Cornbread [MERGED TOPIC]

[Catherine Iino]

Andie,

May I bump this thread to ask you a couple of questions: I am just making your cornbread--it's in the oven now--and I ended up added quite a bit more buttermilk than you called for to get the texture to resemble yours. Do you think this might be because I didn't grind my own corn (I did mine my own baking soda) (just kidding), and so the cornmeal may be drier than yours? I am using Jonnycake meal, so another possibility is that that kind of corn is drier than yours. Just wondering if you have any thoughts.

A more crucial question: we won't be able to eat the cornbread for a couple of hours after it comes out of the oven. Do you think I should take it out of the pan or leave it in? Sometimes things go a little funky in cast iron.

Thank you for the great demo. We will be eating the cornbread with chile this evening.

[fifi]

I'm not andie but my recipe is almost exactly like hers. I do notice a bit of difference in "pourability" depending upon the cornmeal I happen to be using at the time. But, I can say that it almost always looks about like andie's. I just follow the recipe and pour it in the skillet. It comes out good every time.

Yes . . . I take mine out of the skillet if I am not serving it right away. Well, I do let it cool a bit so it is easier to handle.

[Catherine Iino]

Thank you, fifi, for that really quick reply. Now I know what to do when the bread comes out in about 7 minutes.

[andiesenji]

Freshly ground corn meal has a higher moisture content and your cornmeal probably absorbed more of the liquid.

The batter should be pourable but not runny. I am sure yours will turn out just fine.

As fifi said, do removed it from the skillet as soon as possible. Put it on a cooling rack so the crust will remain crisp.

[Catherine Iino]

It did come out just fine, thanks. By the way, since it was cool by the time I served it, I did it up my favorite way: cut wedges, sliced the wedges in half horizontally, buttered the non-crust sides lightly, and grilled them on a griddle until they were lightly browned and crisp. Extra crust, mmmm.

[andiesenji]

Sounds terrific. I love the crust. Sometimes I make it thinner and when it is 3/4 done, place a second skillet (which has been heating in the oven) on top of it.

I began doing this after I dropped on on the floor when trying to flip it over.

[Nathan P.]

Nice recipe and demo, andiesenji. I've always made a northern sweeter style of cornbread but since I was doing BBQ for the superbowl I decided to give this a go. Alright, my yankee soul wimped out a bit and I added 1 tbsp of flour and a bit less than 1 tbsp of sugar. I was impressed enough that the next time I promise to leave out all those offending ingredients! The nice brown rendered taqueria lard I used did not hurt either.

[andiesenji]

Beautiful corn bread. In my opinion the corn flavor comes through better when there is no sugar added. However, I also believe that every person should prepare cornbread the exact way they like it. There is really not one "right" way, there are many ways that are right, depending on the consumer. Make your cornbread your way and enjoy!

[racheld]

Cornbread

Andie

[Khadija]

I want to make cornbread today. I have an excessive amount of yogurt (thick, 3.8%, Bulgarian yogurt). I don't have buttermilk. Can I use yogurt in place of buttermilk (maybe diluted with a bit of regular milk), or should I just purchase buttermilk? My motivation to substitute consists of desire to avoid wasting the yogurt. The buttermilk can be acquired easily.

[Pontormo]

Yes, it's fine.

[andiesenji]

You should test it first, dilute with a little milk, sprinkle in a bit of baking soda and see if it foams.

In cornbread the leavening is created by the mixture of an acid (buttermilk) and a base (baking soda).

Of course this is assuming you are making the traditional southern type.

If you are using baking POWDER, ignore the above information.

Some yogurt is much less acid than others, it depends on the culture.

[Khadija]

I didn't manage to get around to making the cornbread, as planned (we had carnitas and there were plenty of corn tortillas). I haven't yet decided which type of cornbread I'm making. Generally, I try to always at least familiarise myself with more "traditional" versions of foods, and egullet has certainly helped my growing appreciation of Southern US cuisine. However, I must confess that, having been reared on my British-Canadian grandmother's cornbread, I like sweet cornbread. Nonetheless, I think I might try the yogurt/baking soda test just to educate myself.

