The World of Cornbread

We're partial to cornbread. We like its rustic texture and chewy goodness. We like its versatility-it works for breakfast, lunch or dinner. It complements eggs in the morning, a hearty soup for lunch, or a dinner meal such as pork chops or chicken. Cornbread always reminds us of the South and some of the best is the result of wonderful Southern cooking.

There's a wonderful world of cornbread to explore. The cornbreads that we have made the most are balanced with equal parts flour and cornmeal to make a lighter bread with a couple eggs to give it structure and hold it together. But cornbread doesn't have to follow this traditional formula. We often make cornbread that has no flour and is so rich in eggs it's approaching a soufflé. (Because it has no flour, it is a great choice for those who are gluten intolerant.) One of our favorite cornbreads is on the other end of the spectrum-made in a yeast bread with whole kernel corn.

Cornbread makes a wonderful vehicle for a variety of additions. Try adding ham, bacon bits, or even cheese to your cornbread. One of our favorite additions is drained, whole kernel corn as mentioned previously. Vegetables such as green peppers, onions, or celery work well in cornbread.

Today, we thought we would explore some of these recipes with you.

Texas Chili Corn Bread: If you would like to try the egg-rich, flourless cornbread recipe, try this one!

1 cup yellow cornmeal

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 large eggs

1 cup milk

1/2 red bell pepper, chopped and diced

1/2 medium sized onion, chopped and diced

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1 4-oz can diced green chiles, drained (less if you prefer a less spicy bread)

1 cup corn kernels--fresh, frozen, or canned

11/2 cups grated cheese, cheddar or jack

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Grease a ten-inch skillet and place it on the middle shelf in the oven.

2. In a large bowl, stir together the cornmeal, baking powder, sugar, and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs then stir in the rest of the ingredients, reserving 1/2 cup of the grated cheese.

3. Form a well in the dry ingredients and pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix with a spatula until well combined.

4. Carefully remove the hot pan from the oven and immediately pour the batter into the pan. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top and return to the oven.

5. Let bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the pan comes out clean. The top will be a rich, golden brown. Let cool for ten minutes before unmolding.

Amish Cornbread: This is a great traditional cornbread.

This is one of many "standard" cornbread recipes. Note that the amount of cornmeal is equal to the amount of flour. Since this recipe calls for 1/4 cup sugar, it will be slightly sweet. For a less sweet cornbread, reduce the sugar to two tablespoons.

If you prefer butter to shortening, use 1/4 cup butter. If you use salted butter, reduce the salt in the recipe to 1/2 teaspoon.

1 c. sifted flour

1/4 c. sugar

1 tbsp. baking powder

3/4 tsp. salt

1 c. yellow cornmeal

1 egg, well beaten

1 c. milk

5 tbsp. shortening melted and cooled

Sift first 4 ingredients. Mix in cornmeal. Blend egg, milk, shortening until mixed. Add to dry ingredients and beat until smooth. Use greased (bottom only) 8x8x2 pan. Bake 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

Southern Cornbread: The yeasted cornbread is different-almost like anadama bread. Because the kneading develops the gluten, it is more bread-like and less crumbly than traditional cornbread. Oh, and this bread would make great Thanksgiving dressing.

A yeasted cornbread is different-almost like anadama bread. Because the kneading develops the gluten, it is more bread-like and less crumbly than traditional cornbread. Oh, and this bread would make great Thanksgiving dressing.

1 (7 gram) package active dry yeast

1 cups warm water (100 to 110 degrees)

4 1/3 cups all-purpose or bread flour (more or less)

1 teaspoon salt

1 2/3 cup cornmeal

4 tablespoons melted butter

1/4 cup honey

2 large eggs

1 can whole kernel corn, drained

2 tablespoons cornmeal

1 egg for egg wash (optional)

Directions

1. In the bowl of a stand-type mixer, dissolve the yeast in the warm water.

2. Add half of the flour and mix with a dough hook. Add the salt, cornmeal, butter, honey, two eggs, and drained corn and continue mixing.

3. While continuing to mix, add the flour needed to bring the dough to a bread-dough type consistency. The amount of flour needed will vary largely on how well drained the corn was.

4. Knead as you would for other yeast breads and then remove the dough to a greased bowl. Turn once to oil both sides. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled.

