Corn Dodgers

Corn dodgers were small, hard-crusted cornmeal cakes meant to be thrown (dodged) at someone — but actually just very sturdy hand-formed cornmeal rounds that were baked or fried hard enough to survive transport in a pocket or pack. Denser than corn pone, harder than cornbread. They kept for days without spoiling and could be eaten dry or dunked in beans, milk, or pot likker.

Ingredients

• 2 cups white cornmeal (fine or medium grind)
• 1 tsp salt
• Boiling water — enough to make a stiff, workable dough (about 1 cup)
• 2 tbsp lard (optional, for richer flavor)

Directions

1. Combine cornmeal and salt. Pour boiling water over cornmeal and stir vigorously.
2. Add lard if using. The dough will be stiff — drier than corn pone. Let stand 5 minutes to cool enough to handle.
3. With wet hands, form the dough into egg-sized oval cakes or small round balls.
4. Place on a greased cast iron skillet or baking sheet.

Press each cake flat with wet fingers.

1. Bake at 450°F for 20–25 minutes until the exterior is hard and golden, or fry in a dry cast iron skillet over medium heat until browned on both sides.
2. Cool completely. The outside should be crispy-hard; the inside dense and chewy.
3. These keep 3–5 days without refrigeration.

Notes

Corn dodgers were harder and drier than most cornbreads — designed for durability, not tenderness. Dunked in bean broth or milk, they softened into something more palatable. Soldiers during the Civil War were issued corn dodgers as field rations. The hardness was not a fault — it was the point.