Hot Potlikker Cornbread

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Two favorite comfort food dishes in one incredible bread.

By Jasmine Smith
Published on January 12, 2024
Recipe tested by
Southern Living Test Kitchen
Southern Living Test Kitchen
Recipe tested by Southern Living Test Kitchen

The Southern Living Test Kitchen has been publishing recipes since 1970, four years after the first issue of Southern Living Magazine appeared on newsstands. The Southern Living Test Kitchen team includes a team of professionals with deep expertise in recipe development, from pastry chefs and grilling experts to nutritionists and dietitians. Together, the team tests and retests, produces, styles, and photographs thousands of recipes each year in the state-of-the-art test kitchen facility located in Birmingham, Alabama.

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Southern Living Hot Potlikker Cornbread on a plate to serve with honey and butter
Photo:

Greg Dupree, Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster
Active Time:
20 mins
Total Time:
20 mins
Servings:
8

If you’ve never heard of hot water cornbread, you might be a little perplexed by the flat, crispy looks of this cornbread recipe. Don't be alarmed: This recipe—and its forefather—are akin to the cornbread you know and love, but in its most basic and humble form.

Instead of making a large batch of batter and pouring it into a scalding hot skillet, this recipe is more like making pancakes; spoonfuls of batter are poured into a pool of sizzling oil, yielding thin, crunchy cornbread fritters that are devilishly golden brown and crispy on all sides.

Born of lean times, this style of cornbread doesn’t include any eggs or dairy; it relies on hot water to loosen the batter to a spreadable consistency that will flatten out during frying. Here, we’ve replaced that water with something better—savory potlikker left over from cooked collards greens. This simple, significant change honors the humble past of hot water cornbread while making it the very best version of itself.

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp. fine yellow cornmeal

  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

  • 1 Tbsp. baking powder

  • 3/4 tsp. kosher salt

  • 1 cup potlikker (reserved from Double-The-Potlikker Greens)

  • 1/2 cup cooked collard greens (reserved from Double-The-Potlikker Greens), chopped

  • 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

  • 6 Tbsp. vegetable oil, divided

Directions

  1. Whisk together cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl until well combined. Place the potlikker in a microwavable measuring cup; microwave on HIGH until very hot, about 2 minutes. Pour 3/4 cup of the hot potlikker over cornmeal mixture; discard remaining potlikker, or reserve for another use. Add chopped collard greens and melted butter to cornmeal mixture; stir until just combined (batter will be very thick).

  2. Heat 4 tablespoons of the oil in a 12-inch cast-iron skillet over medium. Using a 2-tablespoon scoop, carefully drop 6 balls of batter (1 inch apart) into skillet. Lightly coat the bottom of a heatproof measuring cup with cooking spray; gently flatten each ball into a 2-inch circle. Cook until an even, golden brown crust forms on bottoms and batter puffs up slightly, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Repeat procedure twice, adding 1 more tablespoon oil per batch. Serve warm.

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