Tuesday, March 15, 2022

Corn Bread


I am definitely behind on blogging, so stick with me here.  I've been super busy and not writing a bunch of what I've been doing down on a list to share, so yeah....my bad.  I will share a list on Friday of some of the things I've been up to, but I'm determined to start getting some of the back log (which keeps getting longer) of blog posts up here.

First up is a recipe I've been meaning to share and it is for a recipe that pretty much every American has in their family recipes.  Cornbread.  I know a lot of people are probably not impressed *laugh* but I wanted to share this because for one, having corn meal in your food storage is a really good idea to help stretch your flour and other grains and two because this cornbread is light and fluffy, which I love about it.  Also, cornbread is actually surprisingly versatile.  We will eat it for dessert with honey, for breakfast with jam and butter, for a snack...heck I've been known to eat it with sausage gravy on top or some other savory thing that you'd normally reserve biscuits for.  So, when I started thinking of basic recipes to share, this one seemed like a good idea to me.

Now, there is one thing I want to recommend with corn bread recipes and it will probably get me some hate from coarse corn meal fans, but I really am not a huge fan of the crunch of coarse ground corn meal in my cornbread, so when I make this recipe I use this.  It is a polenta grind cornmeal, so it is super fine grind and I like it better in my corn bread (no associate link on that cornmeal by the way, I'm just sharing because that is what I buy).  But, if you prefer coarse corn meal, go for it.  The cornbread will still turn out super yummy either way.

So, onto the recipe!


Cornbread:

Ingredients:
  • 1 Cup Yellow Corn Meal
  • 1 Cup All Purpose Flour
  • 2 to 4 TBS sugar (depending how sweet you like your cornbread)
  • 1 TBS baking powder
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup milk
Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (375 if you are using a glass pan).  Grease an 8" square (or round...doesn't really matter) baking pan.

2.  In a large mixing bowl, sift together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, salt and baking powder (or you can just add all the ingredients and then whisk the dry ingredients together).  Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients.

3.  In a separate smaller bowl, combine egg, milk and oil and mix well.  

4.  Pour the wet ingredients into the well you created in the dry ingredients and stir together until combined  and the dry ingredients are moistened.  It takes about 15 to 20 strokes for me (do NOT over mix).  Pour the better into prepared pan.

5.  Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the corn bread comes out clean.

We like to serve ours with spreadable/whipped honey and butter, but I've been known to eat it for breakfast with butter and jam on it :).

17 comments:

  1. I use honey instead of sugar for better flavor :-)

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    1. Nice. How much honey do you use? Do you have to reduce the amount of liquid in the recipe at all since you are using honey instead of sugar? I have honey in my food storage and would love to try the honey instead of sugar *laugh*.

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  2. I don't like cornbread sweet at all and I never use flour.

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  3. Has anyone tried this recipe with plant-based milk like oatmilk? Thanks!

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    1. I think a plant based milk would work just fine. I used to make gluten free cornbread with coconut milk or almond milk and it worked just fine, so I'm sure you could replace the milk in this recipe without issue.

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  4. Cornbread can also be made without wheat flour. I keep cornmeal in my pantry always.
    I'm allergic to wheat so it's a great alternative. I'm with you about the course ground meal,I prefer a finer grind myself.I make a 9 by 9 pan once a week. It is good for breakfast,dinner and snacking. It's to die for hot,buttered and drizzled with honey! Not to mention it's very economical!

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    1. So, do you use straight cornmeal in your cornbread? I know my mom does that. I just started adding the AP flour because I found it easier to cut and serve as it made it not so prone to just crumble apart. I understand about food allergies, though. We've been there. Course I had to make millet bread for an alternative because my daughter went through an allergic to corn phase. I finally got that recipe to work gluten free, but it wasn't the same as cornbread.

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  5. I use to cook with polenta quite a bit. Remembered about it the other day and looked for it in the supermarket but couldn't find any. Its not used so much over here. I will have another look though andd try your cornbread. Sounds good.

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    1. The only polenta grind cornmeal I could find was on Amazon the last few years. I can find coarse ground cornmeal at the store (sometimes...even that can be hit or miss it seems), but polenta comes in like tubes that are already made up in a solid and are sold over in the produce section here.

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  6. This is heresy, I know, but I use Jiffy mix cornbread. I use the box, add three beaten eggs, one cup of sour cream and one can of creamed corn, and bake at 350. Yum. It has none of the grit that I associate with corn bread.

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    1. Oh don't get me wrong. I have nothing against Jiffy mix *laugh*. I just like this recipe because it is a lot lighter in texture than the Jiffy mix. Your variation sounds yummy, though!

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  7. Thanks. I always replace some oil with bacon grease for flavor! Mmmm good.

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    1. Oooooo!!! I should have tried that!!! I have bacon grease in the fridge. I'm still on a learning curve on all the different ways to use it, but I am on a quest to waste as little as I can, especially when it comes to fats, because cooking oils are getting so expensive.

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  8. When I was working full time and was visiting with a customer in New Jersey, we stopped at a diner for a morning coffee. She insisted that we order corn bread -- they halved it, buttered it, and grilled it on the cut side until it was nicely browned, and served it with grape jelly. Best I've ever had and have not been able to replicate the corn bread. Will give your recipe a try. Thanks for sharing!

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    1. That sounds hard to do with cornbread. I'd think it would fall apart before you could toast it. Hmmm. If you want crunchy fried tasting cornbread, I'd definitely look up how to make it in a cast iron skillet. You dump the cornbread batter into a cast iron frying pan that has been preheating in the oven and it lends to a really crunchy bottom to the cornbread once it is baked.

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  9. This is almost the exact recipe I use, and I agree, it makes a perfect cornbread! Super delicious, not too sweet, and not super crumbly. :)

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  10. They just cut a large corn muffin in half and put it on the griddle with a little butter, cooked it until it was browned, like you would a grilled cheese, but toasted on only one side. Strange, but it worked!

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