# Fried corn bread.



## Snowfan (Nov 6, 2011)

My mother used to cook up a batch of what she called soupy potatoes and fried corn bread patties. This was probably 45-50 years ago. My wife has tried to duplicate this, but she had the meal only 3 or 4 times.
I am NOT a cook. My cooking has been called crimes against humanity. My wife and daughter, on the other hand, are awesome cooks.
Does anyone have any clue as to what I think I'm trying to describe? I have no other information because the kitchen was moms domain. We believed the old saying. "If mama aint happy, aint nobody happy.":help:
Any help or guidance will really be appreciated.


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## suitcase_sally (Mar 20, 2006)

My mom made some sort of fried corn bread when I was a kid. It was made with white corn meal and wasn't sweet. In fact, it wasn't edible. We kids would try to make it disappear by putting it under our plates! (Imagine the plate wobbling an inch off the table top). Dad would break up the cornbread and put it in a glass of buttermilk (I think). I could look up a recipe, if you want.


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## Bast (Nov 2, 2008)

You might want to google "Hot Water Corn Bread."


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## vicker (Jul 11, 2003)

I think what you are looking for is what we call hoe cakes down here. 
For two parts corn meal, add salt and stir in one part boiling water. When it cools, make patties and fry over medium heat. Good stuff, and you can take that recipe to greater heights by adding egg and fresh corn to the cool batter and make fritters.


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## hippygirl (Apr 3, 2010)

I toss some self-rising cornmeal into a bowl (maybe about 1.5 cups, but no more than that), add a beaten egg and enough hot water to make it slightly thicker than pancake batter (in other words, so it's still pourable like pancake batter), and fry in about 1/8" of oil (replenish as needed between batches)...very good with vegetable soup!


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## suzyhomemaker09 (Sep 24, 2004)

hippygirl said:


> I toss some self-rising cornmeal into a bowl (maybe about 1.5 cups, but no more than that), add a beaten egg and enough hot water to make it slightly thicker than pancake batter (in other words, so it's still pourable like pancake batter), and fry in about 1/8" of oil (replenish as needed between batches)...very good with vegetable soup!


I do something similar....but I don't use self rising anything...I add my own leavening.


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## Bast (Nov 2, 2008)

Yea.. We call that "Hot Water Cornbread" down here. My mom used to make it but I've only watched.


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## kudzuvine (Aug 11, 2011)

My mother is a wedge of cornbread and buttermilk. Me...I like fried cornbread. I mix cornmeal (self rising) some flour, egg, about tsp. sugar or more and add milk. It needs to be more thick than runny. I put veg. oil in skillet, enough to cover the bottom and spoon in cornbread into patties and spread with back of spoon. when brown (take a fork and lift to look) flip and brown other side. Drain on paper towels.


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## soulsurvivor (Jul 4, 2004)

kudzuvine said:


> I mix cornmeal (self rising) some flour, egg, about tsp. sugar or more and add milk. It needs to be more thick than runny. I put veg. oil in skillet, enough to cover the bottom and spoon in cornbread into patties and spread with back of spoon. when brown (take a fork and lift to look) flip and brown other side. Drain on paper towels.


Instead of sugar I use about a 1/2 teaspoon of bacon grease but other than that your recipe/method is same as how I make fried cornbread.

I'm thinking the soupy potatoes is similar to poor man's potato soup. It's potatoes cubed and boiled until tender. Don't drain off all of the water. You want enough water left to make the soup part. Take out a third of the potatoes and mash and return to the pot of boiled potatoes and water. The goal is to get a thin potato soup (soupy, not watery) that you can season however you want and serve hot as a bowl of soup.


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## Snowfan (Nov 6, 2011)

WOW! Thanks for all the great ideas. Reading these, I do slightly remember my mom using a lot of salt pork and she only used cast iron frying pans. Since I don't go to any grocery stores, do they still sell salt pork or do you have to go to a butcher shop? It looks like there is some culinary experimentation in my future. That should make my wife pull her hair out and give me strange looks.
You folks are awesome! Thanks again. I'll get back to you after the fire trucks leave.


