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Fried mush is a breakfast that most Americans under fifty have never heard of, and most Americans over seventy ate on school mornings more times than they could count. It was cheap, it was filling, it was made the night before, and a plate of it with butter and syrup sent a child out the door warm.
The method takes two days, but almost none of your attention. At night, cornmeal is cooked in salted water into a thick porridge, stirred until the spoon stands up in it, and poured into a loaf pan to set. In the morning the cold mush turns out in one firm block, gets sliced thick, and the slices fry in a hot skillet with a little butter until the outside is crisp and deep golden and the inside is soft. Syrup for most of the family. Butter and salt for the ones who called the syrup crowd soft.
There are two places to go wrong and both are matters of patience. The mush has to cook long enough, or the slices fall apart in the pan. And the slices have to be left alone in the skillet until they let go on their own. Move them early and they tear. If it is stuck, it is not ready.
Why this fried mush works
- A cold water slurry first. Whisking the cornmeal into cold water before it meets the boiling water means no lumps, ever.
- 20 to 25 minutes of stirring. The long cook swells the starch fully. That is what lets the mush set into a block firm enough to slice and fry.
- An overnight set in a loaf pan. Cold, rested mush is firm all the way through. Warm mush is too soft to slice and turns to porridge again in the pan.
- A hot skillet and no moving. The crust forms against the hot iron and releases by itself when it is ready. Prodding it early tears the slice before the crust has set.
Ingredients
Makes one 9 by 5 inch loaf, about 12 slices, enough for 4. The mush needs to set overnight. The measurements are in US cups with grams in brackets.
- 1 cup yellow cornmeal (140g), plain, medium or fine grind
- 1 cup cold water (240ml), for the slurry
- 3 cups water (720ml), for the pot
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter (14g), optional, stirred in at the end
- Butter for the loaf pan
- 3 to 4 tablespoons butter or vegetable oil, for frying
- Soft butter and maple syrup, or butter and salt, for serving
Plain cornmeal, not a self-rising mix. Yellow is traditional and gives the golden color, but white cornmeal works the same way. A heavy saucepan keeps the bottom from scorching during the long stir.
How to make fried mush
The night before
- Butter a 9 by 5 inch loaf pan (an 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 inch pan gives thicker slices) and set it by the stove.
- In a bowl, whisk the cornmeal into the 1 cup of cold water until smooth. This slurry is the reason there will be no lumps.
- Bring the 3 cups of water and the salt to a boil in a heavy saucepan. Pour in the slurry in a steady stream while whisking. It will thicken almost at once. Turn the heat down to medium-low.
- Cook, stirring often with a wooden spoon and scraping the bottom and corners, for 20 to 25 minutes. It will spit now and then, so keep the heat low. It is done when it is very thick, pulls away from the sides, and the spoon stands up in it on its own. Stir in the tablespoon of butter if you like a richer mush.
- Scrape the hot mush into the buttered loaf pan and smooth the top with a wet spatula. Let it cool until it stops steaming, then cover and refrigerate overnight, or at least 6 hours. The old cooks left it on the counter in a cold kitchen. The refrigerator is surer.
In the morning
- Run a thin knife around the edges of the pan and turn the loaf out onto a board in one block. Slice it 3/4 inch thick with a sharp knife.
- Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat with 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter or oil until the butter foams and just begins to brown. Lay in as many slices as fit without touching.
- Do not move them. Leave the slices for 4 to 6 minutes, until the underside is deep golden and crisp. Lift one corner with a thin spatula: if it sticks, it is not ready. When a slice releases on its own, turn it, add a little more fat to the skillet, and fry the second side 3 to 5 minutes. Fry the rest the same way.
- Serve hot, with a pat of butter melting on top and syrup poured over, or with butter and a shake of salt for the other camp.
Tips that make the difference
- Stir with a wooden spoon, not a whisk, once the mush thickens. The spoon reaches into the corners where it catches.
- Undercooked mush is the usual reason slices fall apart. When in doubt, cook 5 more minutes.
- Use a thin metal spatula for turning. A thick one pushes into the soft center and breaks the slice.
- Do not crowd the skillet. Slices that touch steam each other and never crisp.
