Name: Hot Water Cornbread
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 1 cup cornmeal; 1 teaspoon salt; 1 teaspoon white sugar; ¾ cup boiling water; 1 tablespoon bacon grease; 1 cup bacon grease, or as needed

This hot water cornbread is a very old-fashioned recipe. The cornbread is shaped into little cakes and fried rather than baked. Serve the cakes warm with maple syrup or honey.

Hot Water Cornbread

cornmeal

salt

white sugar

water

bacon grease

bacon grease,

Combine cornmeal, salt, and sugar in a medium bowl. Add boiling water and 1 tablespoon bacon grease; stir until bacon grease melts melts.


Pour bacon grease to a depth of 1/2-inch in a large skillet; heat to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).


Shape cornmeal mixture into 12 flattened balls using a heaping tablespoon as a measuring guide.


Fry, turning once, in hot oil until crisp and golden brown, about 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels and serve warm.


"A little bit of this and a little bit of that," has never helped when it came to Hot Water Cornbread, and is the only recipe my mom could give me. I tried this one (with a little modification) and it turned out great. The thing to remember is that the boiling water already cooks the cornmeal, so you don't have to fry it that long - just long enough for it to get LIGHT brown on each side. If you add sugar, you'll need to watch it extra carefully because the sugar will cause the cornbread to burn if the heat is real high. I'm not a pro and can prepare this without measuring!

This recipe was pretty good.Really easy and really quick. The only thing that was dissapointing is that the recipe says you can make 12 cakes. They would have to be really small cakes. I usually get about 5-6 but with the bigger size you'll have to fry them a little longer. I also altered the recipe a little by taking the salt out completely and doubling the sugar. This give the bread a sweeter taste. I found it to be too salty with the original for my own taste.

Quick and easy. These would go well with ham or fried fish or chicken as well as being a quick hot breakfast.

The first batch I made, I forgot to add the shortening and they turned out just as good as the second batch with the shortening, so I'll be omitting the shortening from now on.
They are a bit too salty, but cutting the salt in half makes them too bland for eating without syrup. Next time I'll try 3/4 teaspoon salt.

I couldn't form little flatten balls, so I just dropped the batter by heaping spoonfuls onto a well-oiled skillet (I found that an eighth inch of oil worked as well as a half inch)

They cook quickly and also burn quickly, so keep a close eye on the frying process.

This is a wonderful recipe.  When I told my mom I found this recipe (she is 83 and a great cook)she said it was exactly right, except I needed to add 1 tbs of finely minced onion to make it authenic!  I did and it was wonderful.  Served with honey butter - also from this web site - and large lima beans cooked with bits of baked ham.  Try it, if you love country cooking, you will love it!  Thanks, Karin.

i love hot water cornbread i didn't use the shorting i used butter real butter i was so.... good hot or cold

Yummy!  I am on a special diet (Daniel's fast) where I cannot eat many of the things you would normally put in breads so I was excited to find this recipe. I modified this to omit the sugar and shortening and cooked in olive oil.  I dipped it in honey and it was very delicious - my whole family loved it!  I agree with other reviewer that there is no difference with or without shortening so you might as well save the fat (I did try both ways).  I also tried cooking the cornbread in 1/2" canola oil the first time and 1/8" olive the second time I made it and it tasted the same so again you can save calories. I will use this recipe over and over again - thanks!

I got the recipe. I have been looking for a long time for one that tasted like the one my grandmother fixed. It was GREAT!. After we had eaten I happened to look at the cornmeal I was using and it was Aunt Jemima self-rising yellow corn meal mix! I know that is not was what was called for but it was so good I will always fix it that way. Thanks for bringing back wonderful memories.

This recipe was extremely easy, however my family and I felt the amount of salt overwhelmed us.  Also, it only made about 6-3 inch cakes instead of 12-1 inch cakes.  Cut the salt, to 1/2 to 3/4 tsp, and possibly add some minced onion for flavor.  Also double the recipe if you are cooking for more than two people.

