Cornbread [MERGED TOPIC]

[toolprincess]

My aunt makes an awesome cornbread but she takes the batter and fries it into little cakes instead of the skillet kind. Very very tasty with stew (especially brunswick).

We always called it "fried cornbread". It was a faster way than waiting for a whole pan to bake. Haven't had it in years. Oh, but to have some Brunswick Stew though . Don't get that in California.

And if they were flat, we called them hoecakes. Fat little ovals, deep-fried, hushpuppies.

And then we get into corn mush. Fried mush was one of my father's favorite breakfasts.

That's something you don't see very often anymore.

Didn't Shelby make fried mush in her awesome blog? I need to try that.

[Shelby]

My aunt makes an awesome cornbread but she takes the batter and fries it into little cakes instead of the skillet kind. Very very tasty with stew (especially brunswick).

We always called it "fried cornbread". It was a faster way than waiting for a whole pan to bake. Haven't had it in years. Oh, but to have some Brunswick Stew though . Don't get that in California.

And if they were flat, we called them hoecakes. Fat little ovals, deep-fried, hushpuppies.

And then we get into corn mush. Fried mush was one of my father's favorite breakfasts.

That's something you don't see very often anymore.

Didn't Shelby make fried mush in her awesome blog? I need to try that.

Thanks for remembering!!! I LOVE fried mush. Makes me want to get up and make a batch right now...smothered in butter and syrup ****drool***

[andiesenji]

Shelby, I think you have mentioned this in the past...

If you click here and scroll down to post # 316, you will see my pictorial essay on how I do fried mush or grits.

My grandmother's cook used to pour the cooked mush or grits into the large tomato and orange juice cans so that when they were unmolded and sliced one got good-sized rounds that were perfect for topping with a fried egg.

I keep meaning to try this as I have some of the tall coffee cans that are almost the same size but never seem to think of it when I am cooking the stuff.

[tikidoc]

Mmm, fried mush. My mom used to make that for me when I was a kid. I don't really like sweet stuff in the morning, so I usually just ate it as is - fried in a little salted butter.

I very much identify with your comments about liking to be able to make stuff from scratch even when you don't have to. We have a few goats and cows (none milking at the moment, unfortunately) and sometimes make our own butter and cheese. We buy most of the butter that we use but it is nice to make occasionally, and goat butter is a real treat. I have a hand churn, but usually just use the food processor to make butter. Much easier since my stupid horse tripped when I was riding him, and I broke one wrist and separated the opposite shoulder this spring. The food processor does a good job, and it takes only 10 minutes or so.

I'm looking forward to trying your cornbread recipe. I have not tried corn in my grain mill (I have an old Whisper Mill, which is not as adjustable as your NutriMill) but I'd like to give it a try.

[Kerry Beal]

Found myself staying in a B&B for the last week - with minimal access to decent pots, pans, baking stuff...

There was however a nice little well seasoned cast iron skillet - so one of the first things I bought at the store was some cornmeal - then found this thread the the link to andi's 'GRAMMAW'S BLACK-SKILLET CORNBREAD'. I had found some half decent bacon ends so had a nice little pot of bacon grease to work with. There was no buttermilk at the store however a sub of plain yogurt with some milk to get the same texture worked a treat. I had some 8 year old cheddar that I sprinkled on the top. Over all a great success.

Exited the skillet with minimal trauma.

[andiesenji]

Looks great to me Kerry.

[rotuts]

Ive tried hard to find a Cornbread thread. ive seen stuff in baking ...

Im hoping serious students of the CB might add their ( constructive ) thoughts here.

granted CB is a Hot Topic, im looking for guidance from people here at eG that love the stuff and

whip it up at a moments notice.

I used to bake it often, sometimes with a bit of green chili, sometimes with a bit of granulated sugar sprinkled on the top for a bit of crunch.

Now i have my BV XL Ill use that in my studies and hope for the best.

pointing out that Im starting fresh, less than 'scratch' Ill use TJ's cornbread mix as the starting point.

