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Cornmeal Mush (Polenta)
Creamy cornmeal mush — the same pantry staple as polenta — cooked with water and salt until thick and spoonable.
Ingredients
| Volume | Grams |
|---|---|
| 1 cup yellow cornmeal, fine or medium grind | — |
| 4 cups water, divided | 908 g |
| 1 tsp table salt | 6 g |
| 1 tbsp unsalted butter, or vegetable oil, optional | 14.1 g |
| 1 tsp granulated sugar, optional | 4.1 g |
Gram weights use the King Arthur Baking ingredient weight chart; “—” means the ingredient isn’t on the chart, so measure it by volume or count. Measure flour by spooning it into the cup and leveling, or better, weigh it.
Method
- Whisk the cornmeal with 1 cup of the cold water until smooth (this prevents lumps).
- Bring the remaining 3 cups water and the salt to a boil. Whisk in the cornmeal slurry.
- Lower the heat to a bare simmer and cook 25–30 minutes, stirring often, until thick and the raw corn taste is gone. Stir in butter or oil and sugar if using.
- Serve hot as a porridge, or pour into a greased dish, chill until firm, slice, and fry in a little oil.
Tips
- Cornmeal isn't in our weight table yet, so measure it by the cup (same note as our cornbread); water, salt, butter and sugar use cited weights.
- Leftover firm mush fries up like hushpuppies — a second meal from one pot.
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