Hoecake West Virginia Style Recipes

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. =^..^=

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.

DADDY'S IRON SKILLET HOE CAKE

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
• 2. Melt butter in the bottom of 10-inch iron skillet while oven is preheating. Be careful not to burn your butter.
• 3. Mix flour, buttermilk, ½ cup softened butter and baking soda together. Spoon batter into hot skillet. This batter will be thick like a drop biscuit batter. Smooth out the best you can but don't worry about it not being smooth. Brush melted butter on top of hoe cake.
• 4. Bake for 20 minutes or until top of hoe cake is golden brown. Cut into wedges and serve with syrup and butter.

HOE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Grease a well-seasoned cast iron skillet with the shortening, and place it in the oven as it heats.
• Whisk together the flour and milk in a bowl, to make a thick but still runny batter.
• Remove the hot greased skillet from the preheated oven, and quickly sprinkle a pinch of garlic salt over the bottom of the skillet. Immediately pour in the batter, and sprinkle the top with a pinch of garlic salt.
• Return the skillet to the oven, and bake in the preheated oven until the cake has risen and the top is golden brown, about 20 minutes.

HOECAKES

Steps:

• In large bowl, mix flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, beat eggs, buttermilk, water and 1/4 cup oil with whisk. Add to dry ingredients; stir just until combined.
• In cast-iron or other heavy skillet, heat about 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat. For each hoecake, pour about 1/4 cup batter into hot skillet. Cook until browned on both sides. Repeat with remaining batter, adding more oil to skillet as needed.