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## suitcase_sally (Mar 20, 2006)

Salt pork is sold in grocery stores and is where the bacon and stuff is located. I read once that salt pork doesn't require refrideration, but Americans expect all meats to be refrigerated so that's where they put it.


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## backwoods (Sep 12, 2004)

When you fry bacon and sausage, just save the grease. Then fry your cornbread in it. I put an egg and a little buttermilk, and some onion powder in mine, as well as sugar. Make it the consistency of THICK pancake batter.
As for the soup, I agree with the above, but add condensed milk or powdered milk, and butter, salt, pepper, & minced onion to mine. Its sort of like real runny mashed taters.


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## truckdriverx72 (Oct 31, 2007)

Buy a container of Quaker Corn Meal- recipe for Corn Meal Mush - pour into pan, refrigerate overnight, cut into slices, fry till slightly browned!!


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## redneckswife (May 2, 2013)

okay, now I'm hungry and missing my dear Grandma who made this all the time:awh:

Every once in awhile she'd put whole kernel corn in with the mix before frying in the grease...yummy..we had those with tater soup and sometimes with beans...Ok, now I definetly am starving


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## blue gecko (Jun 14, 2006)

This is a handed down recipe for Hot Water Cornbread. My Great Grandmother taught my Grandmother who taught my mom who taught me and I in keeping with tradition, have taught my kids.

I was taught by feel. Put about 2 cups of cornmeal into a bowl and feel the texture of it between your fingers. Add just enough flour to make it feel "soft" then add enough salt that when you wet your finger, dip it into the mixture and taste it you can taste a bit of salt. Add enough boiling water to make a thick paste. Dip your hands in cold water then put a spoonful of the dough in your hands and quickly shape into an elongated oval. Be sure to leave finger marks (my grandmother said that was to help sop up the juice  ) Carefully slip the dough into hot grease (I use Peanut oil with a little bacon grease) at least a half inch deep (be sure to put the dough in so it falls away from you and don't dally, if any water gets in the grease it will pop) Dip your hands in cold water and make the next patty. Fry until golden brown on both sides and drain on paper. Save that paper to use for lighting fires in the wood stove! 

Over the years I've found that you can make Hot Water Cornbread with no flour at all. It's a wonderful historical bread well worth trying. My grandfather use to eat his with syrup or honey!


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## wanda1950 (Jan 18, 2009)

I wonder if your potatoes were what Mama called stewed potatoes. Potatoes peeled & cut in pretty big pieces. Cover with water, add butter, salt, black pepper. Bring to a boil & boil gently till tender. If you want thick, cook longer. For thin, start with more water. A friend of mine's family called them "lumpy potatoes".


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## Becka03 (Mar 29, 2009)

mmmmmm these recipes all sound so good!


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## jwal10 (Jun 5, 2010)

My grandmother cut kernels from 2 ears of corn (left over most of the time) added 1 to the corn bread, 1 to the potatoes. 1/4" bacon grease in cast iron skillet, brown on both sides.

Potatoes were left over baked potatoes, cubed. Start with a 1/2 cup butter, brown onion and any smoked pork, add corn and potatoes, stir together for a few minutes, add milk, sometimes with some cheese. Cook to consistency wanted. Kind of a soupy, stove top scalloped potatoes. 

Baked scalloped potatoes were the cubed potatoes, onions, smoked pork, milk and butter, with or without corn. Mixed in a baking dish with shredded cheese, add crushed corn flakes, more shredded cheese, baked in the oven. The topping was so good by itself, corn flakes and shredded cheese, gooey and warm. We liked it so well she made macaroni and cheese the same way, sometimes. OH MAN. Life was good....James


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## jwal10 (Jun 5, 2010)

I grew up in a family that had potatoes in the wood stove oven 24/7. The baking and cooking was done from sunup to dinner time. Fire went out after dinner was cooked. Mom went to the barn to help milk. So at supper time we ate what ever. If we were really hungry Mom would take the cold baked potatoes out of the oven and say, "If you can't wait, take an old cold tater" "OR IF you build the fire, I CAN make soupy potatoes and fried corn bread" We usually built the fire and waited. Otherwise it was cold leftovers, or apples, cheese and popcorn....James


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