Known by many names, johnnycakes are a New England staple that date to the 1600s and likely were introduced to European settlers by Native Americans. It is said that local Pawtuxet Indians taught white New Englanders how to grind corn and make johnnycakes in order to stave off starvation during the winter. The name "johnnycake" may have formed from a mispronunciation of the name "Shawnee cake" or may derive from the Native American word, janiken, meaning "corn cake."
Recipe Servings: 4
Prep Time
20 minutes
Cook Time
35 minutes
Total Time
55 minutes
Vegetarian
Vegan
Gluten Free
Dairy Free
Kosher
Halal
Directions
- Combine cornmeal and salt in a medium mixing bowl.
- Pour water into a medium saucepan and heat over high heat. Bring water to a rapid boil, then remove from heat. Holding the saucepan in one hand, dribble boiling water onto cornmeal while stirring constantly with the other hand.
- Stir milk into cornmeal mixture to create a thick batter.
- Grease a large, heavy frying pan or cast-iron pan with bacon drippings and heat pan over medium-high heat. When pan is hot, drop in batter by spoonfuls.
- Flatten batter with a spatula to a thickness of approximately ¼-inch. Adjust heat as necessary to avoid burning batter.
- Fry until golden brown, then flip and brown on other side, adding more bacon drippings as necessary. Repeat until all batter is fried.
- Serve hot.
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