Corn Bread

Corn Bread is a wonderful accompaniment for BBQ chicken and pork, Chili, and Bean Soup. Spread with a little butter and, perhaps, a drizzle of honey and you have breakfast. Any leftover can be made into Corn Bread Stuffing. (Also see Leftover Cornbread Ideas)

Optional add-ins for savory cornbread: 1-2 chopped jalapeño peppers, 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, and/or 1/2 cup bacon crumbles. For sweet add-ins: 1 cup blueberries or 1 cup total dried cranberries and walnuts.

FMM: To give this corn bread a nuttier corn flavor, substitute 1/4 cup cracked corn for 1/4 cup of the cornmeal. Soften it a bit by soaking it in the buttermilk for about 1 hour. This cornbread, as originally written, is not as sweet as some, which is why I like it. Nice cornmeal crunch and flavor. See Note below for a sweeter, lighter version that some people prefer.

Note: For a sweeter, moister corn bread, see Cornmeal Muffins, or modify the recipe as follows. Many recipes use equal amounts of cornmeal and flour for a lighter and less gritty texture from the cornmeal. In the recipe below, use 1 cup cornmeal and 1 cup flour. I also upped the sugar a little. Also, many recipes use 1/2 butter instead of the 1/4 cup, and a few add 2 eggs instead of 1, neither of which I have tried. The remaining ingredients are basically the same except you may see some honey added. I have not found that recipes that add a couple of tablespoons of honey taste like honey, so I would leave out and serve with honey and butter on the side if you want a honey flavor. The last time I made cornbread, I modified the recipe as shown in square brackets below. It was very good and even Brian liked it. I have always liked a grittier cornbread but Brian doesn’t, and this was a good compromise.

This is a tip I found that might be worth a try on https://www.seriouseats.com/, written by a commenter: "My mom, from Ft. Worth, TX, always taught me to whisk in 1/3 cup of hot water to any cornbread batter right after mixing the wet and dry ingredients together before baking. I tried this recipe without the hot water first; it had a lot of flavor but was a little dry...I did it with the hot water tonight and it's perfectly fluffy and moist!" FMM: I think this is similar to letting the batter sit for 20 - 30 minutes. The hot water will soak into the cornmeal faster and activates the leveners making the batter lighter.

Also see Difference Between Polenta, Grits, and Cornmeal

Faith's Corn Bread

For a cakier, sweeter corn bread, use 1 cup each cornmeal and flour, 2 eggs, 1/2 cup butter, and 2/3 cup sugar (all other ingredients the same). When in South Carolina for Alison’s wedding, Susan, Cori and I ate at a Southern restaurant that had the best cornbread. Light, yet very flavorful.

I have read that adding an extra egg will help keep cornbread from crumbling so much.

1 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal [1 cup cornmeal]
1/2 cup flour [1 cup flour]
1/4 cup sugar (up to 1/2 cup if you like it sweeter) [1/3 cup]
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 large egg
1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick) or bacon grease (if serving with savory dishes), melted
1 cup buttermilk or sour milk (make sour milk from powdered milk: 1 c. water, 1/4 cup powdered milk, 1 Tbsp. vinegar)
For serving, honey and butter, or Honey Butter, if desired

Butter a 8 x 8 inch square baking pan.

Melt the 1/4 cup butter in a small pan on the stovetop or in a microwave safe bowl in the microwave. Set aside to cool.

In a large mixing bowl combine the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In another bowl, beat the egg and whisk in the the cooled butter and buttermilk. Add to the dry ingredients, mixing just enough to blend. Do not over mix.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Let mixture stand 15 - 20 minutes so the cornmeal absorbs liquid and softens; do not stir during this time as the baking soda and powder is doing some of its work. When it sits in the pan, the baking soda and powder in the recipe will form carbon dioxide bubbles that will lighten it. If using the a heated cast iron pan for baking, gently scoop the batter into the pan to preserve the bubbles. Do not let it sit too long or the batter could collapse.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Bake for 20 - 25 minutes. [Mine took 20 minutes.] When done the top should be lightly browned and a toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean.

Serve with butter and honey, or Honey Butter, if desired.

Note: this can also be baked in a 9 - 10 inch cast iron fry pan or cast iron corn stick pans. Heat the fry pan or corn stick pans in a hot oven while making the batter. This helps to give them nice brown edges. Butter them when you take them out of the oven to fill with the batter. Decrease the baking time to about 15 - 20 minutes.

Variations:

Also see: