You ‘d be forgiven if your meaning of corn pone is a little fuzzy. In some places in the South, it’s considered a denser cornbread, baked in a cast-iron skillet like any classic cornbread recipe and served in wedges. In other regions, corn pone is a crispy bread disk that is thick and chewy with lacy, golden edges.
The latter is what we’re serving up here. Find out how to make corn pone, and enjoy it the next time you’re thinking of making a bread to absorb soup, potlikker, or beans.

What Is Corn Pone?
Corn pone as it is known today is originated from bread dishes of American Indians. The name “pone” is believed to have come from the word for bread in several Native languages.

Europeans most likely took those bread recipes and developed something similar to the corn breads we know today: one fork ended up being the cornbread famed for its fluffy texture; and the other remained similar to the quick-cooking pone that would have been served centuries ago.

Corn Pone Vs. Cornbread
Cornbread, as the majority of Southerners understand it today, is made with cornmeal, some flour, buttermilk, salt, and eggs. Corn pone’s active ingredient list is much shorter: Corn pone calls for simply cornmeal, salt, boiling water, and butter.

Cornbread is usually baked in a skillet or baking dish, and after that sliced into squares or wedges. Corn pone is scooped and formed out of a thick batter, then pan fried up until browned. A last bake finishes off the bread so they’re still tender but crispy around the edges.

Components for Corn Pone
A well-stocked kitchen most likely has the ingredients for corn pone already. Here’s what you’ll need:

Yellow cornmeal: You can go spendy with a great, premium cornmeal if you want. But a typical supermarket brand name will work, too. Fresh is ideal, as the flavor actually shines.
Kosher salt: No sugar here. Corn pone is savory, though if you like sweet cornbread, feel totally free to serve this with syrup or jam.
Boiling faucet water: The hot water brings together the batter and softens the cornmeal. Proceed and boil the water so it gets plenty hot.
Unsalted butter: Some melted butter is stirred into the batter. The rest is utilized for frying the patties.
Salted butter: For serving.
How To Make Corn Pone
Corn pone is a bit more hands-on than cornbread, so you’ll need to stick by the stove for this. A whole batch is done in 20 minutes, which is faster than any bread recipe we know.

Make the batter. Combine the cornmeal and salt. Stir in the boiling water and melted butter till a thick batter forms.
Scoop the batter into 6 piles. Pat and mold the batter into thick rounds.
Fry the rounds in melted butter in a skillet till each side is crispy and lightly browned.
Bake the rounds in a warm oven up until they’re golden. Serve with butter or other preferred toppings.
Tips for the very best Corn Pone.
With a dish this simple, there’s not a lot you do not know about this recipe, but here are a couple of tips from the Test Kitchen:.

Take a shortcut: Bring water and butter to a simmer together in a medium pan. Include the cornmeal and salt, remove from heat and stir constantly till a loose dough kinds. Then proceed with the dish.
Kind first, then fry: Instead of putting the rounds into the pan to prepare as you shape them, mold them. Include them to the hot pan. This way, the cooking time is even and nothing is left under- or overcooked.
How To Store Corn Pone.
Shop leftover corn pone in an airtight container in the fridge for up 3 days. You can reheat the bread in the microwave or oven if you want it warm.

How To Serve Corn Pone.
We’ll leave this matter approximately you. Just as people will argue over whether cornbread should have sugar or not, the option of how to serve corn pone is likely just as individual.

You can serve with honey, butter, or maple syrup if you want to eat these at breakfast or as a dessert-like bread. But just like any bread side, these will be right in the house together with collard greens, black-eyed peas, or hoppin’ john.
Active ingredients.
1 cup yellow cornmeal (such as Quaker).

1 tsp. kosher salt.

1 cup boiling tap water.

1/4 cup melted saltless butter, plus 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, divided.

Salted butter.

Directions.
Integrate cornmeal and salt:.
Preheat oven to 350 ° F. Whisk together cornmeal and salt in a large heatproof bowl.
Make batter, and shape patties:.
Utilizing a rubber spatula, stir in boiling water and 1/4 cup of the melted butter, stirring continuously till a smooth, thick batter kinds, about 1 minute. Scoop 6 (1/4-cup) portions of batter onto a large plate; mold each into a (2 1/2- to 3-inch) patty, about 1/2-inch thick.
Fry patties:.
Melt staying 2 tablespoons butter in a big cast-iron skillet over medium-high. Add patties, and cook up until lightly browned and crisp, 3 to 4 minutes per side.
End up baking patties:.
Transfer to a flat pan, and bake in preheated oven up until golden brown in spots, about 5 minutes. Get rid of from oven, and serve warm with salted butter.