How to Make Hot Water Cornbread

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methods

Ingredients

1Method One: Standard Hot Water Cornbread

2Method Two: Lacy Hot Water Cornbread

3Method Three: Baked Hot Water Cornbread

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Questions & Answers

Things You'll Need

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Article Summary

6 Recipe Ratings

Hot water cornbread is a simple, rustic style of cornbread made with plain cornmeal and boiling water. It's traditionally formed into patties and fried in oil, but hot water cornbread can also be baked in the oven.

Ingredients

Standard Hot Water Cornbread

Makes 12 pieces

• 1 cup (250 ml) cornmeal
• 1 tsp (5 ml) salt
• 1 Tbsp (15 ml) shortening
• 1 tsp (5 ml) white granulated sugar (optional)
• 3/4 cup (180 ml) boiling water
• Vegetable oil

Lacy Hot Water Cornbread

Makes 12 pieces

• 1/2 cup (125 ml) cornmeal
• 1/2 cup (125 ml) hot water
• 1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) salt
• Vegetable oil

Baked Hot Water Cornbread

Makes 8 pieces

• 2 cups (500 ml) cornmeal
• 1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) baking powder
• 1-1/4 tsp (6.25 ml) salt
• 1 tsp (5 ml) white granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup (60 ml) half-and-half
• 1 Tbsp (15 ml) and 1/3 cup (80 ml) vegetable oil, separated
• 1 cup (250 ml) boiling water

Steps

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Method One: Standard Hot Water Cornbread

1. 
   1
   Combine the dry ingredients. Place the cornmeal, salt, and sugar in a medium mixing bowl and stir to combine.

   • Note that the sugar is an optional ingredient. Add it if you like mildly sweetened cornbread. Leave it out if you prefer savory cornbread.
2. 
   2
   Add the shortening and water. Toss both ingredients into the cornmeal mixture, stirring until the shortening melts and the mixture seems evenly combined.

   • The resulting dough should be thick enough to loosely hold its form, but it will still be quite sticky and difficult to pick up with your hands.
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3. 
   3
   Shape the mixture into patties. Scoop up heaping tablespoons of dough. Use your fingers or a second spoon to form them into flattened balls or patties.

   • You should be able to get roughly 10 to 15 patties out of this dough.
   • Place the formed patties on a plate lined with wax paper. Alternatively, wait until after you heat the oil, then form and drop the patties directly into the skillet.
4. 
   4
   Heat the oil in a large skillet. Pour 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) of vegetable oil into a large, heavy-bottomed skillet. Set the pan on the stove over medium-high heat.

   • Cast iron skillets work best, but any large, heavy-bottomed skillet can be used.
   • Note that bacon fat, canola oil, or peanut oil can also be used instead of standard vegetable oil.
   • Test the temperature of the oil with a cooking thermometer. When the oil reaches 375 degrees Fahrenheit (190 degrees Celsius), move onto the next step.
5. 
   5
   Fry the patties until golden brown. Gently place each dough patty in the hot oil. Fry the patties for approximately 5 minutes, or until the patties are golden brown on both sides.

   • Only turn the patty once during the cooking process. Wait 2 to 3 minutes, or until the bottom edge of each patty starts to brown. Use a flat, heat-resistant spatula to carefully flip the patties to their uncooked sides.
6. 
   6
   Drain on paper towels. Remove the patties from the hot oil using a slotted spatula and transfer them to a plate covered in paper towels.

   • Try to position the patties in a single layer on this plate. If you stack them on top of one another, the oil may not drain completely.
   • Let the cornbread patties drain for 1 or 2 minutes.
7. 
   7
   Serve hot. Enjoy the cornbread patties while they're still hot. You can eat them plain or add butter, maple syrup, honey, or fruit preserves.
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Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Method Two: Lacy Hot Water Cornbread

1. 
   1
   Mix the ingredients. Place the cornmeal, salt, and water in a medium mixing bowl. Stir the ingredients together until evenly combined.

   • Consider mixing the cornmeal and salt together before adding the water. Doing so is not strictly necessary but can ensure an even distribution of salt throughout the batter.
   • The resulting dough should be the consistency of thick oatmeal. It should have some form to it, but it will also be too sticky and fluid to touch with your hands. If it doesn't seem thin enough, add more boiling water 1 Tbsp (15 ml) at a time until it does.
2. 
   2
   Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet. Pour 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) of vegetable oil into a large cast iron skillet. Set the skillet on your stove over medium-high heat.

