Southern Hot Water Cornbread Recipes

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, combine cornmeal, salt, and sugar. Add boiling water and shortening; stir until shortening melts.
• Pour oil or bacon fat to a depth of 1/2 inch in a large skillet and heat to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Shape cornmeal mixture into flattened balls using a heaping tablespoon as a measuring guide. Fry each in hot oil, turning once, until crisp and golden brown, about 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Serve at once with maple syrup or honey.

Steps:

• 1. Bring water to boil. Heat about a half inch of grease in cast iron skillet.
• 2. Mix cornmeal and salt in large plastic (heatproof) bowl. Add enough boiling water to wet cornmeal and make it stick together.
• 3. Chef's Note: We prefer yellow cornmeal as it gives more of a corn flavor when fried. A lot of people prefer white cornmeal. Two big NONO's! NO sugar and NO leavening!
• 4. Rinse hands in cold water to prevent burning and sticking. Take a scoop of cornmeal and pat out with your hands into a pone or patty. Fry. Continue until pan is full.
• 5. Let fry until yellow and firm on one side and then flip to cook other side. I make my pones some thick and some thin to please everyone! Experiment and find the right size to suit your family.
• 6. Let drain on paper towels. Leftovers can be reheated in oven.

Steps:

• Heat about 1 cup of oil in a 10-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat until a deep-frying thermometer registers 375 degrees F.
• Add the cornmeal, baking powder, salt and sugar to a medium bowl and stir to combine. Stir in the boiling water. If the dough is still too dry to come together, add more boiling water in 1-tablespoon increments.
• Using a 3/4-ounce cookie scoop, scoop the mixture into the palm of your hand and flatten into a 2-inch patty. Working in batches, fry the patties until lightly golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes on each side. Transfer the cornbread to a paper towel-lined plate using a fish spatula. Serve immediately.