The thing about cornbread

Two different people talked about my cornbread on their Live Journals, so here’s a few hundred words from me on that.

Though there are Southerners who disagree, all the best Southern cooks I’ve known insist that Southern cornbread (from scratch) includes no sugar. Many mixes contain a lot of sugar (and I believe Jiffy is one of those that does). I use a mix now, instead of making it from scratch, and my brand of preference is Pioneer. (The 6 oz. package is perfect for an 8 1/4-inch skillet. If I’m using the 10 1/4-inch skillet, I use two packages.) (11/10/13 Edit: They must have made a change to the Pioneer mix, because it stopped rising for me. I now use the 6 oz Gladiola Yellow Cornbread Mix. NOT the sweet version! It’s from the makers of Martha White, which is what Lynne uses.)

There’s a small amount of dextrose in Pioneer mix, possibly because dextrose is the sugar that’s in corn naturally. But I don’t think any extra sugar is added, and Pioneer cornbread is not at all sweet like what you find in a restaurant such as Boston Market or Black Eyed Pea. The mix calls for one egg and milk, but I use buttermilk.

While I’m mixing my batter and waiting for the oven to preheat, I put the skillet on a stove burner to get it hot. It contains a bit of canola oil usually, but if I have any fresh bacon grease, I use that. Once the skillet and grease are extremely hot, I make sure the bottom and sides are fully coated and stir what little grease may remain (probably less than a teaspoon) into the batter. When I pour the batter into the really hot skillet, it helps brown the bottom of the cornbread. (And makes a great sizzling sound.) Then it goes into a hot oven (I think 450 degrees) until the top is nicely done and the bottom is crisp (the bread is firm to the touch). I don’t let it cool more than five minutes before I turn it out of the skillet onto a plate.

Real Southern cornbread is made in cast iron. In addition to cast iron skillets, there are cast iron corn stick pans, and there may even be cast iron muffin pans.

Cast iron has to be seasoned to work without sticking. If you aren’t sure what seasoning means, you can read about it here.

So there you have it–my secret-free cornbread.

9 thoughts on “The thing about cornbread”

  2. Sugar spells YANKEE to me — unless it’s Sweet tea — they never put enough sugar in their tea, why? Because they put it all in the cornbread! Silly Yankees!

    Reply

  3. WOW, I never thought of bacon grease. I will have to try that next time. All this talk about corn bread has made me want it bad. I think when we go camping, I will make campers corn bread–(the fried Johnny cakes I spoke of). I love that you ise Pioneer. I saw that used in a resturant kitchen before, and people had no clue it was a mix. Oh, and buttermilk! I will try that too. YUM.

    Reply

  4. MMmmm…I’m reading this as I just got home from work, and you’re making me really hungry. My mom always made the homemade, scant sugar corn bread growing up. As for cast iron muffin pans, I have some a friend gave me in the form of snowmen. I should try them out. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen Pioneer mix around here. I’ll have to pay attention the next time I go to the store.

    Reply

  5. cornbread

    buttermilk and NO SUGAR. That is the only way to make conrbread. The mix thing rocked your world! However on a recent trip to the REAL south, I scored some Sunflower white cornmeal. Now I can make it from scratch again. Like for supper tonight… with lots of butter. BTW, I never cool mine in the pan. I turn it out immediately so the bottom doesn’t get soggy. Also, put the grease in the pan, put the pan in the oven while preheating. To test for readiness before pouring the batter in, flick some water off your finger tips into the pan (keep your distance). If is ready the water will let you know. Crisp bottom is vital…

    How do you not be anonymous????? I’m new to this

    Reply

    1. Re: cornbread

      Two ways to post without being anonymous. One is to establish your own LJ account (easy and free, unless you want to upgrade to a paid account). Even if you never post any of your own journal entries, you can establish a group of “friends” whose journal entries you can read when they’re “friends only.” And it enables you to comment–and to delete your comments, because sometimes that’s a good thing.

      Or… you can just sign any comments with whatever name you want to be known as just to keep from being totally anonymous. Although if this is “Linda,” I’m on to you. =)

      Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *