Rhode Island Johnnycakes (Vegan, Gluten Free): silver dollar sized cornmeal based pancakes that are moist inside with a toothsome exterior.
You never forget your first Rhode Island Johnnycake as they are worlds apart from the fluffy sweet pancakes served in diners. You might even make a little mewling sound of dissapointment like I did when I first bit into one. After a moment you will go back in for another thick forkful of plain cornmeal pancake.
They are simple little corn cakes made with rough grist milled cornmeal so that each bite is textured and flavored with corn and a hint of butter that makes it the perfect foil for thick, spreading amber maple syrup.
Laura always wondered why bread made of corn meal was called johnny-cake. It wasn’t cake. Ma had heard some say it should be called journey-cake. She didn’t know. It wouldn’t be very good bread to take on a journey.
-Little House in the Big Woods, L.A. Wilder
On a chill November day, two weeks after my son Aylam was born, I took my daughter Olivia on a date to show her that although we had a tiny addition to our family she was still a priority.
We climbed to the top of a high wall and sheltered under an oak tree’s limbs I read the last two chapters of Little House in the Big Woods aloud with her snuggled in my coat for warmth.
“The sap, you know, is the blood of a tree. It comes up from the roots, when warm weather begins in the spring, and it goes to the very tip of each branch and twig, to make the green leaves grow.”
-Little House in the Big Woods, L.A. Wilder
Each of the Little House Books were read and reread in our house until like a crazy quilt they became part of the fabric of our family. Where once I had considered myself a bare foot, pony loving mischievous, curious, brown haired, half-pint of a Laura now my daughter took on the role of Half Pint.
And so her brother was thrust into the role of Carrie or Grace (complete with a dress) and I, of course, acted the part of Ma making griddle cakes and teaching them ABCs on a make shift slate. Yes we made molasses candy in fresh snow, “man cakes” on Christmas Day, we spend a day trying to construct a door frame like Pa, and when we were cold Laura, ahem I mean Livy would call out “Pa, you forgot to chink” that crack.
We moved on from the Wilders to the Darling Family in Peter Pan, the Chronicles of Narnia and Harry Porter but each of those Families has lingered within our family culture like a circle of reincarnation.
We can’t return we can only look behind
From where we came
And go round and round and round
-Circle Game, Joni Mitchell
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Rhode Island Johnnycakes (Vegan, Gluten Free)
Barely sweet, corn meal pancakes that make the perfect foil for maple syrup. These pancakes are not the light and airy confections we now call pancakes they are barely sweet with a moist interior and a definite corn flavor. Makes 12.
- 1 cup stone ground corn meal (purists would say it needs to be from Flint Corn, but I am not a purist. )
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup boiling water
- 2 tbsp melted vegan butter
- 1/4 cup warm plant milk (for thinning)
- veggie oil for greasing your griddle
Into a large heat proof bowl place your corn flour, salt, butter and sugar. Whisk to combine.
Slowly pour in your boiled water in a thin stream stirring to combine. Let sit five minutes and whisk in enough of the warm plant milk to make a thick yet pourable batter.
Heat your griddle to 350 Fahrenheit and lightly oil. When hot scoop two tablespoons at a time onto the griddle. Allow to cook 6 minutes and flip. Cook another 6 minutes until golden brown.
Makes 12 Johnny cakes. Serve with maple syrup.
If you want to know about Johnny Cakes check out this article
There is something so appealingly elemental about all the flat (unleavened) breads of the world. So quick, so few ingredients, and you can cook them on a hot stone if that’s all you have.
Agreed. I’ve been making an even more elemental unleavened bread lately. I’ll be posting it soon. xox
Are the measurements correct on this recipe? The batter turned out very, very, watery. I looked up similar recipes and there is about twice as much corn meal.
Angela, you are correct! I transcribed it wrong. So sorry for the mistake. I have amended it.
Could I do this without the veg butter and just use grapeseed oil? Is it still 1 cup of cornmeal?
Lauri I am going to make this recipe again this week with oil in place of butter. I’ll let you know how it turns out. 😉
Learned to make hoecakes as a reenactor 20 years ago at Mt Vernon. Have experimented with other recipies. The boiling water then letting it sit to sofften the grain is a game changer. Thanks.