Growing up in East Texas, I was raised on this type of corn bread. The only changes that I have is add 1 cup of flour to the mix, and no sugar, but then again we eat them plain, no butter or syrup.

My mother, who has passed away, yesterday would have been her 78th birthday, was a wonderful cook.  I was thinking about her and the life she had growing up in Thornton, TX.  They were very poor and life was hard for her.  She eventually moved to the big city, married and divorced.  As she was a single mother, she loved to fix the foods she grew up eating.  One of those was Hot Water Fried Corn Bread.  Even though I didn't grow up in the country, I had the benefit of eating those foods.  I could not remember exactly how she made this and thru Wikipedia, read about Hot Water Corn Bread and here I am.  I guess there are two versions to this recipe:  One savory and one sweet.  We never ate the sweet one.  My mother usually fixed this with fried potatoes, greens and either pinto beans, Giant butter beans, black-eyed peas etc...There were several different types of beans, depending on what was available or her mood.  We also would have fresh cut tomatoes, green onions or a vegetable salad.  The crispier and browner she'd fry these, the better I liked it and I can't wait to try these out with some black-eyed peas and ham hocks I hear calling my name.  Thanks for posting this recipe for some really good Texas Soul Food memories.  YUM.

EXCELLENT!  I can't say enough good things about this super simple recipe.  I used yellow corn meal, which I think has more flavor.  Really good with a "country" meal without the syrup.

This is one of the best Hot Water Cornbread recipes i've come across. The sweetness of the sugar is perfect as well as the salt. I've also added just a teaspoon of flour to the batter after it cools a bit, this gives it a little extra texture after cooking. Since i enjoy alittle spice in alot of my cooking i'll add minced onion, jalapeno and one half cup of drained Whole Kernal Corn to half the batter, its great.

This is a wonderful recipe. I did add self-rising flour 1/4 cup, cut salt to 1/2 tsp. also for everyones benefit if you wet your hands prior to rolling your patties out or corn balls they will not stick to your hands. I also used cocoanut  oil for frying. Suppose to be healthier for you.

This recipe is similar to how my mother used to make them, minus the sugar.  However, I the ladies at church whip up a batch and they just used self-rising white cornbread and added hot water to it until it was the consistency of mashed potatoes.  Then, she dropped spoonfuls in deep fat.  They looked more like hush puppies than pancakes, and they were delicious.  No need for butter, honey, or anything else.  Wonderful with collard greens.

Good recipe. We had it as a side to a bowl of simple brown rice and kidney beans. Because of previous reviews i decided to increse the serving size to more then i needed. I increased it to 20 and i ended up with 16. It would not form "little cakes" so i just dropped it in the oil right off a spoon. I was also out of salt so i just used the sugar and i spread salted butter on the top, and they came out very good. Even my little sister who will eat almost nothing except pizza liked them! Oh and i used butter instead of shortening.

Memories of my grandmother when I reduce the sugar to half teaspoon and add about a half tsp pepper.  Absolutely delicious.

Was looking for a recipe that tasted like what my grandparents used to make.  This was pretty good, but a little sweet.  I used white corn meal and I cut the salt in half and threw in a pinch of baking powder (maybe 1/2 teaspoon)  I used bacon grease for the shortning and to fry them in because that's what my grandparents did.  This is probably as close as I will come but I'm going to adds a little flour and see how that tastes. My grandma's looked almost like english muffins.

Great recipe!! My family tore it up. I did add a 3/4 cup of flour according to another user..ommitted the sugar and shortening...and used olive oil for the frying..They were excellent. Thank you so much for the recipe...

YUMMY!
Thank you for posting this recipe! My gluten free family of 8 all enjoyed these and they are inexpensive &amp; quick.
PLUS I've made these and rolled them in cinnamon and sugar for a doughnut like treat...the kids love them! :)

This is my base recipe for hot water cornbread. Love the recipe only I don't use sugar. Took tip from other reviewer after first batch and cut back salt by half and they came out perfect. Excellent with some fresh greens or sauteed squash. Thanks for sharing.