I also recall that Test kitchen might have done this recently and used fresh corn ...

these things interest me: does a hot cast iron cooking unit add to the result? is mail-order cornmeal,

say, that from the South ( white ? ) or other areas not near to me, worth eventually seeking out ?

its not so much " mine is best " its what do you bake and why do you like it.

many thanks

this is an odd thing to be interested in: no Sous Vide involved as far as I can tell

Edited October 22, 2013 by rotuts (log)

[chileheadmike]

I just made some last weekend. Used the recipe on the back of the corn meal package as a start. They're calling for our first freeze here, so I picked the last of the green chiles from the garden. Added those after roasting, peeling, seeding and chopping.

Oven at 400F. I heated up the cast iron skillet. Once it was hot, I added a couple tablespoons of bacon fat and brushed it around. Came out quite good.

The cast iron caramelizes the sugar a little. It got pretty good reviews from the family.

[FeChef]

I like to make scalloped corn, but on the dry side so its more like bread. Its baked in a dutch oven.

[Norm Matthews]

I was out of Marie Calendar cornbread mix a couple days ago so made some from scratch and I have to say it turned out better than I get from mixes. I used the recipe on the back of Quaker Yellow corn meal with the following variations: I used cake flour instead of all purpose flour, brown sugar instead of white sugar, whole milk instead of skim milk, two whole eggs and aluminum-free baking powder.

Cake flour is low in gluten and so is Southern white flour so that helps keep it tender. I have used cast iron corn shaped mold and a square 10" cast iron skillet both heated and oiled and oiled but not heated. The last two times I did not heat the cast iron- both the corn ear shaped mold and the square cast iron, the cornbread came out easier with no sticking.

edit to add I also let the mixed cornbread batter sit in the bowl until bubbles started to rise in the batter. I think the wait time helped get a higher rise.

I previously posted this picture the other day but here it is again. It was baked on Sunday.

Edited October 22, 2013 by Norm Matthews (log)

[rotuts]

FC: Id like to hear more about this is you have the time

thanks

[rotuts]

NM: thats really interesting. were you using this:

http://www.amazon.com/Lodge-L8SQ3-Pre-Seasoned-Skillet-10-5-inch/dp/B00063RWXE/ref=pd_rhf_se_s_t_8

im interested in this if it fits in my BV XL.

by a day I missed the 25 free shipping its now 35.

thanks for your contribution, esp the heat/non-heat results

[gfweb]

I like a slightly sweet, somewhat crumbly cornbread that gets a nice browned bottom, which those who prefer SALTY cornbread must do without to a degree. Cakey cornbread is just yellow cake and has nothing to recommend it IMO.

Typically I add Goya fine-diced jalapenos. I've added caramelized onions and fine diced canned tomato (that had most of the water squeezed out) to good effect. Charred corn kernels are nice too. Shredded cheese added during the last minutes on top is nice but doesn't store all that well.

Edited October 22, 2013 by gfweb (log)

[rotuts]

the mods have pointed to this older thread:

http://forums.egullet.org/topic/63174-cornbread-southern-type/

it interest me as various mail order cornmeal places in R.I. are pointed out.

I know some CBC's use a southern cornmeal emporium, but perhaps just for 'Grits" ??

[FeChef]

FC: Id like to hear more about this is you have the time

thanks

Paula deans recipe is pretty good. I tweak it with alittle nutmeg and use two 8 oz boxes of the jiffy corn muffin mix. Im pretty sure i dont drain the can of whole corn when using 2 boxes. If im going for a more soupy consistency i only use the one box of mix and again i dont drain the can of whole corn. You may want to experiment before hand to get the texture you like. Everyones different when it comes to this dish, i get mixed reviews every holiday i make it. heres the link to the paula dean recipe. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/corn-casserole-recipe/index.html

[annabelle]

A very heavily seasoned herbed cornbread, a double recipe baked in a 9x13 pan and left to stand out overnight to dry out a bit, makes an excellent stuffing for turkeys. That is of course assuming that your family likes cornbread dressing and not bread stuffing. I decided to try this one year when I was disgusted with how expensive stuffing/dressing mixes were and all the iffy stuff that was in them. It turns out very nice, but you have to be careful not to add too much liquid to it or it gets more like a bread pudding when it bakes up.

It makes enough dressing (with cooked onions, celery and giblets mixed in) to fill a turkey cavity and a baking dish, too.

[rotuts]

in my extensive experience, most Swells like bread stuffing in their birds.

it takes an Ultra-Swell to move to Cornbread for those birds. Ultra. Night and Day.

