Is cornbread an issue of true debate? That depends on where you live. But for those of you who love a no-sugar, crispy skillet version this southern cornbread recipe is spot-on.
I have a theory about cornbread.
If you grew up north of the Ohio River or had a family member who taught you to cook who did, you will put sugar in your cornbread.
If you grew up south of the river, you don’t. You never realized I was so wise did you?
I grew up south and so did the cooks in my family so we don’t put sugar in our cornbread. In fact, the only thing sweet cornbread is good for to me is a corn dog.
I’ll just pass if I have to eat it with sugar in it. Isn’t it funny how we get used to something tasting a specific way?
So I say that to say this: you CAN put sugar in my recipe and I will still work for you. I don’t know how much to tell you to put in though–you may just have to wing it.
And speaking of winging it, that’s what I realized that I do when I make this. Even when my mom taught me as a little girl, it was all by eye.
If it’s too thick, add more milk. If it’s too thin, add more cornmeal mix.
I’m going to try to give you measurements, but just remember it should be just thicker than pancake batter. Get that down, and you’re good.
I kept wondering if this recipe was just too easy to share with you. Then I heard my friends talking about it one night–they use a (gasp) bagged mix that you just add water to.
If you’re gonna get out a mixing bowl and dirty a spoon, you might as well make it taste better than a bagged mix–that’s just my opinion.
My secrets to crispy southern cornbread
I use a self rising cornmeal mix. You can find self rising mix in your baking aisle with the flour. Don’t just buy a bag of cornmeal. You will call me mean names if you do. White Lily makes a good one.
If self rising cornmeal mix isn’t available where you live, try this homemade version.
And for the best crust–that golden crispy crust, you’ll need a cast iron skillet.
You can make yours in another dish, but it just won’t be the same.Mom taught me to turn the cornbread over when it’s done (flip it out of the skillet while its raging hot) onto an oven mitt and put it back in the pan with the pretty, crispy side up.
I didn’t for this picture, but it does make it really pretty.The key to that crispy crust is to have your skillet screaming hot and plenty of oil in it when you pour in your batter.
I heat mine on the stovetop, or you can heat your pan in the oven.
You can also skip that step if you don’t have cast and just lightly grease an 8×8 baking pan and bake it up that way.
Serve it warm with pinto beans and mashed potato cakes, chicken pot pie, or just butter and jam.
Northern cornbreads tend to be more cake-like, on the sweet side, with a finer crumb due to more flour in the mixture. Southern cornbread is flavored with bacon grease, and cooked in a cast iron skillet, a perfect side for barbecues, or chili.It also tends to be rather crumbly.
The reaction of the acid in the buttermilk on the rising agents makes for a lighter rise. This prevents the dense texture cornbread may sometimes have.
Southerners, on the other hand, tend to prefer white cornmeal. Many people believe that it is because, in the old South, families used white cornmeal as it more closely resembled “fancy” European wheat flour. In any case, today it remains a main component in traditional Southern buttermilk cornbread.
If the recipe does not specify, use finely ground. The test kitchen's favorite finely ground cornmeal is Arrowhead Mills Organic Yellow Cornmeal. THE BOTTOM LINE: Feel free to use white and yellow cornmeal interchangeably in recipes since flavor differences are minor.
The most common theory is a change in cornmeal itself. Until early in the 20th century, Southern cornmeal was made with sweeter white corn and it was water-ground. When industrial milling came along, that changed. The steel-roller mills used yellow corn that was harvested before it was ripe, so it had less sugar.
It ranges in texture from fine to coarse. For this recipe, I like to use coarse cornmeal because it adds that traditional cornbread texture. When you mix it with flour, it provides the perfect crumb. I prefer to use stone-ground cornmeal, which you can find in the baking aisle or bulk bins.
Sour Cream can be substituted for milk in cornbread but will need to be thinned. I recommend using 75% sour cream and 25% water. Sour Cream will also change the taste of the cornbread and will add a slight tangy flavor which can be counteracted by using a small amount of vanilla extract.
If you're using buttermilk for its tangy flavor, or as a leavening agent, heavy cream won't do. Also, if your recipe contains baking soda, you can't use heavy cream. Heavy cream isn't acidic, so won't react with baking soda (you need baking powder instead, which brings its own acid to the party).
Why is my cornbread dense? If you overmixed your batter or over-measured your flour, your buttermilk cornbread could turn out dense. Be gentle with your batter and make sure you know how to properly measure flour.
Yellow cornmeal has the most prominent corn flavor, while white cornmeal has a more subtle, delicate flavor (it's especially nice in a ricotta cornmeal cake). Blue cornmeal is usually an heirloom variety with indigenous roots across the American South.
Grits are yellow or white cornmeal in varying grinds, always made from dent corn and always coarser than coarse cornmeal, according to Roberts. Cooked, it's a porridge vital to Southern foodways. Still, some manufacturers don't distinguish between grits and polenta, labeling them one and the same.
What makes polenta different from cornmeal? Polenta and cornmeal are almost exactly the same product, except for one thing: the consistency of the grain. Polenta is much more coarsely ground, which makes the end product less mushy, and it has a little more bite to it than cornmeal.
Our Aunt Jemima Yellow Corn Meal is the perfect choice when you want to bring comfort food to your family's dinner table. Made with enriched and de-germinated yellow corn meal, it makes a yummy base for your favorite cornbread and corn meal mush recipes.
If you're in the market for something authentic, try Anson Mills Antebellum Fine Yellow Cornmeal. The cornmeal is top-rated by America's Test Kitchen and produces moist baked goods and unparalleled cornbread.
Jiffy cornbread mix, in case you really are standing in the baking aisle wondering, is wheat flour mixed with some cornmeal, a lot of sugar, lard, baking soda, and a handful of preservatives. (Note that because of the wheat flour, it's not gluten-free.) Use it to make creamy, cheesy Corn Pudding.
Introduction: My name is Jonah Leffler, I am a determined, faithful, outstanding, inexpensive, cheerful, determined, smiling person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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