
I thought I’d do something a little interesting and different here on My Beautiful Mess. Since July 4th is upon us, I thought I’d share a simple recipe for hoecakes: a Revolutionary War recipe. This Independence Day, why not try something our founding fathers used to eat.
What Are Hoecakes
American Southerners were the first to create this cornbread patty. Honestly, I’m not entirely sure how to describe it. I did a lot of research before trying this recipe a few times. Hoecakes resemble pancakes, but they aren’t. At best, they might qualify as a distant cousin. Pancakes are soft and fluffy and made with flour. Hoecakes are denser, tougher, and to me, almost seem like a hybrid between pancakes and corn tortillas.
A Quick History
In England in the 1600’s, a hoe was the name of what we now know as a griddle. Back then, it was common to bake cakes on griddles. In fact, cooking was very different back then. Food was cooked by a fireplace, specifically on the hearth. Cooks would place the pots and hoes on the hearth to cook. Then they’d move the pots close or far away from the fire depending on how hot it needed to be. Without cooking thermometers, women determined the temperature by how many seconds they could withstand the heat when their arm was placed in the fireplace (oven). Crazy, right? And you thought cooking today was a chore!
When settlers came from England, they had little imagination when it came to using corn. Corn had been domesticated by the Native Americans and to early settlers, corn was a crude substitute for flour. Since cornmeal didn’t not respond well to leveling agents and was naturally sweet, they simply fashioned it into small cake patties and fried it on a griddle. Thus hoecakes were born.
Hoe cakes were described as George Washington’s favorite breakfast in which he ate them slathered in “butter and honey.” Over the next century, hoecakes eventually became a dish of regional pride and a staple on the Southern colonial table.
The Modern Hoecake
These days, hoecakes, also called Johnny Cakes, are still a regional favorite here in the South. Today, ingredients like egg, milk, even flour are added to make it closer to pancakes. Sometimes spices and sugar are added to sweeten it up. However, for today’s purposes, we’re going to eat it like the colonists did.
How To Make Hoecakes
Hoecakes are simple to make. They are simply cornmeal and boiling hot water mixed into a batter and fried in a small amount of peanut oil. I’m sure you can use other oils if you’re allergic to peanuts. The consistency of the batter should be fairly thick. Closer to a wet dough than a batter. If it’s as runny as pancake batter, you’ve done it wrong. Secondly, I recommend using a non-stick skillet. I personally prefer to use my cast iron one, but since I haven’t season it yet, we’ll use a regular pan. Aim for making them around six inches.
Hoecakes are traditionally made with white cornmeal, but since I have yellow cornmeal, that’s what I’ll be using today. As I mentioned before, you’ll needed to use boiling hot water to make sure they don’t break apart when you try to remove them from the pan.
Hoecakes should have crispy edges and should be a glistening golden brown. Hoecakes are best when served warm. I recommend taking a cue from George Washington and using butter and either honey, maple syrup, and or cane syrup.
Revolutionary War Hoecakes
Try this favorite breakfast of George Washington and staple of the Colonia South with this American Revolution time recipe.
When the water is boiling, start by adding one 1 cup at a time. Slowly stir. Continue adding the second cup of water. Mixture should pour by should be very thick almost like a very wet dough.
Let stand for 10 minutes so the cornmeal can absorb the water
In a medium high skillet, add one 1-2 Tbsp of Oil
Once oil is smoking, pour batter into the hot oil. Flatten and round with a spatula
Cook for 10 minutes
Gently flip and cook for an additional 10 minutes
Serve warm with butter, honey, cane syrup or maple syrup
Keyword bread, breakfast, comfort food, cornbread, cornbread recipes, cornmeal, flatbread, fried bread, pan fried, recipes of the south, southern recipes, unleaven bread
Thanks for reading! Take a look at some of my other Souther recipes like Shrimp and Crawfish Étouffée. Be sure to PIN this post for later and please subscribe to my blog for future recipes.
Pancakes are sometimes called hoecakes in the South. Most Southerners are familiar with lacy cornbread, aka hot water cornbread. A hoecake is a rustic fried version of a pancake made with ground cornmeal.
