A historical dessert from The White House cook book; a comprehensive cyclopedia of information for the home .. (1913). Serve it up hot, eat it with wine sauce, or with butter and syrup.
✨ Vintage Recipe
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Original Historical Recipe
Preserved exactly as written in the original source
Original Ingredients
One small cupful of Indian meal
one-half cupful of wheat flour
cold milk
one pint of milk
half a cupful of sugar
half a cupful of molasses
two eggs
two tablespoonfuls of butter
a little salt
Community Notes
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Stir Indian meal and wheat flour together with cold milk
2
Scald one pint of milk and stir the mixture in it and cook until thick
3
Then thin with cold milk to the consistency of batter, not very thick
4
Add half a cupful of sugar, half a cupful of molasses, two eggs, two tablespoonfuls of butter, a little salt, a tablespoonful of mixed cinnamon and nutmeg, two-thirds of a teaspoonful of soda added just before putting it into the oven
5
Bake two hours
6
After baking it half an hour, stir it up thoroughly, then finish baking
Chef Cecil's Modern Tips Below
Chef Cecil's Modern Tips
Modern guidance to help you succeed with this vintage recipe
Scalding the milk before adding it to the cornmeal creates a "hot soak" that gelatinizes the starch granules, resulting in a smoother, creamier texture rather than a gritty pudding. The mid-bake stir redistributes ingredients and prevents a tough skin from forming, allowing even cooking throughout. The combination of molasses and sugar not only sweetens but also adds moisture-retaining properties, while the soda (baking soda) reacts with the acidic molasses to create gentle leavening and a tender crumb structure during the long, slow bake.
Make Ahead
The dry ingredients (cornmeal, wheat flour, sugar, and spices) can be mixed together up to 1 day ahead and stored in an airtight container at room temperature. However, the pudding is best baked and served fresh, as the texture changes significantly upon standing.
Storage
Store leftover pudding covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat individual portions in the microwave for 30-45 seconds or in a 300°F oven for 10-15 minutes. The texture will be denser than when freshly baked. Serve reheated pudding with butter and syrup or wine sauce as originally intended.
AI-generated tips from Chef Cecil's culinary database
Make Ahead
The dry ingredients (cornmeal, wheat flour, sugar, and spices) can be mixed together up to 1 day ahead and stored in an airtight container at room temperature. However, the pudding is best baked and served fresh, as the texture changes significantly upon standing.
Storage
Store leftover pudding covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat individual portions in the microwave for 30-45 seconds or in a 300°F oven for 10-15 minutes. The texture will be denser than when freshly baked. Serve reheated pudding with butter and syrup or wine sauce as originally intended.
