Johnny Cakes on the Farm!
One of our favorite agritourism activities at the farm is hosting the Peer Project Class from USU. Since our son graduated from there last year, many of his friends still attend. In October 2022, they helped us develop a cider-making workshop held in the RWG greenhouse. It was very successful, so this spring we were ready to try a new homestead project: shelling and grinding dried corn on the cob and making it into what we call Johnny Cakes over a charcoal fire.
The pioneers often didn’t have access to leavening other than sourdough, so without baking powder, the batter was simply fried on a griddle until it was crisp on both sides and cohesive enough to eat by hand. This basic version was a staple for everyone from soldiers to indigenous people for thousands of years.
One of my children learned to make Johnny Cakes in history class. Their method was to add extra milk to basic cornbread batter and fry it in an iron skillet. From that point on, my kids were hooked on Johnny Cakes, especially one baby who loved watching me cook just for him while sitting in his high chair.
That baby, now having graduated, was eager to teach his college-aged friends from Peer Project the technique of making Johnny Cakes outdoors in an iron skillet over a charcoal fire. Not wanting our firepit to melt holes in our new greenhouse plastic, we hosted the group in the nearby orchard.
We took it to the next level by letting everyone shell dried corn and then make fresh cornmeal using our heavy-duty grain grinder. After that, we just added extra milk to a regular cornbread recipe. We also used gluten-free flour because it creates an amazing texture and over-stirring the batter doesn’t make it tough.
"Don’t skimp on butter!" That’s my only caution. They dropped the batter into the sizzling skillets and waited for the bubbles to spread across the surface. This type of Johnny Cake is delightful at one inch thick, but it takes a while to bake and is likely to burn. We solved this problem by putting a lid on the skillet and removing it from the heat for a minute.
It takes a bit of skill to flip an entire 8-inch cake without breaking it, so I showed the class how to cut the cake in half and flip each side. The charcoal fire is great for making a terrific crust, but a propane stove works perfectly if you’re in a hurry or can’t have a fire.
We served the cakes with maple syrup, regular honey from our beehive behind the greenhouse, and homemade peach honey jam. Some teachers decided they wouldn’t go back to commercial cornmeal from now on. The students concluded the bread was delicious, and if anyone went away hungry, they must have missed something. Our focus was mostly on food by the time we had lunch under the trees and cooked dessert from scratch. However, the farm animal friends were a part of the visit as always, and the chickens were happy to use up any leftover corn!
Be sure to watch the video below for a virtual taste of Johnny Cakes on the Farm with Rock Wall Garden!
