Golden brown and crunchy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, the Southern carby delicacy known as hush puppies certainly stands out among other breads. What makes hush puppies different from, let’s say, dinner rolls, is the core ingredient in the batter: cornmeal. When you walk down the grocery store aisle, however, there are different types of cornmeal, and there are specific types that you must grab so that the texture on the inside of the hush puppies is fluffy — and not gritty (gross).
The best option to obtain the ideal texture in hush puppies is stone-ground cornmeal, which has a finer texture because it’s ground between stones compared to being processed by a machine. If you can’t find stone-ground cornmeal specifically, any other type of fine or medium-ground cornmeal will result in the right consistency as well.
There are also different colors of cornmeal based on what kind of corn is used, but opt for yellow cornmeal to keep the classic color of deep-fried hush puppies. Recipes also call for all-purpose flour, which will balance out the texture that even fine cornmeal provides in every bite. And if you can’t find the right type of cornmeal, you can process it in a blender or spice grinder to obtain a finer consistency.
How to make hush puppies with the right cornmeal and other upgrades to the bread
Start with our crispy, fluffy hush puppies recipe, which relies on 1 ¼ cups of cornmeal to make six servings. After you secure the preferred type of cornmeal, mix it with the other dry ingredients like baking powder and salt. Another important step to prevent a gritty texture is to mix the wet and dry ingredients well so that they’re incorporated for an even consistency. Just don’t overmix the dough, or you could overwork the gluten and cause a chewy texture.
The rest of the work to make perfect hush puppies doesn’t really have to do with the right type of cornmeal, but there are some other tips that you can benefit from. To make the perfect shape and size, use a cookie dough or ice cream scoop to form the hush puppies like you might already do with other dishes, including meatballs. And a final tip that will ensure the hush puppies are crunchy on the outside and cooked through on the inside is to make sure the frying oil reaches between 350 and 375 degrees Fahrenheit before you start cooking.