I grew up eating hot water corn bread made from white corn flour (specifically Adams medium stone ground white cornmeal :-). Because I could only find this "meal"at stores in the south, I was desperate to find an alternate recipe. I have to agree with the other users who found this recipe too salty.  Reduce the amount of salt in the recipe to 1/4 to 3/4 teaspoon  to taste.  Otherwise it is a very easy recipe and should be doubled if you are serving more than three people.

Quick, Simple, Versatile, Delicious. Great sweet or savory. Compliments any meal. Suggestion: much easier when rolled into balls or cakes prior to cooking. Also, easier to remove cake              from palm with back of a spoon slipped under edge of cake

This is one version of Hot Water Cornbread. I was taught to just buy a cornmeal mix, add boiling water, until just mixed and fry in a little grease. It works just as well.  

Made this recipe to a T and after I fried the first few they were so flat and bland. I ended up adding some baking powder which made them fluff a bit more and I should have added something to adjust the flavor. I don't think I will ever make these again as no one really ate them well. Maybe I had higher expectations for this recipe. 

This is the same recipe my grandma used minus the sugar. Use stone ground white corn meal medium ground is my preference. Great with greens or split then stew on top. Same recipe but drop into boiling pot of greens for a few minutes makes great corn bread dumplings! Mm mmm I can see my grand ma making these as I write. Also goes with pulled pork spit and made as sandwich.

I modified the recipe and used Tony's Seasoning instead of salt and butter instead of shorting and I fried them in bacon grease in a black iron skillet. These are the best!

You have an awesome recipe, that is easily modified to a person's healthy diet (ie, no salt) or taste (ie, sweet or no sweet.).

Thank you for taking the time to post this. I appreciate you. :)

Our family has eaten Hot Water Cornbread for years.  My Mom calls it Five Finger Cornbread because you can see your fingers after making the patties.  Love it with butter and syrup.

Ill give it 3 stars only because I messed up somewhere. Nothing but grease

We liked these but they are a bit bland. I put salt on them after cooking to give some flavor.

Loved the recipe !!! But I substitute the shortening for butter Didn't need all The oil

I thought these were very good, better than typical baked cornbread

Just tried it! Reminds me of the fried corn bread my mom used to make. We do not put syrup on them though, we slice length wise and spread a little butter on them . Came out very tasty! Next time I might try chopped onion and some chopped chili's.

Out of 8 people, 6 loved it, one said it was ok, and one did not like it. I liked it, but it was a little bit too salty. I fried it in bacon grease, so I think that upped the salt a little bit. I was wanting a recipe that duplicated one my grandmother use to make, this is not it, but close. I will add some garlic and onion powder, and maybe some other things and try again. Good base recipe, adjust to your taste!!

I cooked these tonight and they were yummy! I took the advice of adding flour and minced onions. I will definitely do this again.

This is an "OLE TIME" recipe for sure. THE SALT SHOULD BE ELIMANATED!  TO RECEIVE 5 STARS.

I made these tonight using butter instead of shortening. If you use salted butter, you may want to cut out or severely decrease the salt. They were the consistency and basic taste that I wanted, but just too salty. I'll be making these again soon.

This recipe was very easy to follow. No one knew I had never made hot water corn bread before... And, I loved the taste.

These were amazing, both plain and with onions.  I caramelized some diced onion in the vegetable shortening and added that to the dough. Next time I will try bacon fat.

made this for supper tonight and served it with great northern beans-- I was a little leary since it doesn't have any eggs. After reading a few reviews, decided to add a little flour, also omitted the salt and also the sugar because we don't like sweet cornbread. All in all, it was good-- I had to add a little more water than the recipe called for, but it was good--would recommend it for a change!

