Time: About 30 minutes

　　Level: Beginner

　　This is the thin version of the Rhode Island staple that some still eat as an accompaniment to breakfast, lunch and dinner. These are wonderful plain with salt right off the griddle but can be gussied up however you like, although many Rhode Islanders cringe at the thought of a maple syrup glaze.

　　Recipe Synopsis: Mix the batter and fry on a well-greased griddle.

　　

Ingredients

Makes 20 to 25 small jonnycakes

　　2 cups stone ground cornmeal, preferably jonnycake (flint corn) meal

　　1/2 teaspoon salt

　　3/4 cup water, cold

　　1 1/2 cups milk, any kind

　　Vegetable oil for frying

　　

Step 1

Combine the cornmeal and salt in a mixing bowl. Add the cold water and stir until smooth. Stir in the milk, adding more if needed to achieve a thin, pourable batter.

　　

Step 2

Lightly oil the griddle. Stir the batter — it tends to settle — then spoon out 1 tablespoon of the batter for each cake onto the griddle. The batter should "dance" out into a thin disk. If it seems too thin, add 1 teaspoon of cornmeal to the batter. If the cake sits too high, thin out the batter with a little milk.

　　

Step 3

Let the cakes bake on the griddle until the underside is deep brown, about 5 minutes. Miller Tim McTague says "You wait and then wait some more."

　　

Step 4

Flip them with a metal spatula, being careful, as they are fragile and tend to stick, and fry the second side just until spotted brown, about 1 minute.

　　

Step 5

Serve them immediately. Lightly oil the griddle and stir the batter between batches.

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