   • Other cooking oils, like peanut oil or bacon fat, can also work. Similarly, any large, heavy-bottomed skillet can be used if you don't have one made of cast iron.
   • The temperature of the oil should reach 375 degrees Fahrenheit (190 degrees Celsius) before you add the dough. Test the temperature with a cooking thermometer. Alternatively, sprinkle the surface of the oil with a little water; if the oil immediately sizzles and the water turns to vapor, it's probably ready to use.
3. 
   3
   Drop spoonfuls of dough into the oil. Using a flatware teaspoon, drop spoonfuls of the prepared dough into the hot oil, pressing down gently on the center of each dollop after dropping it in.

   • Tap on the center of the patty with the back of the spoon as soon as the dough hits the oil. Try to flatten it out as much as possible without separating the dough into different pieces.
4. 
   4
   Cook until lightly browned. Fry the patties until both sides have browned, turning once when the edges brown.

   • Since these patties are so thin, they should only take 3 to 4 minutes to cook. Watch them closely to prevent them from burning.
   • The finished patties will be crisp and full of holes/indentation, giving them a "lacy" appearance.
5. 
   5
   Drain on paper towels. Remove the finished patties from the hot oil using a slotted spatula, then transfer them to a large plate lined with paper towels. Drain for several minutes.

   • Keep the cornbread pieces in a single layer, if possible. If you stack them on top of each other, the oil from top layer will drip down and soak into the pieces lying at the bottom.
6. 
   6
   Serve hot. Enjoy the cornbread while it's still hot. You can eat it plain or serve it with salt and butter.
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Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Method Three: Baked Hot Water Cornbread

1. 
   1
   Preheat the oven to 475 degrees Fahrenheit (245 degrees Celsius). Meanwhile, prepare a 15-inch by 10-inch (38-cm by 25-cm) jelly roll pan by heavily coating it with vegetable oil.

   • Pour 1/3 cup (80 ml) of vegetable oil into the bottom of the pan. Gently sift the pan from side to side, or use a spatula to spread the oil all the way to the edges.
2. 
   2
   Combine the dry ingredients. Place the cornmeal, baking powder, salt, and sugar in a medium mixing bowl. Stir gently until evenly combined.
3. 
   3
   Add the half-and-half and oil. Pour the half-and-half and remaining 1 Tbsp (15 ml) of vegetable oil into the cornmeal mixture, stirring until just combined.
4. 
   4
   Stir in the water. Slowly pour the boiling water into the cornmeal mixture. Stir the batter together until it reaches the consistency of thick grits or oatmeal.

   • Stir with one hand while pouring with the other. If you aren't able to do so, simply add the water in small amounts, stirring in between each addition.
   • You may need anywhere from 3/4 to 1-1/4 cups (180 to 310 ml) of boiling water depending on the coarseness of the cornmeal used. Stop adding water once the batter reaches the correct consistency.
5. 
   5
   Drop the batter onto your prepared pan. Drop dollops of batter into the prepared jelly roll pan and directly into the oil. Each portion of batter should measure approximately 1/4 cup (60 ml) in volume.

   • This recipe should produce eight cornbread patties, so keep that in mind as you space the dollops of dough. Try to keep at least 1 to 2 inches (2.5 to 5 cm) of space in between the patties.
6. 
   6
   Bake until golden brown. Place the pan in your oven and bake the cornbread patties for 17 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown on both sides.

   • To ensure even browning, cooking the patties on one side for 12 to 15 minutes, then flip them over to the other side and finish cooking an additional 5 minutes.
7. 
   7
   Drain on paper towels. Remove the pan from the oven and lift the cornbread patties out of the oil. Transfer them to a plate lined with clean paper towels.

   • This method doesn't use quite as much oil as stovetop frying requires, so there won't be as much oil to drain. Quickly dab both sides of each patty on the paper towels to remove most of the excess oil sitting on the surface.
8. 
   8
   Serve hot. Enjoy the cornbread patties immediately. You can eat them plain, but you may also wish to serve them with salt, butter, honey, or preserves.
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Community Q&A

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• Question

  Can I use cornbread mix to make hot water cornbread?

  

  Community Answer

  If you use hot water, sure, It's still hot water cornbread, mix or no mix. I would recommend Jiffy corn muffin mix, it's very good.

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Things You'll Need

Standard Hot Water Cornbread

• Medium mixing bowl
• Mixing spoon
• Large, heavy skillet
• Cooking thermometer
• Slotted spatula
• Large plate
• Paper towels

Lacy Hot Water Cornbread

• Medium mixing bowl
• Mixing spoon
• Large, heavy skillet
• Cooking thermometer
• Slotted spatula
• Large plate
• Paper towels

Baked Hot Water Cornbread

• 15-inch by 10-inch (38-cm by 25-cm) jelly roll pan
• Medium mixing bowl
• Mixing spoon
• Slotted spatula
• Large plate
• Paper towels