Very delicious, but only use a sprinkling of salt to your taste.  D. Chatman

Turned out great! Tasty even without honey, I just added a touch baking powder and used salted butter. yum!

loved it, my husband has to have a gluten-free diet and these make a great snack

taste just like my great grandmother used to make...takes me way back...to the aroma's of her kitchen!!

Love this recipe!!! Added minced onion really enhanced the flavor.

We loved the recipe.  I added jalapenos and onions to the recipe and it was great.

this is not as easy as it sounds but it is totally worth the effort. I must perfect this recipe some patties were done some not.

Perfect. Made 15 patties or chips as I think of them.

not really what i was expecting.  the cornmeal didnt cook very well with the boiling water so the texture was grainy and the cornbread cakes themselves were incredibly bland.  there are a number of changes I would make - including working in some leavening agents and some flour to give it a lighter fexgture.  i'd also probably use instant grits instead of actual corn meal to hopefully remedy the texture flaws. Other than that I'd probably spray them with some butter or oil and bake them instead - the frying is just unnecessary calories. :( 

Awesome! This is exactly how my mother and my older sister made them!

I used a hand  milled locally purchased cornmeal...fantastic texture.  Used shortening and bacon grease, I think it really did something good for the flavor.  Topped it with a dab of real butter and some local, organic buckwheat honey.  OMG it was so good!  Hubby kept asking for more!

We really liked these. Can't wait to try them again, just no salt this time and maybe some flour.  Now i have to figure out what to make to make with them.

I have made this recipe four time and each time I have added different ingredients and changed methods or techniques.  It is very versatile.  Actually a awesome recipe.

Very very good, I used butter instead of shortening.

I thought this was pretty good. I had never eaten this type of cornbread before so wasn't sure how it should taste. The people I served it to were dying to taste some because their Mom had always made it for them as children and they loved it. They thought it was good but just not as fluffy as their childhood version their Mom made.

I finally learned how to prepare these!  They were great.

Simply the best! I have never had a hot water cornbread recipe that I would use more than once. This recipe has become the one for me, finally. I made adjustments to suit my taste. Reduced hot water by 2 tablespoons, thus adding 2 tablespoons of coconut milk, used corn oil instead of shortening, also slightly increased corn meal. I am happy!!!!!!!!!

Very good cornbread. Easy to prepare and does not take long to cook.

I used olive oil the first two times and vegetable oil the last time. Olive oil tasted better to me, but as a novice cook I found the oil had a more narrow cooking temperature range because it would spike in temp pretty quickly if not carefull.  I stood over it and the first pop took it off the eye and turned the eye off and it got even hotter it seemed. Splattered everywhere.

With the vegetable oil I never had that even begin to get too hot.  I think olive oil has a lower flashpoint and as a result a much norrower cooking range for the cornbread.

I made it exactly as the directions stated. Gritty &amp; flavorless.

It was super easy! I did not add as much salt to it like the other suggested, and just oiled the pan. Great recipe will make again.;-)

I made this the first time just like the recipe said and it was way too salty, but if you cut the salt down to 1/2 tsp if your surving it with something salty or 3/4 tsp if you are serving it with maple syrup it works out great.

For first time making Hot water cornbread and using this recipe, I was totally impressed and will add this one to my cookbook.
Almost tasted like Grandpa's.

Love it .. so easy and different from the same old cornbread. I make these all the time now.

These corncakes are very yummy.  I like the level of salt-flavor, but I would like them a little sweeter, so next time I'll add more sugar.  

I did fry them too long.  By the time they're really golden, they're too crispy on the outside to cut easily.  I can't wait to make them again and not overcook them.  They are delicious and I love the taste of them with real maple syrup!

This is how I make my hot water corn bread,some times I dice up onion and green bell peppers and put into the water. My family loves this corn bread on the side with turnip greens, mustard greens and collard greens. It's even good with strawberry jam and preserves on top as a snack. I am an old Southern cook and this recipe is just like my grandma cooked. A+

Very simple and quick! I used organic coconut oil instead of shortening and also fried it in coconut oil.  I used celtic sea salt instead of regular salt. Turned out delicious! !

