Rockin' Corn Bread

This recipe is based on one from the Joy of Cooking, which has a bevy of Cornbread recipes and variations to get you thinking about how to use this versatile quickbread to satisfy your own tastes.



DRY
1.25 C Corn Meal*
.75 C All-purpose Flour
2 T Sucanat†
2 tsp. Baking Powder (sifted)
1 tsp. ground Coriander
1 tsp. ground Allspice
.5 tsp. Baking Soda (sifted)
.5 tsp. Kosher Salt
(optional 1 T Corn Starch)

WET
2 Large eggs
.66 C Milk
.66 C Buttermilk (for a lower fat option) or Full-Fat Yogurt for maximum flavor
2 oz Butter, melted  (That's half a stick.  If you're balking, think about twelve pieces of cornbread, each one containing one-sixth of an ounce of butter.  That's hardly overdoing it.)

For the Pan:
2T Duck Fat, Bacon Grease, or Olive Oil

Preheat the oven to 425.  Put whatever pan you're going to use in the oven.  9 x 9 is the size this recipe is designed for, or a 9 inch round skillet with 2 inch sides or higher.

Whisk dry ingredients together.  YES the sifting of the leaveners is important - when they clump, which they do in a humid place like Missouri, they give uneven lift to the batter and little pockets of unpleasant flavor.

Whisk the first group of wet ingredients, then whisk in the butter.

Gently whisk the wet ingredients into the dry, eliminating large lumps but not mixing until totally smooth either.

Remove your very hot pan from the oven, add that dollop of fat for the pan, swirl it to coat the bottom, and pour your batter into the center of the pan, letting it settle by gravity.  Return the pan to the oven and cook until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

* Cornmeal.  For big flavor, light texture, and excellent moisture you could use MASECA.  This is White Corn that's treated with lime, then ground - love this stuff.  If you're going to use Aunt Jemima or another yellow cornmeal, try adding that tablespoon of corn starch which will give you better moisture retention.

† Sucanat is dried sugar cane juice, with all the mineral content and molasses that gets processed out when white sugar is made.  Cheap. flavorful, and gentle on the body.  Buy in bulk at health food stores.

From scratch to the table in just over an hour in most cases, cornbread is a quick side dish or weeknight dinner item.  This recipe will keep for 2-3 days at room temp, if you can keep from eating it all on day one.

Cheers.