Hot water cornbread is always fried, because it was a way for poor people, who lived out in the country, to feed their dogs when they didn't have anything else. It was originally called "dog water bread". My mom told me about it when I was very little. So, I grew up calling it dog water bread, then had to learn to call it hot water bread as an adult.

LastGirl is off the mark. It's called hot water cornbread because the liquid component is hot water, instead of milk or buttermilk. That's the distinguishing feature. When I grew up in Louisiana, we baked hot water cornbread. Her idea of fried hot water cornbread was a corn fritter. Regardless, it's all good.

Have not tried this recipe, but LastGirl's comment is right. My mother never put anything but white cornmeal, salt, and boiling water to make hers. LastGirl, do you have the proportions so that I can make it? I have a craving!!

Add cooked bacon crumbled-cut up in 1" squares- smoked sausage or- and hog jowl cooked well done- add some or all - 1 bundle green onions chopped w/top -WOW- Set of teeth gets in a mans way !!!!!

The hot water cornbread recipe was very Simple to follow. I enjoyed making this recipe for my Sunday dinner. The corn bread was really good.

I have tried the hot water cornbread recipe that was fried, that was not the one I grew up with. This recipe is wonderful as I now need a flour free one, (sub masa flour) for a son with crohns. This is just like the one my mother made and cooked in a iron skillet... and try it with beer.. well worth the extra steps.. yum...

Hits the spot. Limited resources and dietary preferences- this was the best recipe I could find on-line - 10 minutes and used it with hot sauce and jam for sweet n savory. Thanks!

My grandma is from arkansas & she used to make it both ways either baked or fried and it came out the same (bomb!) either way. Her recipe ingredients differ from this one. She used shorteing in her's so it still cooked up crisp when she made little individual patties. But she also made whole pans when cookin for larger gatherings. Everybody adds their own flare to stuff so to come @ someone like oh that's wrong is a little out of pocket. You must also remember that a lot of times people was makin due with what they had to work with back in the day as well, so that also will account for some of the difference and/or simplicities of some recipes. To the commenter who disagreed please share yours.

Different regions of the country sometime use the same name for very different dishes. This is what my grandmother always called hot water cornbread.(She was born (1908) and raised in south eastern Virginia). When I went to Texas I learned about hot water cornbread that was fried. Both are hot water cornbread. I would have never said this is not hot water cornbread when given the fried type to eat. It was just very different from what I was familiar with.

This recipe is wrong. This is not hot water cornbread. In Hot water cornbread, there is only cornmeal, salt and water; nothing to make it rise like eggs and baking powder and no baking involved; you make into patties and essentially fry it in a skillet.

What you're describing sounds like polenta... or cornmeal fried mush.