Cornbread: because you can't just shovel meat in your face

[Dr. Spice]

As a response to a request in My thread about my first pork butt I shall hereby be posting the recipe for the best cornbread ever, as seen below:



Now, a little backstory on cornbread. I'm from NC, and thus I am southern. And we take our cornbread seriously. It's not cake, it's not even really bread. It's not dessert, you wouldn't call it sweet. It's supposed to be crunchy, crispy, but moist enough so that it's not dry and you can eat it on your own. So when I saw this recipe called for sugar, I was skeptical... however, that tiny bit of sweetness brings out the corn flavor even more. I'd imagine it'd be even better if ya toasted the cornmeal a little bit beforehand. This is not my original recipe.

All-purpose cornbread:

Ingredients
    * 1 1/2cups unbleached all-purpose flour, (7 1/2 ounces)
    * 1 cup yellow cornmeal (5 1/2 ounces)
    * 2 teaspoons baking powder
    * 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
    * 3/4 teaspoon table salt
    * 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar (1 3/4 ounces)
    * 3/4 cup frozen corn (3 1/2 ounces), thawed (or just use fresh, cut off the cob)
    * 1 cup buttermilk
    * 2 large eggs
    * 8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), melted and cooled slightly

Instructions
      1. Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 400 degrees. Spray 8-inch-square baking dish(use a cast iron skillet, I got NO browning on the bottom in the glass pan) with nonstick cooking spray. Whisk flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl until combined; set aside.
      2. In food processor or blender, process brown sugar, thawed corn kernels, and buttermilk until combined, about 5 seconds. Add eggs and process until well combined (corn lumps will remain), about 5 seconds longer.
      3. Mix all the dry stuff together in a big bowl, then using rubber spatula, make well in center of dry ingredients; pour wet ingredients into well. Begin folding dry ingredients into wet, giving mixture only a few turns to barely combine; add melted butter and continue folding until dry ingredients are just moistened. Pour batter into prepared baking dish; smooth surface with rubber spatula. Bake until deep golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 25 to 35 minutes. Cool on wire rack 10 minutes; invert cornbread onto wire rack, then turn right side up and continue to cool until warm, about 10 minutes longer. Cut into pieces and serve.

So tasty!

Someone else commented on the apples. They're just honeycrisps browned in butter (good butter, like cultured European butter, not this crappy grocery store crap) with cinnamon, a little bit of allspice, a little bit of nutmeg (like a tiny tiny bit, five grates or so) and probably two teaspoons of ground ginger. They were ah-maz-ing!

[ronbeaux]

YES! :P

[squirtthecat]

WOW!  You'll fit right in around here.. 

Can't wait to see what you cook this weekend!

[OU812]

Thank you for the corn bread recipe, I have one thats damn good but it has yellow cake mix in it.

and it was me that had the comment on the apples.

My grandma use to make them, she was an old school kinda girl, no recipe, just a little of this and a little of that with some of this other stuff.

All that knowledge went to the grave with her, wish I was into backing then, but at 18 I was thinkin about other things.  ::)

She would make a pie that the bottom crust would snap when you cut it.

[TestRocket]

My mother made cornbread quite often when I was young and it has only been over the last couple of years that we have started having it again a little more often. Thanks for the recipe!  Bookmarked!  ;D

[kinyo]

I will for sure try this recipe!  :P

Dr. Spice, do you pre-heat your cast iron pan before putting the mix in?

Thanks!

Kinyo

[rdevous]

 
Thanks for the recipe.
 
Came across an unusual pan for cornbread: https://secure.lodgemfg.com/storefront/product1_new.asp?menu=prologic&idProduct=3952



Ray
 
 

[ArnieM]

A cast iron pan is the ONLY way to do it.

Ray - you gonna make corn fish?

[rdevous]

 
I love the whole Lodge Cast Iron line.  I have the Dutch oven with the lid that is also a skillet, the dual sided two burner griddle and the aebleskiver pan.  Add finely chopped onion to your cornbread batter and cook them in the aebleskiver pan and you have hushpuppies with any grease!!!


Ray
 
 

[ArnieM]

It was a good day for some comfort food (30's and windy).  Did Texas Red (chili) and cornbread from the recipe in this thread.

It came out great!  I'm not much of a baker so I follow the recipe and instructions.

There was too much batter for my 7 inch pan so I used my 5 inch (baby) pan for the overflow.

Out of the oven, cooling.



The bottom and side crust was crispy-crunchy.  My wife and I loved it.

On the plate.  Sorry, I started to nibble before I remembered to take a pic.



This recipe is a keeper.  Thanks Dr. Spice.

[Dr. Spice]

Yayy! Always happy to share!

I do pre-heat the cast iron, otherwise it would take for-ev-er to make. Just stick it in the oven to warm up while you make the batter.

This is also WONDERFUL with breakfast!

[ArnieM]

I didn't preheat the pans.  The small one went for 30 minutes, the big one for 34 minutes.

I'll say it again, the crust was great.

[steve-o]

Thanks for the recipe, never made cornbread before so you inspired me to try it. Looks pretty good, just came outta the oven. I did half with pickled jalepenos in it. Cant wait to try it.  ;D

[ArnieM]

Glad you tried it.  Simple to make and really good stuff.

I usually use Jals in it but didn't have any in stock.  So, I put a liberal sprinkle of Chipotle powder in.  I prefer the Jal chunks  :D

[rdevous]

 
Steve-o...........Got it right, first time coming outta chute number one!!!  They look delicious!!!  I love jalapeno and onion cornbread...YUMM!!!!!
 
 
Ray