Johnny Cakes

2 cups All-purpose flour
1/2 to 1 tsp Salt (if using salted butter or margarine use 1/2 tsp salt)
3 tsp Baking powder
3 Tbsp Unsalted Butter or margarine
3/4 cup Cold water
1/2 cup Cooking oil

Mix dry ingredients together. Cut in shortening, or rub in with fingers. Add water slowly, just enough to make soft dough. Knead a few times until dough is smooth and holds together. Let rest for 10-20 minutes covering with a clean kitchen towel or just turn a bowl over the dough. Shape into rounds. Flatten in your hands or flatten out on the work surface, prick with fork. If you are frying, make sure that your oil is hot, and place in fryer. Fry at medium-high heat over stove, turning several times, until brown and crusty on both sides. 15-20 minutes. If baking, bake at 350 degrees until golden brown.

I love these, but I always heard them called hoecakes. My grandmother made them with some mixture of cornmeal in there too but I don't know exactly what the ratio was

Cooked on a hoe over a camp fire.

My granny called a giant biscuit a hoecake.

Yeah - almost exactly the same cake is cooked everywhere. These are from St. Croix in the US Virgin Islands.

The name is a corruption of journey cakes.

A couple of questions:

You say cut in shortening - do you mean the butter/margarine or I assume could actually use shortening?

What about the oil? Is that for use in the cakes or for actually frying them with?

And finally - how are these different than just biscuits - water vs. milk??

Butter/margerine or shortening can be used - my bad.

The oil is for frying.

Biscuits are not fried unless I am mistaken.

Thanks. Yes, understand these are fried - although you did give the option of baking them. I was mostly referring to the ingredients and the taste I guess, ie could I take my biscuit recipe I already use and fry them up like this?

They are typically sweeter than a biscuit and are only rarely baked.

This is more like a pancake. Cook it in bacon grease for a real treat.

Always called them hoecakes, too...made with corn meal, it's a pone.

If you're pressed for time, you can make it with Bisquick and water, too. Cut that thing like a pie, and DROWN it in butter...that's a fine meal right by itself!