George Washington
Hoe Cakes
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook time
30 minutes
Total time
45 minutes
Ingredients
- ½ teaspoon active dry yeast
- 2 ½ cups white cornmeal, divided
- 3 to 4 cups lukewarm water
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- Melted butter for drizzling and serving
- Honey or maple syrup for serving
Directions
- Mix the yeast and 1 ¼ cups of the cornmeal in a large bowl. Add 1 cup of the lukewarm water, stirring to combine thoroughly. Mix in ½ cup more of the water, if needed, to give the mixture the consistency of pancake batter. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 8 hours, or overnight.
 - Preheat the oven to 200°F.
 - When ready to finish the hoecakes, begin by adding ½ to 1 cup of the remaining water to the batter. Stir in the salt and the egg, blending thoroughly.
 - Gradually add the remaining 1 ¼ cups of cornmeal, alternating with enough additional lukewarm water to make a mixture that is the consistency of waffle batter. Cover with a towel, and set aside at room temperature for 15 to 20 minutes.
 - Heat a griddle on medium-high heat, and lightly grease it with lard or vegetable shortening. Preparing 1 hoecake at a time, drop a scant ¼ cup of the batter onto the griddle and cook on one side for about 5 minutes, or until lightly browned. With a spatula, turn the hoecake over and continue cooking another 4 to 5 minutes, until browned.
- Place the hoecake on a platter, and set it in the oven to keep warm while making the rest of the batch. Drizzle each batch with melted butter.
 - Serve the hoecakes warm, drizzled with melted butter and honey or maple syrup.
NOTES
Adapted from Mount Vernon Inn Recipes