Variations
- Sweet mush. Stir 2 tablespoons of sugar into the pot with the salt, for a breakfast slice that browns a shade darker.
- Cheese and pepper. Stir 1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar (55g) and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper into the finished mush, and serve the slices with eggs.
- Baked instead of fried. Brush the slices with melted butter and bake on a sheet at 425°F (220°C) for 25 minutes, turning once. Less crisp, less work.
- Hot mush for supper. Skip the setting and eat the hot porridge from the pot with butter and milk, the way it was served the night before in many houses.
Storage and make-ahead
The unsliced block of mush keeps, covered, in the refrigerator for 5 days. Slice and fry as many pieces as you need each morning. Wrapped well, the block also freezes for up to 2 months.
Fried slices are best straight from the skillet. Leftover fried slices keep in the refrigerator for 2 days and crisp up again in a dry hot skillet.
Frequently asked questions
Why do my slices fall apart in the pan?
Either the mush did not cook long enough to swell the starch, or it did not set long enough in the cold. Give it the full 20 to 25 minutes on the stove and a full night in the refrigerator, and fry the slices without moving them.
Is fried mush the same as polenta?
It is the same idea: cornmeal cooked in water, set and fried. American mush is plainer, made with just water and salt, and it was breakfast rather than supper.
Can I fry it right after cooking?
No. Warm mush is soft and will spread and stick. It has to set cold and firm, at least 6 hours and preferably overnight, so the slices hold their shape against the heat.
Syrup or salt?
Both are correct and the two camps do not speak. Maple syrup and butter was the children’s plate in most houses. Butter and salt, sometimes with a fried egg, was the plate of the men going out to work.
Cook it long, let it set all night, slice it thick, and do not touch it in the skillet until it lets go. Then decide, syrup or salt, and defend your answer.
Fried Cornmeal Mush (Cooked at Night, Sliced and Fried in the Morning)
The Depression breakfast in two steps: cornmeal cooked thick and stirred for 20 to 25 minutes, set overnight in a loaf pan, then sliced 3/4 inch thick and fried in a hot skillet in a little butter until the crust releases on its own. Served with butter and syrup, or butter and salt. Cups and grams.
Ingredients
- 1 cup yellow cornmeal (140g), plain, medium or fine grind
- 1 cup cold water (240ml), for the slurry
- 3 cups water (720ml), for the pot
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter (14g), optional, stirred in at the end
- Butter for the loaf pan
- 3 to 4 tablespoons butter or vegetable oil, for frying
- Soft butter and maple syrup, or butter and salt, for serving
Instructions
- Butter a 9 by 5 inch loaf pan (an 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 inch pan gives thicker slices) and set it by the stove.
- In a bowl, whisk the cornmeal into the 1 cup of cold water until smooth. This slurry is the reason there will be no lumps.
- Bring the 3 cups of water and the salt to a boil in a heavy saucepan. Pour in the slurry in a steady stream while whisking. It will thicken almost at once. Turn the heat down to medium-low.
- Cook, stirring often with a wooden spoon and scraping the bottom and corners, for 20 to 25 minutes. It will spit now and then, so keep the heat low. It is done when it is very thick, pulls away from the sides, and the spoon stands up in it on its own. Stir in the tablespoon of butter if you like a richer mush.
- Scrape the hot mush into the buttered loaf pan and smooth the top with a wet spatula. Let it cool until it stops steaming, then cover and refrigerate overnight, or at least 6 hours. The old cooks left it on the counter in a cold kitchen. The refrigerator is surer.
- Run a thin knife around the edges of the pan and turn the loaf out onto a board in one block. Slice it 3/4 inch thick with a sharp knife.
- Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat with 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter or oil until the butter foams and just begins to brown. Lay in as many slices as fit without touching.
- Do not move them. Leave the slices for 4 to 6 minutes, until the underside is deep golden and crisp. Lift one corner with a thin spatula: if it sticks, it is not ready. When a slice releases on its own, turn it, add a little more fat to the skillet, and fry the second side 3 to 5 minutes. Fry the rest the same way.
- Serve hot, with a pat of butter melting on top and syrup poured over, or with butter and a shake of salt for the other camp.
