Cornbread (Recipe)

Around The World Part 1:

A Quick History Lesson

Cornbread was popular during the American Civil War because it was very cheap and could be made in many different forms—high-rising, fluffy loaves or simply fried (as unleavened pone, corn fritters, hoecakes, etc.).

Cornbread is a common bread in United States cuisine, particularly associated with the South and Southwest, as well as being a traditional staple for populations where wheat flour was more expensive. In some parts of the South it is crumbled into a glass of cold milk or buttermilk and eaten with a spoon, and it is also widely eaten with barbecue and chili con carne. In parts of the southern and southwestern United States, cornbread, accompanied by pinto beans, has been a common lunch for many people. It is still a common side dish, often served with homemade butter, chunks of onion or scallions. Cornbread crumbs are also used in some poultry stuffings; cornbread stuffing is particularly associated with Thanksgiving turkeys.

In the United States, northern and southern cornbread are different because they generally use different types of corn meal and varying degrees of sugar and eggs.^[6] Southern cornbread has traditionally been made with little or no sugar and smaller amounts of flour (or no flour), with northern cornbread being sweeter and more cake-like. Southern cornbread traditionally used white cornmeal and buttermilk. Other ingredients such as pork rinds are sometimes used. Cornbread is occasionally crumbled and served with cold milk or clabber (buttermilk), similar to cold cereal. In Texas, Mexican influence has spawned a hearty cornbread made with fresh or creamed corn kernels and jalapeño peppers and topped with shredded cheese. Cornbread is typically eaten with molasses in the southern states and with butter and honey in the northern states of America.

Skillet-fried or skillet-baked cornbread (often simplified to cornbread or skillet bread) is a traditional staple in the rural United States, especially in the South. This involves heating bacon drippings, lard or other oil in a heavy, well-seasoned cast iron skillet in an oven, and then pouring a batter made from cornmeal, egg, and milk directly into the hot grease. The mixture is returned to the oven to bake into a large, crumbly and sometimes very moist cake with a crunchy crust. This bread tends to be dense and is usually served as an accompaniment rather than as a bread served as a regular course. In addition to the skillet method, such cornbread also may be made in sticks, muffins, or loaves.

The above was taken right from Wikipedia. My two oldest kids have something at their school each year called Around The World. Each class from K-6 picks a country to teach about. They tell us about certain things that make that country special and what it’s known for. Then they do a dance that’s popular from that area or do a skit representing a legend or what they’ve learned during their study. Afterwards everyone is free to explore each booth that the classes have set up with food and pictures. It’s always great fun with an amazing turn out.

The Grade 2 class chose to do the United States. Song of choice was Cotton Eye Joe and all the kids got up and did a fantastic and entertaining line dance 😀 Their food choice was Cornbread. And since I had no idea what this actually was I chose to look into a little bit first. The parents were supplied with a recipe and asked to make a dish to serve. My first attempt was beautiful but as I was copying the recipe for a friend I realized that it called for baking powder…I had used baking soda 😦 And this is what can happen when surrounded by loud, screaming, monkeys (ahem, I mean children) in the middle of a crazy busy week with extra work thrown in for all of us lol. So I tossed it. I mean, I tried it first, which was silly because you just know it’s not going to taste very good, but I felt the need to try it anyway lol! The second attempt didn’t look as nice but it turned out good and most of the food was gone at the end of the event.

A third attempt brought the idea of muffins. These turned out beautifully and I’ll be most likely to do it this way again. They turned out really soft and delicious 😀 It passed the husband test (which is pretty easy to do lol), it passed the kid test. Results there varied a little with the oldest. The two youngest loved them and the oldest took a bite and didn’t spit it out which is a success! He said he will have one later, whether he does or not is another story.

Here is the recipe I used but I noticed there are many variations out there.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup yellow cornmeal
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/3 cup oil or melted butter
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup milk

Add the first 5 ingredients to a medium size bowl and whisk until well combined. Make a well in the center.

Mix the remaining ingredients together and add to the dry ingredients. Stir just until the mixture comes together and only a few lumps remain.

Pour into a greased 8×8 pan and bake 20-25 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. If doubled, bake in a 9×13 pan for 35-40 minutes. For muffins bake for about 15 minutes (mine were done in 13 minutes)

Have you had cornbread before? What are your thoughts on it?

Hope you had a wonderful weekend!

-Ang