20 Recipes That Will Change How You Think About Cornbread (2024)

FAQs

What are some things you can add to cornbread? ›

In the 18th-century, the addition of other ingredients, such as buttermilk, eggs, baking soda, baking powder, and pig products (rendered bacon and ham hog fat), greatly changed the texture and flavor of earlier iterations of cornbread, making it much more similar to the version that is eaten today.

Stir In Some Mix-Ins

Stir in diced jalapeño peppers, grated cheese, chopped country ham, or crumbled bacon. Bacon makes everything better. If jalapeños have too much of a kick for you, use a chopped poblano pepper.

In contrast to the dryer, less-sweet nature of Southern cornbread, Northern cornbread is much more cakey and sweet. Indeed, colonial Americans made their cornbread with molasses to sweeten it. Also, Northern cornbread sometimes uses milk rather than buttermilk.

Regularly eating whole-grain corn has been linked to a lower risk of certain chronic diseases, such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes, and may help support digestive health. Cornmeal also delivers vitamins and minerals including phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, selenium, and thiamin.

The most common theory is a change in cornmeal itself. Until early in the 20th century, Southern cornmeal was made with sweeter white corn and it was water-ground. When industrial milling came along, that changed. The steel-roller mills used yellow corn that was harvested before it was ripe, so it had less sugar.

Cornbread is as American as apple pie, but its origins date back far beyond the inception of this country. With roots in Mesoamerican, Native American, and African cultures; history and people have shaped this iconic American bread into what it is today.

If there was any corn left they made cornbread. So, theses three items have come to represent hope and prosperity for the New Year. The peas represent coins, the greens - paper money and the cornbread, gold.

By letting the cornbread batter sit at room temperature before baking, the cornmeal has some extra time to absorb the flavor from the other ingredients, and the baking powder gets a head start. I love using my cast-iron skillet for cornbread and preheat it before adding my batter.

Is cornbread better with milk or water? ›

Can I substitute water for milk in cornbread mix? Yes, you can, but it may result in a less rich flavor. If you're out of milk, try using cream or half-and-half, evaporated or powdered milk, or even plain yogurt.

Cornmeal gives cornbread its classic color and flavor, but too much can make your bread crumbly. Try replacing a little bit of cornmeal with flour. The specific measurements will depend on how much cornmeal and flour is in your recipe, but you should try to have more flour than cornmeal in your batter.

A Johnny cake recipe makes a thinner batter that is fried into rounds, essentially making cornmeal pancakes. Cornbread is made with baking soda or baking powder to give it a bread-like lift and texture and is oven-baked in a baking dish and cut into squares for serving.

The term "pone" most likely entered English from Native American language terms like apan, oppone or supawn, meaning baked, possibly related to earlier ash cakes baked in hot coals. A "corn pone" is usually a small round loaf of cornbread, about the size of a biscuit, traditionally baked in a round cast iron skillet.

Among them was a version of Indian bread made of cornmeal, salt and water called pone or corn pone. The name came from the Algonquin word apan, meaning "baked." The Narragansett word for cornbread, nokechick, became no-cake and then hoe-cake.

Add shredded cheese.

Melty, gooey cheese will hold your cornbread together and give it a fantastic flavor. Shredded cheddar cheese is best for most cornbread recipes, but you can try experimenting with another variety.

In the deep, deep South, cornbread is a standard, savory meal component, staking a claim on supper tables right next to bowls of steaming chili or plates of spicy barbecue. But it doesn't have to be a special occasion; it can accompany any type of meal, any time.

Sugar: I prefer granulated sugar as it enhances the pure flavor of the cornmeal. You may substitute a little brown sugar for the granulated sugar for a touch of molasses flavor but it will dilute the corn flavor.