In years past I had been a Jiffy mix user but then progressed to Famous Dave's.

Recently I decided to give my 10" cast iron pan a chance with DIY cornbread.

Tried a no flour- no sugar recipe* a friend down South uses and found it extremely dry and rather unappetizing. My 4k' elevation probably had an impact. So I started looking at ways to increase moistness as well as alternative recipes. Seems there are two camps. Those that use flour and those that don't. Then of course those that add sugar or honey.

At this point I'm rather flummoxed. What do you all use to make your cornbread that you're very happy with?



* This is what I tried that ended up very dry and gritty:
mix two cups of buttermilk, two cups of corn meal, two eggs, two tsp salt,
two tsp baking powder, and two tbs of butter.

1 cup cornmeal
1 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup white sugar
1tsp salt
3&1/2 tsp baking powder
1 large egg
1 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup melted butter

Pour into preheated cast iron with 1/4 cup oil swirled around, bake at 425 for 20 ish min until toothpick comes out clean.
Not too sweet, nice and soft, not dry.

I replace the milk with canned cream of corn.
I will add enough till it looks the right consistency then bake as usual.
This will also make it a lot sweeter but not as dry.
I forgot to add I use Jiffy Mix.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: 71 TRUCK,

Dang bald1 ... my dear bride and I were just having this same conversation this morning. Looking forward to what others are suggesting.

Butter ‘n bacon fat

My wife uses the Jiffy Honey Cornbread mix. I find it delicious.

I'm more of a traditionalist in that I shy away from a sweet cornbread so I just make the recipe on the back of the quaker yellow corn meal. Sometimes, I toss in some freshly sliced jalapenos.

From Quaker's website:

quote:

2 tablespoons vegetable shortening or fat drippings
1 1/2 cups Quaker® Yellow or White Corn Meal
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups buttermilk*
1 egg

Cornbread using Plain Cornmeal

Cornbread, Muffins or Sticks

1 3/4 Cups of Plain Cornmeal
1 Egg 1 ½ Cups Buttermilk (to use sweet milk, omit sugar)
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon soda

Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.

Mix dry ingredients then add beaten egg. Pour in Buttermilk. Fill pans after a generous greasing.

Bake 15 minutes in 500 deg. oven.

Cornbread using Self-Rising Cornmeal
Cornbread, Muffins or Sticks

1 3/4 Cups of Self Rising Cornmeal Mix 1 Egg 1 ½ Cups Buttermilk (to use sweet milk, omit sugar) 1 teaspoon sugar

Preheat muffin or stick pans while preheating oven to 500 degrees F.

Mix dry ingredients then add beaten egg. Pour in Buttermilk. Fill pans after a generous greasing.

Bake 15 minutes in 500 deg. oven.

https://www.weisenberger.com/

The posted buttermilk recipes look fine, but use a #8, not #10 CI skillet.

Mmmm, I need to make some cornbread.

I use Martha White Hot Rize corn meal mix, an egg, cup and a half milk of milk, bacon grease and little salt. No sugar. Pour batter in a smoking hot cast iron skillet and bake at 450 about 20 minutes. Never fails and super simple southern cornbread.

I use Aunt Jemima yellow cornmeal and their recipe on the bag, minus the sugar, in a 10 inch cast iron pan greased with Crisco (or bacon fat).

We always make cornbread when making a batch of red beans. Generally the beans and their juices go very very well over sliced buttered cornbread. This is probably why I can't stand it sweet.

If I want a sweet experience with cornbread, I just pour on some pancake syrup instead of beans.

The Cockatoo has a great recipe I used to use, but it was stored in a computer that took a shit on me.

quote:

Originally posted by tatortodd:
I'm more of a traditionalist in that I shy away from a sweet cornbread so I just make the recipe on the back of the quaker yellow corn meal. Sometimes, I toss in some freshly sliced jalapenos.

From Quaker's website:

quote:

2 tablespoons vegetable shortening or fat drippings
1 1/2 cups Quaker® Yellow or White Corn Meal
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups buttermilk*
1 egg

Same way I do it and I use Crisco. That's the key as I saw one cornbread recipe that didn't have Crisco or fat drippings in it. I tried it and it was drier.

One of my favorite meals. This is Martha White Hot Rize cornbread along with a pot of pintos.

My wife's an excellent cook & baker, but she uses the Jiffy cornbread mix from the box.

Believe it or not, Americas test kitchen book has a pretty decent one. I liked it but you will use a lot of pans and bowls. It’s kinda their thing

.

I've made both of these and like them enough to share.


Video 1 Direct Link: www.YouTube.com/watch?v=et5OlhhD2Bo

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup (113g) butter
1/2 bunch fresh sage
1/2 bunch fresh thyme
1.25 cup (185g) all-purpose flour
1/3 cup (70g) sugar
3.5 Tbsp (50g) light brown sugar
1.25 tsp (6g) fine sea salt
1 Tbsp (13g) baking powder
1.25 cup (175g) yellow cornmeal (I think finer grind will be better)
2 eggs
1.5 cup (350ml) buttermilk


INSTRUCTIONS:

Start by placing a cast iron pan into a cold oven and begin preheating to 400F.

In a small pot, add and melt the butter over medium heat.

Once the butter has browned, add in fresh sage and thyme. Stir around then place into a container and set to the side.

In a medium-size bowl, add and whisk together all the dry ingredients.

In a separate bowl, combine and whisk together the eggs then whisk in the buttermilk.

Remove the herbs from the browned butter and slowly whisk in the butter into the buttermilk mixture.

Whisk wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until well combined.

Remove the pan from the oven, spray with oil, and add in the batter spreading out evenly to the walls of the pan.

Place back into the oven for 20-25 minutes.

Remove and let cool for a few minutes before removing from the pan and placing onto a wire rack to cool completely before serving.


===



Video 2 Direct Link: www.YouTube.com/watch?v=b_eqCeTDekc

Ingredients
1/2 stick butter
1 large yellow onion Chopped
1 large Green or Red Bell Peppper chopped
1 15 oz can creamed corn
4 oz cream cheese
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese divided
2 Cups yellow cornmeal
2 Cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons baking powder
1 teaspoon Salt
2 cups buttermilk
2 Eggs beaten
1-2 jalapenos seeded and diced
bacon grease or oil
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400 Degrees F.

In a medium to large cast iron skillet melt the butter. Stir in the onion and bell pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until softened.

Stir in the can of creamed corn, cream cheese and 1 cup of cheddar cheese until combined. Continue cooking until the cheeses have melted and the mixture is smooth. Remove from the heat.

In a large bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, baking powder and salt.

Whisk in the buttermilk, eggs and jalapenos.

Stir in the creamed corn mixture just until combined. Don't over mix.

Lightly heat a 12-inch Dutch oven or cast iron skillet. Generously grease the sides with bacon grease or oil. If you using a 9x13 dish you don't need to heat.

Pour the batter evenly into the pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. About 5 minutes before the cornbread is done, sprinkle to top with the remaining 1 cup of cheese.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool about 10 minutes before serving to allow the cornbread to set up a bit.

If I'm in a hurry, I'll use Jiff, substitute half and half, buttermilk or cream instead of milk, toss in a little honey too.

I'm focused on trying this recipe in a few days. If it is as good as I hope I may substitue bacon grease for oil in follow on preparations.

1 cup yellow Cornmeal
1 Egg
1 tbsp Baking Powder
1 cup Buttermilk
1 tsp salt
½ cup milk
½ cup All-purpose Flour
½ tsp Baking Soda
¼ cup oil

bake @ 375

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYeUp_V7ass