I found this recipe when I needed a bread to have with dinner, but didn't have much on hand.  This recipe saved the day!  I've never had cornbread "fried".  Hubby &amp; kids all thought is was absolutely wonderful!  We ate it with butter, but the kids had to try it with butter and syrup.  WOW!  I just can't say enough how wonderful this tastes for such a simple recipe.  

Little salty for my taste but next time I will reduce the salt and add some baking powder to make them fluffy.

I like the recipe. It's quick and simple.

Really yummy!  Add a little honey and it is excellent.

I went to college in Louisiana and that was the first time I had hot water cornbread. I woke up today craving some (6 years later). I'm so glad I found this recipe. It cured my craving!

i omitted the salt and added 1/4 cup sugar. i always love sweet cornbread. it was so easy and tasty.

My corn cakes crumbled, but practice will make perfect.

Truly tasteless, but then I don't have bacon grease which I'm sure would solve that problem. Also, everyone who says it's too salty with one tsp of salt is SO right. And I am a TRUE saltaholic!

Much too salty...I tried it again substituting salted butter for the shortening, and omitting the salt...much better.

I was raised by a share cropper's daughter and this is a quick way she satisfied our craving for cornbread. It's really crisp and delicious. She usually served it with fried chicken and all the fixings, corn on the cob, beans (pinto, butter, or green) mashed potatoes and cream gravy, sliced tomatoes, and sweet iced tea. Yum! Oh yes, blackberry cobbler. That's called a mother's love.

I strictly went by recipe. Was absolutely delicious. Just like momma made

I loved this recipe! It tastes like my grandmas. I used masa corn flour instead of cornmeal and I used butter instead of shortening and everything was perfect. I didn't find that it was too salty like some people said...I thought the saltiness made it great to eat plain. I also doubled the recipe  in order to make 12 pieces.

Great recipe! I think I used polenta (on hand) instead of corn meal. I also cut the salt and doubled the sugar. I didn't use oil to fry it in, but vegetable spray. It fell apart but for my first try, it tasted great!

I added less salt added a tsp of butter in the mix.  Awesome!!!

Easy recipe I used butter instead of shortening and added a couple splashes of vanilla.  I may double the recipe and use an ice cream scooper for larger cakes or add fried apples for a fritter.

This is my favorite type of cornbread.  The next time I make it I’ll use half the salt it was a bit too salty for me.

No changes except frying in combination of oil and sweet butter. Will definitely make again

I really like this recipie for its simplicity and versatility.  I find it more of a base though, but it is good on its own.  I don't use the amount of salt (1/2) but I will add other things like poultry or pork seasoning, or cinnamon or fresh parsley or apple sauce - depending on what I am having with it.  On its own with syrup or gravy is fine, but blended into a meal much better!

It was okay...just not how i prefer it to taste.

Gluten free treat that you can pair  with sweet or savory toppings.

it ain't my grandmothers but it's very easy and good.

This was pretty easy and it went perfect with the neckbone stew.  I will be making this a lot.

Our family loves Hot Water Corn Bread plain with soups instead of crackers. It's delicious. Never made it with sugar or ate them with syrup. We eat fried grits (what my mother called Fried Mush) with syrup so that would be about the same flavors. Very good. She put left over grits in a square tupperware container and refrigerated. When set she would slice them and fry in butter and drizzle syrup on them.  Both being made from corn would have the same delicious flavors..will have to try sometime if we ever have any left over.

I just made it with diced Bell pepper and onion and added some green salsa and a couple dashes of Cayenne pepper and of course hot water to 2 cup corn meal. turned out really yummy! made it to go with my spicy black bean soup. can't wait to eat now!!

Hot Water Cornbread

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Total: 15 minutes

Servings: 12

Cost: $0.72 /serving

Author : Karin Christian

Ingredients

Instructions

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