[andiesenji]

Here is my posting of real "southern" cornbread from scratch.

However the recipe works just fine with storebought cornmeal. However if you want to approximate the "rustic" ground corn, you can buy Bob's Red Mill coarse, medium and fine cornmeal (yellow) and mix it together to get meal with variable-sized grits which make a very interesting cornbread.

If you like sweet and cake-like cornbread, this will not be to your liking. It is dense and the only sweetness is from the corn itself. However it will hold together when liberally buttered and even when dipped into bea soup.

[Jay Francis]

The acidity in the yogurt will help the cornbread rise, but, it's a different critter than buttermilk or milk.

Don't forget, yogurt is formed when lactobacillus devour the lactose milk sugars and produce lactic acid as a byproduct while they create a fine web of milk proteins. Apply heat and the whole thing falls apart. I would stick with a milk product.

You don't need buttermilk, but whole milk will work fine.

[Gabriel Lewis]

I made cornbread tonight using Susan's recipe to go with my chile verde. I thought I would try and revive this thread as I enjoyed reading it so much.

I baked it in an 8-inch cast iron skillet (top of side-wall to top of side-wall) for about 22 minutes at 425F, following Susan's directions precisely. I wasn't sure about adding the hot grease step so I simply added all the melted lard and stirred it in. I think I will try the absorption method next time.

While it was good, it was a little disappointing. I suspect this was the fault of my cornmeal, finely ground cedar brand (a common brand in canada) that was probably roughly a year old. The integrity of all my other ingredients was quite good (my own rendered lard, fairly fresh eggs, good milk etc), and I have little doubts about the recipe, but I hope it will turn out better next time with better cornmeal. I also look forward to experimenting with chiles, corn, buttermilk, cheese, coarseness of grind, and who knows what else.

How much does this style of cornbread usually rise? Mine did not seem overly dense, but only rose to about the height of the side of the skillet (about an inch and a half).

The crust was nice and crunchy.

[fodgycakes]

The cornbread in Bread Maker's Apprentice is so so good. I love the little bursts of sweet corn.

Soaker:

1 c (6 oz.) coarse cornmeal

2 c (16 oz.) buttermilk

Soak the cornmeal in the buttermilk, cover, and leave at room temperature overnight.

Optional:

8 oz. bacon

Cook the bacon, cool, and crumble into coarse pieces.

Batter:

1 3/4 c (8 oz.) AP flour

1 1/2 Tb (.75 oz.) baking powder

1/4 tsp (.05 oz.) baking soda

1 tsp salt (.25 oz.) salt

1/4 c (2 oz.) granulated sugar

1/4 c (2 oz.) brown sugar

3 large eggs

2 Tb (1.5 oz.) honey

2 Tb (1 oz.) unsalted butter, melted

2 1/2 cups (16 oz.) fresh or frozen corn kernels

2 Tb (1 oz.) bacon fat, melted butter, or vegetable oil

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir in the sugars.

In another bowl, lightly beat the eggs and mix in the honey and melted butter. Add this mixture to the soaked cornmeal mixture.

Add the wet ingredient mixture to the dry mixture and mix until the ingredients are evenly distributed. Do not overmix, it is okay to have a few lumps (think pancake batter), it should bake out.

Stir in the corn kernels until evenly distributed. You can use less, depending on how many little bites of corn you want in the bread.

Baking:

Place the 2 Tb of bacon fat or other fat into a 10-inch round cake pan/cast iron skillet (or 9" x 13" baking pan or 12" square pan). Place the pan in the preheated ove for 5-10 minutes, until the fat gets very hot. Remove from the oven and swirl to grease the corners and sides.

Pour the batter into the pan.

Sprinkle the crumbled bacon pieces over the top, gently pressing them into the batter.

