Southern-Stye Cornbread
No wheat flour is found in southern-style cornbread. No sugar neither. (Though you may drizzle a bit of honey or sorghum syrup over a warm slice.) We just use stone ground cornmeal which is naturally good and sweet. Bob’s Red Mill medium grind, which is widely available, is a decent option. Makes one 8-inch square cornbread, about 16 servings.
Ingredients:
2 c good stone ground cornmeal such as Bob’s Red Mill or Anson Mills
1 ½ t baking powder
1 ½ t kosher salt
½ t baking soda
Niblets from an ear of corn, about 1/2 c (optional)
1 3/4 c buttermilk (full fat preferred)
1 stick butter, melted
2 eggs
Method: combine the dry ingredients in a bowl and stir well. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Beat eggs, add buttermilk then melted butter last (so it doesn’t cook the eggs) and stir well. Mix in niblets if using. Pour wet ingredients into dry and mix briefly with a spoon; pour into a 8-inch square baking pan which you have greased with the butter remaining on the wrapper. Bake about 45 minutes or until top is lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the top comes out clean. Rest a few minutes then slice into squares and serve warm. Goes great with southern foods like fried chicken and greens.
Variations: you could also cook this in a well-seasoned small cast iron pan which you’ve preheated in the oven. And you could mix in about 1/2 c chopped pickled jalapeños like they do at the Highland Park Cafeteria.
Looks good Otis! I just ate some sweet cornbread at a picnic today and thought: that just ain’t right! I like your jalapeño suggestion too. Question: where the heck can one find whole fat buttermilk??
I buy Argyle Cheese Farmer, a fixture in my region of upstate New York. You can find the buttermilk at farmers’ markets but also in local supermarkets and health food stores. Where are you located? My first suggestion would be a Whole Foods type establishment (or Whole Foods itself).
Columbia County. Honest Weight, perhaps?
Argyle is absolutely delicious.
I would definitely check Honest Weight. I doubt that Argyle Cheese Farmer makes it down that far, but they might have another dairy’s whole buttermilk. Worth the hunt!
I do believe honest weight carries it.
Will check tomorrow 8/12. Jon in Albany has alerted me they have aged Emmenthaler and Gourmino at amazing prices so I have to get there before it is gone.
And… yep, it’s there! On the aisle with the Kefir etc vs the other milks. $4.99 for a quart, $2.99 for a pint. Go get and try some… it is life changing. (So is the Gourmino 4 year old Emmenthaler…. I left a little, but not much.)
I will make this later this month. Looks like a good recipe.