Indian Johnny, or Hoe-cake
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no oven temperature. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point.
Prepare
In a bowl, combine the cornmeal and salt.
Pour in enough boiling water to just wet the meal and stir well.
Let the mixture cool slightly, then wet your hands with cold water and mix it thoroughly.
Bake
Spread the mixture very thinly on a baking sheet.
Bake in a 400°F (200°C) oven or in front of a fire for about 30 minutes.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Fine yellow cornmeal
- Forms the main body of the bread, and its starch sets as it bakes.
- Boiling water
- Hydrates the cornmeal so it can be shaped and gelatinizes its starch for a softer texture.
The step that matters
Wetting the meal with just enough boiling water. Too little water leaves dry, crumbly pockets, while too much makes the mixture soggy and hard to spread thinly. Cornmeal absorbs water unevenly, so add it gradually and let it cool slightly before handling.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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