Briza
11-09-2008, 12:58 PM
This recipe is from the older Better Homes & Gardens cookbook...I don't know if the recipe is the same in the newer version, but this one is from the older version. I've made it so often I (think) I know it by heart. It is a more dense true cornbread, not the cake-like cornbread that restuarants usually serve. I am a cornbread purist so I never add sugar, canned corn, jalapenos, etc. I like it plain and simple, but if you like yours a bit sweet you can add a tablespoon of sugar. This recipe makes 1 cake pan/iron skillet worth of cornbread. Best if made in iron skillet.
1.5 cups yellow cornmeal (i use Quaker cornmeal)
1/2 cup flour
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2/3 to 3/4 cup milk
3 Tablespoons vegetable oil
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Spray skillet or pan (bottom and sides) with Pam or something similar (or grease with Crisco shortening). Do not use oil.
Place sprayed/greased skillet/pan in oven to heat up while oven is heating up while you are mixing the ingredients.
Stir by hand dry ingredients together with fork in a bowl.
Add the other ingredients and continue stirring with fork or slowly with a whisk. There should be no or few lumps. Do not mix with electric hand mixer otherwise you will have air bubbles in bread when cooked. Better to have a few lumps than air bubbles. Mixture should be thick and grainy but pourable with the help of a spatula.
Remove heated skillet/pan from oven. If a drop of water sizzles in the skillet it is hot enough. If not, place it over a burner high heat to make it hotter.
When pan is hot enough (sizzles) pour batter (with help of spatula) into the hot pan.
Using hot pads, carefully place pan in oven.
Cook at least 20 mins. At 20 mins check to see if top is golden brown and edges of bread are darker brown and have pulled away from the sides of the pan a good bit (about 1/4 inch, no more). You can also stick a toothpick in the center...if it comes out clean then cornbread should be done. If not serving the cornbread immediately, it will continue to cook some in the hot pan, even after taking it out of the oven.
Enjoy with beans or as dessert with butter, honey, and a really cold glass of milk.
On the side of the Quaker cornmeal box there is a recipe for cornbread if this one isn't to your liking.
In a pinch I have used the Martha White yellow cornbread package that needs only egg and some milk The package only makes half a pan so be sure to buy 2 packages unless you have a half size iron skillet. If you are cooking for one it is good to invest in a half size size (like omellete size) iron skillet because you can half the cornbread recipe I posted above or just use one package of the Martha White and you can eat it all before it goes bad. I buy alll my iron skillets at Goodwill, Antique stores, or other resale shops. That way they are old, worn, and well-seasoned.
The best way I have found to store the leftovers is by leaving them in the pan and covering with foil, and store in mircowave. For some reason if I take it out of the pan and store in a ziploc bag it goes bad faster.
The main thing tho is to get the pan really hot so that you get a nice browned bottom and sides, whatever the recipe or package. Also really really good to use bacon grease (yum, you can imagine) in lieu of the shortening to grease the pan. But :( I don't eat bacon anymore....they tell me it's bad for my arteries (really?who knew? lol) but also it is an IC trigger for me.
3 bean recipes to come...:)
1.5 cups yellow cornmeal (i use Quaker cornmeal)
1/2 cup flour
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2/3 to 3/4 cup milk
3 Tablespoons vegetable oil
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Spray skillet or pan (bottom and sides) with Pam or something similar (or grease with Crisco shortening). Do not use oil.
Place sprayed/greased skillet/pan in oven to heat up while oven is heating up while you are mixing the ingredients.
Stir by hand dry ingredients together with fork in a bowl.
Add the other ingredients and continue stirring with fork or slowly with a whisk. There should be no or few lumps. Do not mix with electric hand mixer otherwise you will have air bubbles in bread when cooked. Better to have a few lumps than air bubbles. Mixture should be thick and grainy but pourable with the help of a spatula.
Remove heated skillet/pan from oven. If a drop of water sizzles in the skillet it is hot enough. If not, place it over a burner high heat to make it hotter.
When pan is hot enough (sizzles) pour batter (with help of spatula) into the hot pan.
Using hot pads, carefully place pan in oven.
Cook at least 20 mins. At 20 mins check to see if top is golden brown and edges of bread are darker brown and have pulled away from the sides of the pan a good bit (about 1/4 inch, no more). You can also stick a toothpick in the center...if it comes out clean then cornbread should be done. If not serving the cornbread immediately, it will continue to cook some in the hot pan, even after taking it out of the oven.
Enjoy with beans or as dessert with butter, honey, and a really cold glass of milk.
On the side of the Quaker cornmeal box there is a recipe for cornbread if this one isn't to your liking.
In a pinch I have used the Martha White yellow cornbread package that needs only egg and some milk The package only makes half a pan so be sure to buy 2 packages unless you have a half size iron skillet. If you are cooking for one it is good to invest in a half size size (like omellete size) iron skillet because you can half the cornbread recipe I posted above or just use one package of the Martha White and you can eat it all before it goes bad. I buy alll my iron skillets at Goodwill, Antique stores, or other resale shops. That way they are old, worn, and well-seasoned.
The best way I have found to store the leftovers is by leaving them in the pan and covering with foil, and store in mircowave. For some reason if I take it out of the pan and store in a ziploc bag it goes bad faster.
The main thing tho is to get the pan really hot so that you get a nice browned bottom and sides, whatever the recipe or package. Also really really good to use bacon grease (yum, you can imagine) in lieu of the shortening to grease the pan. But :( I don't eat bacon anymore....they tell me it's bad for my arteries (really?who knew? lol) but also it is an IC trigger for me.
3 bean recipes to come...:)