Some may recall my account of the troubles I've had making decent cornbread.

Especially since our move, I have tried quite a few times, trying the mixes found on grocery shelves each time, just add milk and egg. I've tried nearly every brand, with the same result I call "jewish cornbread", unleavened. Instead of rising to near the top of the pan, these mixes when baked just huddle in the bottom of the dish, like really dense crackers or something.

I speculated that it was a bad mix, or maybe using 1% mix, or less likely, maybe a problem with the oven, dual convection.

Today, I tried another approach, mix it myself from a Betty Crocker recipe. All the ingredients were on hand, so today, while the TV is off, I decided to give it a go.

I'm happy to report a triumph using the recipe and whole milk, an 8" square dish of golden brown cornbread, reeking of that terrific reward which bread bakers, and their neighbors, so enjoy.

I'll try to post pix.

Congratulations!

I saved that thread, and use the recipes others had posted with great success.

I usually just do it like it says on the side of the Martha White bag and use a cast iron skillet. Hard to mess up unless you burn it.

Congrats!! Now, next time, add chopped jalapeno peppers, and a big pot of pinto beans!!

The best store bought mix I have ever bought is from Trader Joe's. There are whole kernels in the mix, and you add egg, milk and vegetable oil, and I prefer putting it into a cupcake pan for muffins in the morning. It's not too sweet and it is moist. Good stuff.

Looks great, now where are the beans, and sliced onion, or some really good chili?
Forgot also would need an invitation.

YES, Beans! Got to have something to sop up using your cornbread.

Cast iron skillet with Crisco or lard in it before you pour in the cornmeal mix. The iron has to be really really hot.

I use the Jiffy Mix in an 8" x 8" or 9" x 9" pan. Using one box results in a corn pancake so double up and use two boxes. Eat hot SLATHERED in butter!

I see that the recipe uses over two cups of flour/cornmeal and a tablespoon of baking powder. That should be fluffy.

Maybe the mixes you had were out of date. The baking powder in them goes bad and they don't rise. I've had good luck with Shawnee Mills cornbread kits.

We just make the recipe on the bag for Aunt Jemima cornmeal minus the sugar. Cast iron coated with Crisco as mentioned above, hot if you want it to brown and crust up pretty good where it's touching.

I just can't imagine making it in anything but cast iron.

quote:

Originally posted by GT-40DOC:
Congrats!! Now, next time, add chopped jalapeno peppers, and a big pot of pinto beans!!

And spend the day pulling your socks back up.

SC has a great cornbread recipe. I make it a lot. People always love it.

quote:

Originally posted by Oz_Shadow:
I usually just do it like it says on the side of the Martha White bag and use a cast iron skillet. Hard to mess up unless you burn it.

Yep, Martha White Sweet Yellow...best I've ever had.

quote:

Originally posted by arfmel:
Maybe the mixes you had were out of date. The baking powder in them goes bad and they don't rise. I've had good luck with Shawnee Mills cornbread kits.

That was what I thought when this started several years ago. The use by date was back in the Carter Administration or something, but the same result kept occurring even with newly bought mix boxes. I had the same basic problem with biscuits, too.

Both a sister and a sister in law are home ec pros with lots of baking experience. Neither could come up with an explanation to the exclusion of others. Cornbread is unknown to the French, nor biscuits,so my wife, a bakers daughter, was not much help.

Suspicion turned to the oven in the new house, but other baked dishes weren't affected.

The mixes don't say use whole milk. We have used 1% milk for decades.

It's been bugging me, so I decided to mix my own and use whole milk. Now, I can use whole milk, and fiddle with which recipes I like best.

quote:

Originally posted by pbramlett:
Cast iron skillet with Crisco or lard in it before you pour in the cornmeal mix. The iron has to be really really hot.

I like to do this with bacon grease. It makes a great crust like the Crisco and lard, but with a little more flavor. Never was a huge fan of kits. Cornbread needs to be scratch made. Try a recipe using fresh corn off the cob; YUM.

Also good with some New Mexican green chile thrown in.

I've been dying to try a new baked been recipe. "Apple bourbon baked beans" from How to BBQ right.
Imagine that with some good cornbread! I just smoked a Costco pork butt 14# I think. Maybe next weekend.

quote:

Originally posted by triggerbks:
Looks great, now where are the beans, and sliced onion, or some really good chili?
Forgot also would need an invitation.

Don't do it Jim. If you let have your cornbread, you're gonna be ironin' his drawers and clippin' his toenails.

(Rayford Gibson)

quote:

Originally posted by JALLEN:
The mixes don't say use whole milk. We have used 1% milk for decades.

I think baking with whole milk is the key... Making popovers was a frustrating experience for me until I started using strictly whole milk to make them.

That looks great. ^ I'd eat it.

I, too, am married to the Bacon Grease + Cast Iron combo. I thought it was the law. That or Crisco. The little corn shaped cast iron is optional, of course, like mini muffins. It's the Holy Trinity of Cornbread: Fat + Cast Iron + Cornbread. Maybe some Jalapenos in there.