Here are easy breads to make on top of stove (whatever emergency stove you are using). I went back to our American Indians for some of these. Hoe cakes were made by our pioneers actually using a hoe to hold over the fire.
Hoe-Cakes plain or as breakfast with syrup
2 cups corn meal
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups boiling water
oil/shortening for frying
In a large bowl combine the corn meal and salt. Pour the boiling water over the cornmeal and stir until combined. The cornmeal will swell up, absorbing the water, making a very thick mash. Heat 4-5 tablespoons of oil or shortening in a large skillet over medium high heat.
As soon as the mush is cool enough to handle, scoop up a little of the cornmeal mush (about 1/4-cup) and shape it into a patty. Place patty into the hot fat. Continue until the pan is full. When the underside is crispy brown, turn them and cook the other side.
When both sides are crispy and brown, transfer them to a plate to keep warm, and start another batch. This recipe makes about 12 hoe cakes. Serve Hoe Cakes as a bread with a meal, or by themselves for breakfast with syrup.
Corn Tortillas
3/4 cup cornmeal
1-1/4 cups white flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons vegetable shortening or oil
1 cup boiling water
Waxed paper
In a bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour and salt. Stir it up while the water is coming to a boil. Place the shortening in the bowl with the cornmeal and flour. Pour the boiling water over everything and stir it up with a fork. Stir and stir because it will lump up quite a bit before it turns into dough. Allow the mixture to cool.
Divide the dough into 10 lumps about the size of golf balls. Use tortilla press or roll each ball out very thinly between sheets of waxed paper. Loosen and remove the top sheet of paper, and lay the tortilla down on a hot dry skillet, with the bottom sheet of waxed paper still attached, and now on top. After the tortilla cooks for a few seconds, the remaining sheet of waxed paper will easily loosen for removal. When the underside of the tortilla is dry with a few brown spots, turn it and cook the other side. This recipe makes 10 corn tortillas.
Flour Tortillas
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons to 1 tablespoon shortening
1 cup or less lukewarm water
Combine flour, salt and baking powder. Cut shortening in with fingers. Add lukewarm water gradually and mix evenly with fingers until dough is soft and pliable (not sticky or tough). Let rest for 5 minutes.
Pinch off 8 to 12 balls of dough. Use tortilla press, or pat flat, then roll on unfloured board. Roll from center out, concentrating on the thickest edge and flipping the tortilla about 1/4 turn with each roll and keeping hold of one edge or side, holding it firmly and slightly off the board. Roll and stretch until thin.
Heat a skillet or griddle as hot as possible. Fry tortilla quickly, flipping once. The faster you fry them, and the hotter, the softer and more tender tortilla. Place fried tortillas on towel. Cover and repeat until all are done. Let tortillas cool slightly, then place all of the tortillas in a plastic bag. Makes 8 to 12.
Indian Pumpkin Fry Bread
2 cps. all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 can pumpkin for making pie (not solid can of pumpkin)
¾ cup brown sugar
Oil/shortening for frying
Mix all ingredients together. Cut dough into 6 parts. Roll thin and fry in hot oil until golden. Note: if you use a solid can of pumpkin, mix in enough egg substitute for 1 egg (or use regular egg if you have it), ¼ tsp. cinnamon, ¼ tsp. nutmeg or allspice, ¼ tsp. vanilla.
Creek Indian Bread – to make buttermilk, add 1 tablespoon vinegar to 1 cup milk (regular or instant or powdered)
2 cups flour
1 cup buttermilk
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
Sift flour, salt and baking powder then add milk and more flour to make dough stiff. Roll out onto floured bread board and cut into 4 X 4 squares with a slit in the center. Fry in hot cooking oil until golden brown. Drain on plate with paper towels.
Hot Water Cornbread
The cornbread is shaped into little cakes and fried. They are served with maple syrup over them.
Serves six:
Prep time 5 min, cook time less than 10,
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon white sugar
1-1 1/2 teaspoon shortening
1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons boiling water
In medium bowl, combine cornmeal, salt, and sugar.
Add boiling water and shortening; stir until shortening melts.
Pour oil to a depth of 1/2 inch in a large skillet and heat to 375 degrees.
Shape cornmeal mixture into flattened balls using a heaping tablespoon as a measuring guide. Fry each in hot oil, turning once, until crisp and golden brown, about 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Serve at once with maple syrup or hone
Indian Pumpkin Fry Bread
2 cps. all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 can pumpkin for making pie (not solid can of pumpkin)
¾ cup brown sugar
Oil/shortening for frying
Mix all ingredients together. Cut dough into 6 parts. Roll thin and fry in hot oil until golden. Note: if you use a solid can of pumpkin, mix in enough egg substitute for 1 egg (or use regular egg if you have it), ¼ tsp. cinnamon, ¼ tsp. nutmeg or allspice, ¼ tsp. vanilla.
Creek Indian Bread – to make buttermilk, add 1 tablespoon vinegar to 1 cup milk (regular or instant or powdered)
2 cups flour
1 cup buttermilk
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
Sift flour, salt and baking powder then add milk and more flour to make dough stiff. Roll out onto floured bread board and cut into 4 X 4 squares with a slit in the center. Fry in hot cooking oil until golden brown. Drain on plate with paper towels.
Hot Water Cornbread
The cornbread is shaped into little cakes and fried. They are served with maple syrup over them.
Serves six:
Prep time 5 min, cook time less than 10,
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon white sugar
1-1 1/2 teaspoon shortening
1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons boiling water
In medium bowl, combine cornmeal, salt, and sugar.
Add boiling water and shortening; stir until shortening melts.
Pour oil to a depth of 1/2 inch in a large skillet and heat to 375 degrees. Shape cornmeal mixture into flattened balls using a heaping tablespoon as a measuring guide. Fry each in hot oil, turning once, until crisp and golden brown, about 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Serve at once with maple syrup or honey.
Nice recipes.
I just realized I wasn’t storing enough sugar. I rather overlooked that we’d get sick of grains and beans and would miss something sweet.
Where is your blog, Marcella?
I have a dozen bean and rice recipes with my beans and rice, a dozen dutch oven fruit dessert recipes with my canned fruit, and a similar variety for every other class of stored food. I could feed my family for a year without electricity, without supplementing by hunting, gathering, or growing food, and without repeating a meal in any month. For us, the issue is water, and we do have access to water and the means to make it potable.
Thank you so much!!
Recipes printed and saved in my prep binder!