Bake 30 minutes, until the bread is firm and springy.. it may take longer or lesser, depending on the size of the pan. The top should be golden brown when finished, a toothpick should come out clean if inserted, and the internal temperature 185 F.

Cool for 15 minutes before slicing.

[Marlene]

Andie, I'd like to make your cornbread recipe to use for a cornbread and sausage stuffing. The last time I tried cornbread stuffing, I failed miserably. Should I make this tonight and let it dry out, or make it tomorrow and just let it cool and proceed from there?

Edit to clarify timeframe.

Edited October 8, 2006 by Marlene (log)

[andiesenji]

Make it in the morning. No need to dry it. It is dense and not all that moist to begin with.

I often have it baking when I begin frying onions and cooking the giblets, if I am going to use them.

As soon as it comes out of the oven I turn it out onto the butcher block and chop it into chunks with a long knife (or a big 2-handled pizza cutter) and let it cool as much as it will until it is ready to add to the other ingredients.

[Marlene]

Excellent. Thanks Andie. I'll let you know if I fare any better this time!

[Sue Flay]

Specifically: Any idea why subbing soy milk for real milk in Jiffy cornbread mix would prevent the cornbread from browning AND rising? I've made it in the past with skim milk and haven't had problems with browning, so I don't think it's a fat thing. Why would the soy curtail the rising?

Generally: for dairy-free (not vegan, eggs are OK) baking, if soymilk doesn't work, what does?

I'm off dairy because it gives my breastfeeding daughter rashes. I've got soy milk, rice milk, and almond milk in the house and have preferred the soy in my coffee. This no dairy business is no fun, but it will be easier if I can figure out how to make passable baked goods.

Thanks!

Edited February 19, 2007 by Sue Flay (log)

[John DePaula]

I've used Silk Soy and I believe it was fine. I baked in a cast iron skillet, though, and that may make a difference.

[reenicake]

I feel for you. I bake without dairy because our son has continued to be allergic to it even beyond age 2. (I have the additional challenge of not using eggs.)

On the advice of a vegan baker friend (lcs on here) I like rice milk for most baking. Soy milk usually has additives to prevent it from separating and I've found that it doesn't set with puddings and bakes unpredictably.

If the cornbread is otherwise fine, add a pinch of baking soda -- that will help with both rising and browning.

[halloweencat]

fwiw, i just got a vegan baking book (which was highly recommended),

"vegan cupcakes take over the world"

it's one of the few cookbooks that i've actually enjoyed reading. the style is quirky.

the recipes call for soy milk, rice milk, yoghurt, a variety of things.

i have only made one recipe thus far (just got it), and served them at a party (rosewater pistachio cupcakes). everyone +loved+ them, including my very foodie friend who really liked the crumb and the light texture. no one knew they were vegan until i told them.

fwiw.

cheers --

[Hahabogus]

There are many ways to make corn bread...Some like it sweet some not so sweet. Some believe it is only good cood/baked in a cast iron pan, other insist in corn shaped cast iron molds.

How do you make yours?

@@@@@ Now You're Cooking! Export Format

Alan's Green Chile Corn bread

quick breads/biscuts, tested

-----wet stuff-----

1/2 cup sour cream

1 (4 oz.)can green chiles

2 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce; minced

4 strips bacon; cooked & crumbled

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 (14 oz) can creamed corn

3 eggs

3 tbsp. vegetable oil

----dry stuff----

1-1/2 cup cornmeal

3/4 tsp. baking powder

3/4 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

2 tbsp Sugar; more or less

preheat oven to 400F

Combine wet stuff in a bowl...mix well.

Combine dry stuff in another bowl... mix well.

Add the 2 mixtures together and stir well and immediately pour it into a

Pam Sprayed 9'X9' Pyrex pan.

The Idea is to to get it into the preheated oven soonest.

Bake at 400 F. for 40 min or so. Cool in pan for 10 min., then transfer to

wire rack to cool completely.

** Exported from Now You're Cooking! v5.82 **