Pancakes are sometimes called hoecakes in the South. Most Southerners are familiar with lacy cornbread, aka hot water cornbread. A hoecake is a rustic fried version of a pancake made with ground cornmeal.
The simplest are hoecakes, a mixture of cornmeal, water, and salt, so named because they were originally baked on the flat of a hoe over a wood fire. Johnnycakes and corn pone are somewhat thicker cakes that may have added ingredients such as fat or wheat flour.
Family members and visitors alike testified that hoecakes were among George Washington's favorite foods. He invariably ate them at breakfast, covered with butter and honey, along with hot tea—a “temperate repast” enjoyed each morning.
Hoe Cakes are made from self-rising cornmeal, self-rising flour, a touch of sugar, eggs, oil, and buttermilk. I use bacon grease to fry these Southern Hoe Cakes in but it's more common to use vegetable oil. Feel free to do so. If you love okrs, try these fabulous Okra Hoecakes!
While flapjacks is an informal nickname for pancakes, some people may use the terms hotcakes and griddlecakes to refer to specific types of pancakes. In the UK, the word flapjack refers to something entirely different—a baked good made from oats that resembles a granola bar.
Johnny cakes boast a hearty corn flavor, with a slightly chewy texture that's perfect for soaking up savory sauces or toppings. Hoecakes offer a balanced blend of flavors with a hearty corn taste and a slightly crispy exterior that's ideal for both sweet and savory accompaniments.
Most people in the South, from white farmers to slaves, made multiple forms of cornmeal breads. Baked corn pones, skillet-baked Johnny cakes, ash cakes and hoe cakes cooked on hoe blades or griddles – “hoe” was an 18th century word for a griddle.
The term "pone" most likely entered English from Native American language terms like apan, oppone or supawn, meaning baked, possibly related to earlier ash cakes baked in hot coals. A "corn pone" is usually a small round loaf of cornbread, about the size of a biscuit, traditionally baked in a round cast iron skillet.
A Johnny cake recipe makes a thinner batter that is fried into rounds, essentially making cornmeal pancakes. Cornbread is made with baking soda or baking powder to give it a bread-like lift and texture and is oven-baked in a baking dish and cut into squares for serving.
Posted on www.today.com (Read original article here.) “This chocolate biscuit cake is Her Royal Majesty the Queen's favorite afternoon tea cake by far,” chef Darren McGrady, The Royal Chef and former personal chef to Queen Elizabeth II, told TODAY Food.
Some sources note President Lincoln did have two favorite dishes, Chicken Fricassee with Biscuits and Oyster Stew. His preferred dessert was Apple Pie.
Most notably, pancakes are made with flour and sugar, while Johnny cakes and hoecakes are both made with cornmeal — though hoecakes do occasionally contain a small amount of sugar as well. This ultimately impacts everything from the flavor of the flat cakes to how they are served and what they are served with.
In terms of flavor and texture, hoecakes occupy a middle ground between pancakes and Johnny cakes. They boast a hearty corn flavor with a slightly crisp exterior and a tender, bread-like interior.
What is a Hotcake? It's a pancake. Our crew Googled it and the definition of a hotcake is in fact “a pancake.” There is, however, a subtle difference on how you prepare a hotcake versus a pancake. Generally, pancakes are wide and have a fluffy texture, whereas the hotcakes tend to be thicker and denser.
A pancake can be called a griddle cake, a hotcake, or even a flapjack. Sometimes a griddle cake can be smaller (similar to the handheld-sized offerings over the pond) than the enormous plate-sized pancakes you can get in a diner. Still, they all share the same common denominator: They are all extra thick and fluffy!
In the US and Canada, pancakes and flapjacks are the same thing, but which word applies is mainly a regional difference. I know in the states we northerners are more likely to say pancake, but down south the flapjack is more likely to be the star of the breakfast table.
Introduction: My name is Mr. See Jast, I am a open, jolly, gorgeous, courageous, inexpensive, friendly, homely person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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