Corn Dodgers... the recipe

[Eterry]

I finally located my Little House Cookbook. Here's Laura Ingalls Wilder's version of them. I've used this recipe twice. I like them.

 

[Bushfire]

Saved, thank you

 

[appalichian hunter]

Make them from time to time to stash in the hunting pack, nice snack when hunting deer.

 

[Brokennock]

Thank you. Hopefully I'll get around to trying these someday.

Couple questions. Why do you think the author says they, "take some getting used to."?
And, if one is to, "shape the paste with the hands into "corn ears,"" as mentioned, how big are those ears?

 

[appalichian hunter]

i just make mine into round discs about 3/4 in. thick, Once there fried set on paper towels to drain, also found it helps if you sprinkle a bit of salt on them right out of the skillet.

 

[QuinnTheEskimo]

When I hear “corn dodgers” I think of Rooster Cogburn and Chen Lee.

 

[1950DAVE]

My dad had them as a kid, cooked by his grandmother who was born 1859. This quote from "Social Relations in the Southern States" by Daniel Hundley, 1860 describes them exactly as he did.




" A corn-dodger is not now what it used to be. Orig- inallyit wasacorn-mealdumpling. InveryearlyKen- tucky times, the universal dinner, winter and spring, at every farm-house in the State, was a piece of mid- dling bacon, boiled with cabbage, turnips, greens, col- lards or sprouts—cabbage-sprouts—according to the season. The pot, if the family was a large one, con- tained about ten gallons, and was nearly filled with clean pure water : the middling and the greens were put in at the proper time, to give them a suf&cient cooking. Almostalwaysthecookwouldmakewith water and corn-meal and a little salt, dough-balls, throw them into the pot, and boil them thoroughly with the rest. These were called dodgers^ from the motion giving them by the boiling water in the pot. They eat very well, and give a considerable variety to a din- ner of bacon and coUards. A dodger in modern times is corn-bread baked in a roll about the size of your hand, and about three times as thick, and in my judg- ment is not a veritable first-rate dodger, unless when on the table it bears the impress of the cook's fingers on it, in placing it in the oven to bake.

 

[Two Feathers]

Sound a lot like Hoe Cakes to me? But what do I know? :~)))) I make cast iron Corn Bread a lot and if I have extra batter, I make Hoe Cakes to freeze.
They make a great breakfast with butter and honey. Can't stand Maple Syrup! I'm bettin' if you rolled a hot dog in that batter and deep fried it, you coud make a pretty decent Corn Dog? That's another thing I can't stand/don't eat, but they sell tons of them at the fairs!
God bless:
Two Feathers

 

[tenngun]

Thank you. Hopefully I'll get around to trying these someday.

Couple questions. Why do you think the author says they, "take some getting used to."?
And, if one is to, "shape the paste with the hands into "corn ears,"" as mentioned, how big are those ears?

Many old recipes are seat of your pants cooking take some x add a little spice and a bit of y and cook it in a not too hot oven
And if you don’t have m you can always use a bit of b

 

[TCMonts]

Sounds like ALL of my Grandmother's recipes.

Many old recipes are seat of your pants cooking take some x add a little spice and a bit of y and cook it in a not too hot oven
And if you don’t have m you can always use a bit of b

 

[Red Owl]

I think they really were hoe cakes, the hoe cakes got shaped like a hocky puck and the dodgers got rolled a little, like a half length hot dog. The dodgers were baked and the hoe cakes fried. If the things are crumbling apart in your hands, add more lard or white/wheat flour- to hold them together a little better.
Good trail food, keep well. Really good with a plate of beans. If you have ham, etc. toss that in the beans. I'm by myself so I eat right out of the pan, ham and beans and corn dodgers. Fast, easy to make. I can eat that every day for a week. That and some cowboy (boiled) coffee.

 

[nhmoose]

Thank you. Hopefully I'll get around to trying these someday.

Couple questions. Why do you think the author says they, "take some getting used to."?
And, if one is to, "shape the paste with the hands into "corn ears,"" as mentioned, how big are those ears?

I have had corn ears from 6-8 inches up to 18-22 inches and that is here in NH.
Corn has grown 24-30 inches in the Midwest all during colonial times forward. Same as colors, multi, red, yellow and white and yellow. All have to be dry to grind

Son has won fair ribbons and best with all variety's

 

[Brokennock]

I have had corn ears from 6-8 inches up to 18-22 inches and that is here in NH.
Corn has grown 24-30 inches in the Midwest all during colonial times forward. Same as colors, multi, red, yellow and white and yellow. All have to be dry to grind

Son has won fair ribbons and best with all variety's

I was asking not about the size of the ears of the corn grown, but of the ear shaped loves of corn pone.
But thank you.

Any difference in the flavor or texture of the final product between the red and the yellow corn varieties?

 

[TDM]

Even down here in the Deep South I don’t eat cornbread as much as I’d like, my wife mumbles something about calories or something. And Corn Dodgers or Hot Water Cornbread are all but extinct. Unless your 60-70+ years old, even here you wouldn’t know about it.

And it’s delicious!

 

[DuncNZ]

If you cook anything directly in the ashes make sure the wood used is not treated with preservative or is old wood with lead paint on it and never coal . I throw big potatoes directly into my log burner and bake them but never eat the skin which becomes a burnt shell

 

[Nazgul58]

My wife makes killer cornbread in her Great Grandma's skillet. Recipe and skillet are 150 years old. Little bit of heaven.

We have Hoe cakes often when the weather is cold, one of our favorites.

Don

 

[nhmoose]

I was asking not about the size of the ears of the corn grown, but of the ear shaped loves of corn pone.
But thank you.

Any difference in the flavor or texture of the final product between the red and the yellow corn varieties?

Wow I messed that one up!! Sometimes my reading shorts.

However never noticed a diff between them when making corn bread

 

[Eterry]

Thank you. Hopefully I'll get around to trying these someday.

Couple questions. Why do you think the author says they, "take some getting used to."?
And, if one is to, "shape the paste with the hands into "corn ears,"" as mentioned, how big are those ears?

Broke, sorry I just saw your question. I think the dodgers take some getting used to because they don't use a leavening and are more dense than cornbread, or hoe cakes.
I made them about the size of my hand, shaped some like corn ears, and just kinda flat.
I can't tell any difference between white and yellow corn.
I fried mine like the recipe calls for. I had a pic but can't find it.
Here's a pic of my hoe cakes. Mom made them weekly.

 

[Eterry]

Thank you. Hopefully I'll get around to trying these someday.

Couple questions. Why do you think the author says they, "take some getting used to."?
And, if one is to, "shape the paste with the hands into "corn ears,"" as mentioned, how big are those ears?

Broke, sorry I just saw your question. I think the dodgers take some getting used to because they don't use a leavening and are more dense than cornbread, or hoe cakes.
I made them about the size of my hand, shaped some like corn ears, and just kinda flat.
I can't tell any difference between white and yellow corn.
I fried mine like the recipe calls for. I had a pic but can't find it.
Here's a pic of my hoe cakes. Mom made them weekly.

 

[Red Owl]

Corn Bread is a much higher quality thing with milk, eggs, and rising compound so it is lighter in density. Hoe cakes ,dodgers, etc. are little more than corn meal and water and fried. You need a "glue" to keep the meal together, lard or white flour. You can chop up Jalapeno pickles and toss them in to kick em up a notch.