Hoecake West Virginia Style Recipes

MISS BROWN'S HOECAKES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with a wire rack.
• Whisk the eggs and buttermilk in a medium bowl until beaten and combined. Whisk together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.
• Combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients. Add a splash of water or an extra splash of buttermilk if it feels too thick. Add 1/4 cup of the vegetable oil and stir until just combined, being careful not to overmix. This is a thick batter.
• Melt equal parts (about 2 tablespoons each) butter and vegetable oil in a large cast-iron skillet or griddle over medium heat. Working in batches, use an ice cream scoop to add small scoops (about 3 tablespoons each) of the batter to the skillet. Cook the hoecakes until bubbles start to appear in the face-up batter, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes.
• Remove the hoecakes to the wire rack and keep in the oven until they are all finished. Wipe out the skillet in between batches and add more butter and oil before repeating with the remaining batter.
• Serve hot and fresh with butter and maple syrup if desired.

HOECAKE ~ WEST VIRGINIA STYLE

Steps:

• 1. Stir all the dry ingredients together, then add the crisco. Mix it together with a pastry cutter or a big fork, like the meat fork* from my tableware set)that is never used except when I'm cooking. *It's the giant fork on the left in the picture.
• 2. When you have something resembling small gravel, slowly add the milk, stirring unti it makes a soft dough.
• 3. Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray, if it's not non-stick. Pour the biscuit dough onto the sheet.
• 4. Sprinkle the dough with a little flour so it won't stick to your hands, then pat the dough fairly evenly to about 1/2" or so.** **This will raise, but if you like a thicker biscuit or if you've doubled the recipe, take a sharp knife and divide the dough lengthwise, then separate the halves. Mom also made a few shallow cuts across the dough to allow it to cook evenly.
• 5. Bake at 425 degrees F for about 8 minutes, then check for doneness. The hoecake should be golden brown & done on the bottom. Depending on how thick you made it, it might be done or it might need another few minutes. Just watch it carefully so you don't overcook it, which would dry the hoecake out. (If you do, just add LOTS of butter and no one will notice. Don't ask me how I know this.)
• 6. Remove the hoecake from the oven when it's ready and put it on a cooling rack, just long enough to cool it so you don't burn your fingers as you break off the pieces. Silly JAP photo settings would only show about 3/4 of the hoecake. Imagine it about 25% bigger...
• 7. Now the fun part... A traditional hoecake sandwich would be stuffed with whatever was left over from supper the night before or breakfast that day. Fried ham & tomato sandwiches are a personal favorite. Or, as seen here, a hoecake to go along with the final tomato from the garden, with butter & a few drops of honey. =^..^=