Real Recipes From Real Home Cooks ®

southern hot water cornbread

Recipe by
Marilyn Renfro Gore
Fred, TX

It took Poppy FOREVER to convince me that cornbread did not need baking powder, soda or sugar! I had never heard of this in my life until we were married! Now it is my favorite cornbread and goes well with tons of dishes! Red beans, Sausage & Rice are not right without Hot Water Cornbread. It goes with casseroles, Chicken & Rice Soup, Chicken 'n Dumplings, Cabbage Rolls, and so forth! It is one of the best Southern dishes ever and everyone who tries it, loves it!

prep time 20 Min
cook time 1 Hr
method Pan Fry

Ingredients For southern hot water cornbread

  • 3 c
    yellow cornmeal
  • 2 c
    water, boiling
  • 3 tsp
    salt
  • grease, enough to fry

How To Make southern hot water cornbread

  • 1
    Bring water to boil. Heat about a half inch of grease in cast iron skillet.
  • 2
    Mix cornmeal and salt in large plastic (heatproof) bowl. Add enough boiling water to wet cornmeal and make it stick together.
  • 3
    Chef's Note: We prefer yellow cornmeal as it gives more of a corn flavor when fried. A lot of people prefer white cornmeal. Two big NONO's! NO sugar and NO leavening!
  • 4
    Rinse hands in cold water to prevent burning and sticking. Take a scoop of cornmeal and pat out with your hands into a pone or patty. Fry. Continue until pan is full.
  • 5
    Let fry until yellow and firm on one side and then flip to cook other side. I make my pones some thick and some thin to please everyone! Experiment and find the right size to suit your family.
  • 6
    Let drain on paper towels. Leftovers can be reheated in oven.
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