Corn Pone

You'd be forgiven if your definition of corn pone is a little fuzzy. In some places in the South, it's thought of as a denser cornbread, baked in a cast-iron skillet like any classic cornbread recipe and served in wedges. In other regions, corn pone is a crispy bread disk that is thick and chewy with lacy, golden edges.

The latter is what we're serving up here. Learn how to make corn pone, and enjoy it the next time you're thinking of making a bread to sop up soup, potlikker, or beans.

What Is Corn Pone?

Corn pone as it is known today is derived from bread recipes of American Indians. In fact, the name "pone" is thought to have come from the word for bread in several Native languages.

Europeans likely took those bread recipes and created something akin to the corn breads we know today: one fork became the cornbread famed for its fluffy texture; and the other remained similar to the quick-cooking pone that would have been served centuries ago.

Corn Pone Vs. Cornbread

Cornbread, as most Southerners know it today, is made with cornmeal, some flour, buttermilk, salt, and eggs. (We'll save the sugar discussion for another day.) Corn pone's ingredient list is shorter: Corn pone calls for just cornmeal, salt, boiling water, and butter. You can see why it has stood the test of time as a go-to staple of Southern kitchens, in lean times and plentiful ones.

Cornbread is usually baked in a skillet or baking dish, and then sliced into squares or wedges. Corn pone is scooped and shaped out of a thick batter, then pan fried until browned. A final bake finishes off the bread so they're still tender but crispy around the edges.

Ingredients for Corn Pone

A well-stocked pantry likely has the ingredients for corn pone already. Here's what you'll need:

• Yellow cornmeal: You can go spendy with a nice, high-quality cornmeal if you want. But an average supermarket brand will work, too. Fresh is ideal, as the flavor really shines.
• Kosher salt: No sugar here. Corn pone is savory, though if you like sweet cornbread, feel free to serve this with syrup or jam. Or add some sugar. We won't tell.
• Boiling tap water: The hot water brings together the batter and tenderizes the cornmeal. Go ahead and boil the water so it gets plenty hot.
• Unsalted butter: Some melted butter is stirred into the batter. The rest is used for frying the patties.
• Salted butter: For serving.

How To Make Corn Pone

Corn pone is a little more hands-on than cornbread, so you'll need to stick by the stove for this. But a whole batch is done in 20 minutes, which is faster than any bread recipe we know. Here's a brief outline of the process. (Find the full recipe further below.)

• Make the batter. First, combine the cornmeal and salt. Then stir in the boiling water and melted butter until a thick batter forms.
• Scoop the batter into 6 piles. Pat and mold the batter into thick rounds.
• Fry the rounds in melted butter in a skillet until each side is crispy and lightly browned.
• Bake the rounds in a warm oven until they're golden. Serve with butter or other preferred toppings.

Tips for the Best Corn Pone

With a recipe this simple, there's not a lot you don't know about this recipe, but here are a few tips from the Test Kitchen:

• Take a shortcut: Bring water and butter to a simmer together in a medium pan. Add in the cornmeal and salt, remove from heat and stir constantly until a loose dough forms. Then proceed with the recipe. 
• Form first, then fry: Instead of putting the rounds into the pan to cook as you shape them, mold them first. Then, add them to the hot pan. This way, the cooking time is even and nothing is left under- or overcooked.

How To Store Corn Pone

Store leftover corn pone in an airtight container in the fridge for up 3 days. Make sure to wrap each tightly with plastic wrap first. You can reheat the bread in the microwave or oven if you want it warm. If they're dry, cover with a damp paper towel as you reheat.

How To Serve Corn Pone

We'll leave this matter up to you. Just as people will argue over whether cornbread should have sugar or not, the choice of how to serve corn pone is likely just as personal.

You can serve with honey, butter, or maple syrup if you want to eat these at breakfast or as a dessert-like bread. But as with any bread side, these will be right at home alongside collard greens, black-eyed peas, or hoppin' john.