Basic (sweet) Cornbread

Basic (sweet) Cornbread

Originally published Jun 29, 2010 on old blog

My old Buddy, (Clif), passed on one of his earlier cornbread recipes – first shared with Heidi and I about 4 or 5 years ago – after hearing how much she loves having cornbread for dessert with butter and jelly or honey spread on it. This is exactly as it was passed, (including his comments). All I have done is reformat it for presentation on the blog.  Naturally I will be adapting it for some outdoor cooking, but doubt it will need much “tuning”, (if any). 😉

Cornbread, Basic
Source: Albers Corn Meal Box, via Clif with notes (1 servings)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1 cup all purpose white flour
• 1⁄4 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup milk
• 1⁄3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 ea egg (large), lightly beaten

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 F.
2. Grease an 8 inch square baking pan.
3. Combine dry ingredients medium bowl.
4. Combine milk, oil, and egg in small bowl. Mix well. Add mixture to dry ingredients. Stir until blended. Pour into pan.
5. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Comments:
If recipe is doubled, use a 13 x 9 inch baking pan.

This uses equal parts flour and cornmeal. A lot of Southern recipes I’ve looked at use either 3 to 1 cornmeal to flour or no flour at all. Some use buttermilk. I have also seen the claim that Yankee cornbread uses sugar and Southern cornbread does not. I’m
skeptical about that claim until it is verified by a Nutritional Anthropologist.

My impression (unscientific and unresearched) is that the higher the flour content and higher the sugar content, the closer you are getting to a corn muffin. This recipe might have too much flour to make a good basis for jalapeño/cheese, or crawfish variations. I have not tried, yet.

This recipe strikes me as an ok, everyday eating, compromise. It tends to break apart and crumble easy, however, due to the high flour content. I think this is the recipe my mom used. For dessert, I used to like to smear “butter” (margarine in those days) on
slices and sprinkle (ok, pour) white sugar on it. Another favorite was to drizzle maple syrup over slices.

Note:
I am already thinking of making a “Big Old Cornbread Muffin on the grill” using that square cast iron pan…. 8)