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Another
southern food I love is cornbread, especially when it is served with
barbeque and made with bacon drippings and cracklin.
INGREDIENTS:
2 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal
1 cup flour
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons sugar, optional
2 eggs, beaten
1 tablespoon vegetable PLUS bacon drippings, for skillet
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup milk
2-3 tablespoons melted butter PLUS bacon drippings
1 cup cracklin, optional
DIRECTIONS:
First, put about 1 tablespoon of oil or shortening in a skillet. If you
have bacon drippings, add a little to the skillet for even more flavor. Heat
the oven to 400° and place the skillet in the oven to preheat.
In the large bowl, combine 2 1/2 cups of white cornmeal with 1 cup of
all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons of salt, 2 teaspoons of baking powder, and
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda. Using a wooden spoon or whisk, stir to blend
the ingredients.
In a medium bowl, combine 1 cup of buttermilk, 1 cup of low-fat or whole
milk, and 2 large eggs. Using the wire whisk or a wooden spoon, whisk or
lightly beat until blended.
Using a whisk or wooden spoon, slowly blend 2 to 3 tablespoons of melted
butter (or oil) into the milk and egg mixture. If you have bacon drippings,
add about 1 tablespoon of melted drippings in place of some of the butter.
Add cracklin and mix in.
Pour
the egg and buttermilk mixture into the dry ingredients, stirring with a
wooden spoon just until ingredients are well moistened.
Carefully, using pot holders or oven mitts, take the skillet out of the oven
and gently tilt the pan to swirl the fat around the sides. The hot greased
skillet will help make a crustier cornbread. Pour the batter into the hot
oiled skillet and spread evenly.
Put the pan into the oven and bake at 400° for 30 to 40 minutes, or until
nicely browned.
Here's the finished hot baked cornbread, cut in wedges. Serve this delicious
cornbread with a hearty stew, beans and rice, spicy chili, or serve with
just about any family meal.
As an optional pan you can use the cast iron corn stick instead of the cast
iron skillet.
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Cornbread is
a generic name for any number of quick breads (a bread leavened chemically,
rather than by yeast) containing cornmeal. As maize (also known as corn) is
native to North America, it is not surprising that the various kinds of
cornbreads are more prevalent in the New World. However, in Italy, the
corn-based mush known as polenta is sometimes fashioned into a fried form
resembling cornbread.
Native Americans were using ground corn for cooking long before the European
explorers arrived in the New World. Cornbread was first discovered by
Europeans during the European exploration of North America. Europeans who
had to use the local resources for food, fashioned cornmeal into cornbread.
Cornbread was popular during the American Civil War because it was very
cheap and could be made in many different forms. It could be fashioned into
high-rising, fluffy loaves or simply fried for a fast meal.
Types of cornbread
Cornbread is a popular item in soul food enjoyed by many people for its
texture and scent. Cornbread can be baked, fried or, rarely, steamed.
Steamed cornbreads are mushy, chewier and more akin to cornmeal pudding than
what most consider to be traditional cornbread.
Baked cornbread
The most common variety, skillet-baked cornbread (often simply called
skillet bread or hoecake depending on the container it's cooked in) is a
traditional staple of rural cuisine in the United States, especially in the
Southern United States which involves heating bacon drippings, lard or other
oil in a heavy, well-seasoned cast iron skillet in an oven, and then pouring
a batter made from cornmeal, egg and buttermilk directly into the hot
grease. The mixture is returned to the oven to bake into a large, crumbly
and sometimes very moist cake with a crunchy crust. This bread will tend to
be dense, meant more as an accompaniment than as a bread meant to stand on
its own. In addition to the skillet method, such cornbread can also be made
in sticks, muffins or loaves. In some parts of the South it is crumbled into
a glass of cold buttermilk and eaten with a spoon. In rural areas of
Virginia in the mid 20th century it, accompanied by pinto beans or honey,
was a common lunch for poor children. It is often served with homemade
butter.
Unlike fried types of cornbread, baked cornbread is a quick bread that is
dependent on an egg-based protein matrix for its structure (though the
addition of wheat flour adds gluten to increase its cohesiveness). The
baking process gelatinizes the starch in the cornmeal, but still often
leaves some hard starch to give the finished product a distinctive sandiness
not typical of breads made from other grains.
From Wikipedia
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