Virginia Corn Pones
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a hot oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Make the dough
Sift together the cornmeal, baking soda, and salt.
Work in the lard until well combined.
Add the buttermilk and enough water to make a soft dough.
Shape and bake
Shape the dough into pones using your hands.
Place the pones in a greased pan.
Bake in a hot oven at 400°F (200°C) for 12 to 15 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
- Cornmeal
- Forms the bulk of the pone, giving it its grainy structure and corn flavor.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the acid in buttermilk to release gas, helping the pones rise.
- Buttermilk
- Its acidity activates the baking soda and it adds moisture and tang to the dough.
- Lard
- Coats the cornmeal particles, adding fat that tenderizes the texture.
The step that matters
Work in the lard until well combined. Evenly distributed fat coats the cornmeal particles and keeps the dough tender. Unevenly mixed lard leaves greasy pockets and dry patches, so the texture of the baked pones varies.
“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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