Johnnycakes

I had heard of johnnycakes, but never tried them.  The original recipes are made with only cornmeal, but I have seen some with flour added.  Of course, since I'm gluten free, I went for the only cornmeal recipes.  I have since found out that not all cornmeal is gluten free.  Like oatmeal, cornmeal doesn't have that irritating gluten in it, but is not necessarily processed in a gluten free building.  Frustrating - but I found some that was gluten free in the Bob's Red Mills line of products.

This recipe is from How it Can be Gluten-Free Cookbook Vol 2 by America's Test Kitchen, and I like it a lot.

 Johnnycakes

 Makes about a dozen 3 inch johnnycakes.

  Ingredients

• 1 cup (5 ounces) stone-ground cornmeal
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• 2 ¾ cups water, plus extra as needed
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Method

• Whisk cornmeal, sugar, and salt together in a bowl.
• Bring water to a boil in a large saucepan.  Slowly whisk in the cornmeal mixture until no lumps remain, and cook until thickened - about 30 seconds.
• Remove from heat, and whisk in butter.  Cover the saucepan with the lid, and let rest at room temperature until slightly firm - about 15 minutes.
• Rewhisk batter until smooth.  Batter should be consistency of mashed potatoes - if not, whisk in 1 to 2 tablespoons of hot water as needed.
• Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a cast iron pan over medium heat until shimmering.
• Grease the inside of a ¼ cup measuring cup, and use that to scoop the batter into the pan.  Greasing the cup helps the batter to slide out easier.
• Cook until edges are crisp and golden brown.   6 - 8 minutes.
• Carefully flip the johnnycakes over, and press with spatula to flatten into 2 ½ - 3 inch rounds.

• Cook until well browned on the second side.  5 - 7 minutes
• Serve immediately, or keep warm in a 200º F oven.
• Repeat with remaining batter, whisking extra hot water into batter if needed.

I am fortunate enough to have a griddle, which is what I used to cook these.  Johnnycakes are not light and fluffy like ordinary pancakes, but I like them better.  They are crispy on the outside, have a creamy interior, and are absolutely yummy with butter, maple syrup, and a side of bacon. The biggest trick is that you must be sure that johnnycakes are set before you flip them over for the second side, or they will fall apart.  But other than that, they are simple, easy to make, and delicious!  They also freeze and reheat well, and are great with savoury dishes such as soup or stew.