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Northern Johnny Cake is a dense, substantial cornmeal side dish and would pair perfectly with chili or any hearty winter soup or stew. It’s tender, moist and a lovely alternative to cornbread.

Northern Johnny cake

As promised, here is the delectable side dish served with yesterday’s Barbecue Chicken! My fiancé and I are quite attached to our Sweet Southern Cornbread, but I thought it was time to give a Northern recipe a chance. Some version of the Northern Johnny Cake appears in almost all of my heritage cookbooks. It is a dense, substantial side dish and would pair perfectly with chili or any hearty winter soup or stew.

The method of cooking the Northern Johnny Cake in the American Woman’s Cookbook is definitely more involved than any of the other recipe suggests, but they all say to scald the milk and cornmeal before adding any other ingredients. I am not convinced that this involved method is necessary, but I will keep you posted as I try others!

Northern Johnny Cake in skillet
I love my cast iron skillet. Love.
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It was dense, yet still moist, and is certainly a healthier side than its buttery Southern cousin! I even drizzled it with maple syrup and ate it for breakfast. Not my finest moment but it was so worth it!

Maybe not super nutritious, but very good.
Maybe not super nutritious, but very good.
Northern Johnny Cake on plate with maple syrup
5 from 3 ratings

Northern Johnny Cake

Northern Johnny Cake is a dense, substantial cornmeal side dish and would pair perfectly with chili or any hearty winter soup or stew. It’s tender, moist and a lovely alternative to cornbread.
Prep: 30 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
Total: 1 hour
Servings: 12 people

Ingredients 
 

Makes: 6inch round

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 400°F.
  • 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).
  • Allow the mixture to cool then add the well-beaten eggs and the soda dissolved in the water.
  • Bake in a shallow cast iron pan for about thirty minutes. You could also use a well-greased baking dish.
  • 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.”

Notes

t was dense, yet still moist, and is certainly a healthier side than its buttery Southern cousin! I even drizzled it with maple syrup and ate it for breakfast. Not my finest moment but it was so worth it!
The American Woman’s Cookbook

Nutrition

Calories: 155kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 29mg | Sodium: 453mg | Potassium: 159mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 58IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 54mg | Iron: 1mg
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Calories: 155
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Hi, I’m Chef Lindsey!

I am the baker, recipe developer, writer, and photographer behind Chef Lindsey Farr. I believe in delicious homemade food and the power of dessert!

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