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.
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.
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.
The name hoe cakes seems to be more straightforward. The term hoe is an old term for a griddle, so substituting one word for another, you get griddle cakes, and a perfect description for just what they are.
In the 18th century, fishermen and sailors used to make this bread on the decks of their vessels by building a fire in a box that was filled with sand. It was originally called journey cake because it was so quick to make and sustainable while travelling.
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!
The first written account of a “Washington Cake” is something called a creamed cake which is similar to a pound cake. Being a chemically unleavened dessert, it is this creaming method that gives the cake its rise.
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.
A modern johnnycake is fried cornmeal gruel, which is made from yellow or white cornmeal mixed with salt and hot water or milk, and sometimes sweetened. In the Southern United States, the term used is hoecake, although this can also refer to cornbread fried in a pan.
Hoecakes—also known as corn pone, johnny cakes, or cornmeal pancakes—are a fairly common sight at brunch tables in the South, but are perhaps less known above the Mason-Dixon line. In its most basic form, a hoecake is simply a mixture of batter of cornmeal, water, and salt fried in lard or rendered bacon fat.
An Elvis Presley cake is a single-layer classic yellow cake that's topped with a pineapple glaze. Much like a poke cake, the syrup and juices of the pineapple will seep into the cake through fork holes, resulting in a decadent, ultra-moist cake.
Elvis favored classic southern sweets for dessert, and one favorite happened to be pound cake. Not just any pound cake but a particular one. The Sterns say pound cake for Elvis meant a cake baked by his childhood friend, Janelle McComb.
The cake was called chiffon for its weightlessness, but the name conjures negligees too, and the power of illusions. It is almost nothing, this cake, and yet so rich: angel and devil at once. In the United States, the novelty has worn off.
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 the South, pancakes are interchangeably called hotcakes, griddlecakes, and flapjacks, though British flapjacks are made with rolled oats cooked in the oven. In the U.S., pancakes are made with flour, eggs, butter, and milk, and cooked on a griddle or frying pan to form leavened flat cakes.
Trifle. In addition to Martha's cake, George is said to have been a fan of trifles. The trifle of the 1700s was a bit different from what we know and love today, though. Learn more about traditional and modern trifles here.
Apple pie seems to have been a favorite of George Washington. In an August 1779 letter from West Point inviting friends to dine with him, he noted that they might be treated to an apple pie “[The cook] has had the surprizing luck to discover that apples will make pyes,” the general wrote.
As one of the richest landowners in Virginia, and in the nation, for that matter, he had access to exquisite delicacies, but his health limited enjoying some of them. As many people know, George Washington wore dentures, and he preferred to eat soft things, such as cornmeal “hoecakes,” puddings and soups.
George Washington served carrot cake at parties. 19th century French cookbooks written for wealthy kitchens published recipes for carrot cake. Early 20th century American bakers prepared carrot cake as an exotic German delicacy.
Introduction: My name is Terence Hammes MD, I am a inexpensive, energetic, jolly, faithful, cheerful, proud, rich person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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