Northern Johnny Cake Baked Until the Center Springs Back

Northern Johnny Cake Baked Until the Center Springs Back keeps the shopping list focused on cornmeal, buttermilk, and shortening or butter. It serves 12 people.

Count on 30 minutes of prep, 30 minutes of cooking, about 1 hour from the first measurement to the plate.

Ingredients Method

What goes in the bowl

• 2 cups cornmeal
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 2 tablespoons shortening or butter
• 2 tablespoons light brown sugar or granulated
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon cold water

How the cooking goes

1. Warm the oven to 400°F.
2. Cook together the cornmeal, milk, shortening, sugar and salt in a double boiler for about twenty minutes. Keep the water to a simmer if possible. You don’t want to scorch the cornmeal mixture (oops).
3. Allow the mixture to cool then add the well-beaten eggs and the soda dissolved in the water.
4. Bake in a shallow cast iron pan for about thirty minutes. You could also use a well-greased baking dish.
5. The author Ruth also provides a quicker cooking method, “ In case there is not time to cook and cool the meal, the following method of mixing may be used. Mix and sift together the meal, sugar, salt and soda, add the sour milk gradually, then the well-beaten eggs and the melted fat. Bread made by this method does not have as good texture as that made by the first method.”.

After it comes off the heat

Let the pan settle before you slice, so the crumb stays together. Cover leftovers once they are cool.

If you want another plate from Sides, open Thanksgiving Side Dishes for the Home Table and Rosemary Lemon Roasted Cauliflower for the Sharing Bowl.