5. Once doubled, divide the dough into two equal parts for two loaves. Form the loaves. If you are going to make free standing artisan loaves, grease a baking sheet and sprinkle the sheet with part of the remaining cornmeal. Place the loaves on the sheet. If you are making sandwich loaves, grease the baking pans well-the bread tends to stick to the pans--and sprinkle cornmeal in the pans. Let the bread rise until doubled again.

6. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. If you choose, just before baking, whisk the remaining egg with one tablespoon water and brush the egg wash on the loaf. Sprinkle the loaf with cornmeal. Bake the bread for about 30 minutes or until the bread is golden brown and tests done. Remove the bread from the pans and cool on racks. Freeze any extra bread or save the bread for croutons.

Dennis Weaver is the general manager at The Prepared Pantry (http://www.preparedpantry.com) with recipes, ideas, and the best selection of mixes and ingredients. Visit the free Bakers' Library for more articles like this, free baking guides, and tested recipes.

---

Is Cooked Food Really All That Good For Us?

In nature all animals eat living foods as yielded up... Read More

How to Make Homemade Ice Cream (Without an Ice Cream Maker!)

COLFAX, WISCONSIN - June is Dairy Month and what better... Read More

Cooking Lobster at Home

Lobster has always be one of those extravagant meals which... Read More

Cooking With Kids--Safely!

School's out! And summer is a good time to introduce... Read More

What is Gluten and Why does it Matter?

Gluten is a substance made up of the proteins found... Read More

Kid Birthday Cake Idea Collection - Cake Decorating Without Fear

Our kid birthday cake idea collection makes cake decorating fun... Read More

Buying, Storing, and Preparing Apples

When buying apples, look for those that are firm and... Read More

About Baking: Eight Tips for Perfect Pancakes

Pancakes are easy and almost foolproof. But there are some... Read More

Homemade Whipped Cream

Most grocery stores carry cans of whipping cream ready to... Read More

Perfect Picnics - Frugal Food Safety Tips

Summer is finally here and for a lot of us... Read More

Cooking Filet Mignon

Filet mignon is French, of course, with filet meaning "thick... Read More

What Are Scoville Units?

To understand what a Scoville Unit is, one must understand... Read More

Save Time in the Kitchen - Cook Pasta the Way Restaurant Chefs Do

Have you ever wondered how a restaurant can get a... Read More

Digital Kitchen Timers ? Never Burn Another Dish

Digital kitchen timers come in many shapes and sizes. Timers... Read More

Rice Cookers - Perfect Rice Every Time

Love fluffy cooked rice but dislike the preparation time and... Read More

Baking Perfect Breads, Cookies, and Desserts

We're all looking for that perfect pie, or cookies, or... Read More

Grilling Tips ? Safety Comes First at the Barbecue

You're standing at the gas grill in the hot sun,... Read More

The Almighty Beer-Can Chicken

A popular method of cooking chicken in recent years both... Read More

Grill Your Corn for Maximum Flavor

There's two basic theories on grilling corn. Some people prefer... Read More

Is Your Cookware Poisoning You?

For over 40 years scientists have known that the fumes... Read More

Slimming Secrets From The Kitchen

To get the svelte figure, start in the kitchen. Slimming... Read More

Two for One Dinners: Eggplant

If you find leftovers boring, uninviting or downright "yuck," then... Read More

Caring For Your Wooden Cutting Board

Researchers have found that bacteria have a tougher time surviving... Read More

Two for One Dinners: Beans

If you find leftovers boring, uninviting or downright "yuck," then... Read More

Chinese Cooking Technique: Thicken

"Thicken", or "Thickening" is a very common technique used in... Read More

The Noble Crescent Roll - How to Roll a Masterpiece

Ahhh?the noble crescent roll. In some forms it has its... Read More

How to Prepare the Best Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Would you like to prepare the best Garlic Mashed Potatoes... Read More

Barbecue for You

In may just be in human nature to barbecue. Well,... Read More

How to Care for Your Cast Iron Skillet (includes recipes)

Some of the best meals I've ever eaten were made... Read More

Flax Seed Will Add A Little Extra Flavor To Your Recipes

Flax seed will add a pleasant nutty taste to any... Read More

7 Things to Consider when Buying a BBQ

BBQ as we all know is an abbreviated form of... Read More

Picnic Checklist

In the previous article, we suggested that you start a... Read More

Reductions: Proving Less is More

Any liquid can be reduced just by heating it -... Read More