Here is a basic Southern Cornbread Recipe + 10 ways to make your cornbread more exciting and interesting:
Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups yellow cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 large eggs
2 1/3 cups milk - Buttermilk is even tastier!
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp sea salt
1 tbsp butter - Bacon fat works well too
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 425 F.
2. Grease with butter or bacon fat a cast iron skillet, or an 8′ square baking pan.
3. In a bowl, combine all dry ingredients and stir.
4. In a separate bowl break eggs and beat until frothy, then add milk or buttermilk and mix.
5. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix until blended. Allow to sit for 10 min to soften cornmeal.
6. Pour into baking dish and put in oven.
7. Bake approximately 25-30 min, or until knife inserted into middle comes out clean.
10 Ways to Kick Your Cornbread Up a Notch:
1. Sweet Southern Cornbread: Simply add between a few tablespoons to 1/2 cup of white sugar to your basic recipe. If you add closer to 1/2 cup, be sure to also mix another 1-2 tbsp of liquid such as water, milk or buttermilk, depending upon what you're using.
* Tip: Baking temperature can come down 15-25 degrees and start checking the cornbread for brownness 5-7 minutes earlier because the sugar in the recipe will cause the bread to brown quicker.
2. Jalapeno Cornbread: Try adding 1/4 cup chopped jalapenos or your favorite chili.
* Tip: You probably won't want to use the seeds and veins of the chilis because this is where the most heat is.
3. Cheesy Cornbread: Add between 1/2 - 3/4 cup of sharp cheddar cheese, Monterrey Jack or Pepper Jack cheese to the mix.
* Tip: Again, reduce the oven temperature by about 15 degrees and start checking for doneness about 5 minutes earlier than suggested in the recipe.
4. Caramelized Onion Cornbread: Slowly and on low heat, pan fry 1 large onion sliced until it's caramelized or browned. This makes them deliciously sweet and perfect to accentuate cornbread.
5. Curried Cornbread: It seems like most of the options here are Tex-Mex in nature, so this one is thinking outside the box and bringing you an Indian inspired recipe. Add 2 tbsp of Patak's Curry Paste or 2 1/2 tbsp curry powder to kick your cornbread recipe up a few notches. The color of this cornbread is fantastic!
6. Pico de Gallo Cornbread: Looking for a colorful and flavorful idea? Add 3-4 tbsp finely chopped pico de gallo (tomato, onion, cilantro, chili de arbol).
* Tip: The key to great pico de gallo is hand chopping the ingredients!
7. Hot Water Cornbread: This is not your typical baked cornbread recipe! In fact, you don't bake it at all. You pan fry them.
* Ingredients & Instructions: Take 1 cup cornmeal, 1/2 cup flour, 1/2 tsp sea salt, 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1 tbsp sugar and combine thoroughly. Then, slowly in a few tbsp increments, add boiling water. Thoroughly combine the water with the mixture and keep adding until it all barely gets incorporated into a dough. Knead this mixture by hand for about 1 minute while heating a frying pan on medium high heat with 2 tbsp oil. Add 1 tbsp softened butter or bacon fat to the mixture and combine. Form palm sized patties about 1/2-3/4" thick by wetting hands with water, so it doesn't stick to your hands. Place them in heated pan and pan fry them until they're golden brown.
8. Bacon Cornbread: Pan fry 3-4 slices of bacon until cooked the way you like it. Either crumble or slice cooked bacon and add to cornbread mixture. Bake as usual.
9. Sour Cream Cornbread: Adding 1/2 cup sour cream will add a tangy flavor and creamy texture to your cornbread! You may want to also add 1 1/2 tbsp extra corn meal to recipe if it seems too wet.
10. Corny Cornbread: Well, it is cornbread! Try adding 1/2 cup creamed corn or 3/4 cup of whole kernel corn for a great consistency and flavor that's out of this world!
* Tip: If you love baby corn, try slicing 6 baby cobs and adding it to the mixture.
Don't forget that you can easily combine any of the above ideas and make it even more fun and delicious...
...Why not try sour cream & onion cornbread, or jalapeno bacon cornbread?
These are just a few suggestions that are easy to incorportate without a great change in the recipe. Surely now that you've seen this list, you have some great substitutions of your own up your sleeve.
What can you serve cornbread with?
Honestly, what can't you serve cornbread with?
Cornbread can be served for breakfast - try out the hot water cornbread version. It's great for lunch, maybe on the side of a taco salad or a salad with crispy chicken on it.
For dinner, it can be served alongside meatloaf, fried chicken, liver and onions, chicken fried steak, even ribs.
Be creative and "Eat Deliciously"!
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