Let's talk about cornbread

[Swine Spectator]

We have a disagreement in our house. Mrs. Spectator was raised on Jiffy and that is all she wants. She has convinced the Lil' Spectators that a sweet corn muffin is the real deal. I was raised right and know better. I like real cornbread. Unsweetened. Cooked in cast iron.

I make my own cornbread with a mix that is 60/40 cornmeal to flour and no sweeteners. Sometimes I add cheese, bacon, pickled jalapeños, or cracklin's to the batter.

Recently I was looking at a book that was intended for professional bakers. It had a recipe for cornbread that included technique I have never see before. It called for soaking a mix of cornmeal and grits in buttermilk overnight, then mixing the remaining ingredients just before baking.

This recipe was super sweet (honey, brown sugar, and sugar), so I skipped that part. I made a sample batch that was unsweetened. I need to tweak it some more, but I was very pleased with the results.

Have any of you seen this soaking method before?

 

[drunkenmeatfist]

Sorry, but Jiffy is my go to as well. I have a small cast iron pan that is perfect for their box. Good stuff, but of course I am open to trying new things as well.

 

[Monkey Uncle]

I use a recipe out of an old Better Homes and Gardens cookbook (from some time in the '70s, I think). I do use some sugar, but way less than the recipe calls for. The cornbread comes out quite tasty, but not noticeably sweet. If it tastes sweet, that's cake, not cornbread.

Never heard of the soaking method you mentioned. Sounds interesting, though.

 

[ruger35]

Never tried the soaking method but I do love replacing regular milk with buttermilk.

 

[frankenfab]

I'm a Jiffy guy because it's a crowd pleaser, but I have always found the more bland white cornbread a treat, especially with milk.

 

[Hoss]

My wife makes great cornbread.She does let the mix set for 30 minutes or so after everything is mixed.It is the Old School cornbread.No sugar,lots of butter and a cast iron pan.Will not even consider making it without buttermilk.

 

[FLHX]

I use buttermilk and two teaspoons of sugar. cook in a cast iron skillet with about two tablespoons of bacon fat preheated in there instead of butter or lard.

 

[Whodat985]

I’m a jiffy guy love it sweet. We also drizzle cane syrup on top before baking in the oven.

 

[blake]

Three Rivers is back in production. And yes buttermilk and bacon grease in a cast iron is a must.... Never heard of soaking method.

 

[Happy Hapgood]

It's hot water cornbread here. The wife knows NO sugar allowed in skillet cornbread.

 

[Big Andy]

I use the recipe off the back of the Martha White bad. No sugar.

 

[keeperofsecrets]

Haven't heard of the soaking method either. I make a slightly sweet cornbread/cake cross that I normally bake in bacon grease in my cast iron drop biscuit pan:

1/2 cup cornmeal
1 1/2 cups flour
2/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
diced fresh jalapenos
1/3 cup oil
3 tablespoons melted butter
1 tablespoon honey
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/4 cups milk

I received hundreds of compliments from folks here in Georgia for that recipe.

My dad who was born and raised in the Texas panhandle likes his cornbread unsweetened using coarse grind cornmeal and enjoyed with a tall glass of buttermilk.

My mom, who was born and raised in Seattle prefers cream of wheat. Go figure.

 

[Cat797]

I'm gonna throw you into a real tailspin Swine!

We make Jiffy, but mix a box of cornbread with a box of yellow cake mix, adding the ingredients from each box. It's almost like corn cake! :eusa_clap We love it with Chili, and I personally like to add about a quarter inch smear of real butter......What can I say? I'm a sweet and salty type of guy!

No worries, I like CI Southern cornbread too.......

 

[frognot]

I'm a fan of adding corn, cheese and jalapenos (what we call Mexican cornbread) but Mrs frognot likes basic yellow cornmeal (a local, Morrison Mills in Denton is what she usually gets) so two batches tend to be made.

No sugar added she says but i like butter and honey when eating her batch.

 

[Eckie]

If you use the right cornbread mix you dont need sugar...that's Jiffy of course! My fav is a recipe we got that adds a chopped onion and shredded cheese, then gets butter melted on top once done cooking. Heavenly...

 

[Nuco59]

If I make a cake- I want it sweet.
If I make a skillet of cornbread- I *might* put the tiniest amount of sugar in it. Can't even taste it- but it's what my mamma did- and if it was good enough for her...

 

[Curt.P]

Our cornbread isn't sweet and doesn't have flour, but does have bacon grease.

Ingredients
4 tablespoons bacon grease
2 cups coarse stone-ground cornmeal
1 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoons kosher salt
2 large eggs
1-1/2 cups buttermilk

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Add 2 tablespoons bacon grease to a 10-inch cast-iron skillet. Place the skillet in the oven for about 5-7 minutes to heat up. In a large bowl, combine the cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a smaller bowl, add the eggs, buttermilk and 2 tablespoons bacon grease and whisk. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. DO NOT OVER MIX!

Remove the hot skillet from the oven. Make sure the bottom and sides are covered with the bacon grease. Pour the cornbread batter into the skillet. It should sizzle and start to rise. Place the skillet in the oven and bake until deep golden brown and has pulled away from the sides of the skillet (about 20-25 minutes). A toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean.

 

[NOHENS]

I’d say our family favorite is Famous Dave’s mix. But it is sweet. Much better than jiffy to us!!!

 

[1MoreFord]

Use Aunt Jemima® Self-Rising White Corn Meal Mix Or Aunt Jemima® Buttermilk Corn Meal Mix.

Follow the directions on the package with three caveats. 1-Buttermilk only - no sweet milk, 2-no eggs, and 3-no sugar.

Bacon grease is the preferred grease but any cooking oil will suffice.

Savory additions, Corn, cracklin's, cheese, etc. can be added as desired. But never any farkin' sweeteners. If you must have sweeteners add them on top after cooking.

 

[WeberWho]

My wife was raised on Jiffy. She always teases me when I make mine. I always get the, "Almost as good as Jiffy" remark!

1 stick unsalted butter
½ c. granulated sugar
¼ c. honey
2 eggs, room temperature
1 c. buttermilk, room temperature
1 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. cornmeal
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. baking soda