" Its From Corn "

Earl Butz, secretary of Agriculture

https://www.google.com/search?q=earl+butz&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

actually a very smart guy. just smart at the wrong time.

Edited October 22, 2013 by rotuts (log)

[Tri2Cook]

I recently tried Sean Brock's Husk Cornbread recipe. I'm not sure if I'm ready to call it my favorite... but it was really good. Not sweet, not cake-like and it has that crispy bottom that is essential to not having a soggy mess when juice from the beans or greens runs under it on the plate.

[rotuts]

Of course Ill have to review the AltonBrown archives I have on the HardDisc(s)

[Steve Irby]

I make cornbread just like my mom taught me. She was from a very poor family and they would have cornbread for breakfast because they couldn't afford flour. It was just four ingredients- cornmeal, buttermilk, eggs and baking soda plus a little salt. Later on the basic recipe became Martha White Self Rising Cornmeal (With Hot Rize!), eggs and buttermilk cooked in cast iron pan with a lot of bacon renderings.

For a small batch about 1 cup of cornmeal, 1 egg and enough buttermilk to make a very loose batter. It should almost self-level when it's poured in the pan. Preheat a cast iron skillet\muffin pan\sticks with a generous dose of bacon renderings in a 450 degree oven. When the drippins start to smoke pour the excess grease into the batter and then pour the batter into the skillets and cook until browned. I've attached a photo of some cornbread from a few weeks ago using the same cast iron pans that I will pass onto the next generation.

[Norm Matthews]

NM: thats really interesting. were you using this:

http://www.amazon.com/Lodge-L8SQ3-Pre-Seasoned-Skillet-10-5-inch/dp/B00063RWXE/ref=pd_rhf_se_s_t_8

im interested in this if it fits in my BV XL.

by a day I missed the 25 free shipping its now 35.

thanks for your contribution, esp the heat/non-heat results

That is the same size as mine. Mine does not have the handle on the top and does not have a brand name on the bottom. It says Made in USA 10 1/2 square skillet and was not pre-seasoned. I have had it for around 40 years.

[annabelle]

Now that is some nice cornbread, Steve!

[andiesenji]

the mods have pointed to this older thread:

http://forums.egullet.org/topic/63174-cornbread-southern-type/

it interest me as various mail order cornmeal places in R.I. are pointed out.

I know some CBC's use a southern cornmeal emporium, but perhaps just for 'Grits" ??

Sorry I did not see this earlier today.

You posted the link to the eG topic in which I posted the same photos I put up on my blog about cornbread

However at the end of the photos on the blog I have listed several online vendors that sell cornmeal as well as grits.

I have sampled every item, including the various self-rising cornmeal mixes offered by Southern Connoisseur and I have tried some from other vendors that did not come up to my standards so I omitted them from the list.

From Anson mills I buy both the coarse and fine WHITE cornmeal and blend them together to get the texture I want. Other folks like the fine and some people like the yellow meal but I grew up on the white and it is still my preference - I think the white is sweeter.

I currently have a 5-pound bag of the white corn meal from Falls Mill.

I also have blue corn meal, red corn meal and the organic stone ground corn meal from Purcell Mountain farms. The latter is pale yellow, sort of in between regular yellow and white. These are excellent but include the "germ" so have to be kept in the freezer because they go rancid rapidly at room temp.

[Jaymes]

the mods have pointed to this older thread:

http://forums.egullet.org/topic/63174-cornbread-southern-type/

it interest me as various mail order cornmeal places in R.I. are pointed out.

I know some CBC's use a southern cornmeal emporium, but perhaps just for 'Grits" ??

I also want to recommend this older thread for anyone interested in cornbread. My family has a pretty long history with cornbread and I posted about it in this thread. Guess I could cut & paste, but hate to repeat myself.

[Beebs]

There was a Portuguese restaurant here (now closed) that baked their own breads and one of them was this fabulous Portuguese-style cornbread. I believe it's a yeast bread rather than the Southern batter type. Taste was like a chewy yeast bread with a lot of that sweet corn flavour and crunchy grittyness - so delicious! I'm googling for a recipe now (or if anyone has a suggested recipe, please post!) and hoping to make it soon. I'm curious as to what other types of cornbreads are out there and if any other cultures have a particular cornbread.