Outside of Baking Powder Biscuits, I don’t think there’s any menu item that’s more ubiquitous or beloved than Cornbread. One reason for that may be that it’s adaptable to almost any meal menu. And that makes it a great ‘variety’ option to regular bread, rolls and other baked products…
Perfect high, light Skillet Cornbread ‘loaf’. You can do almost anything with
this stuff that you can with any plain, sweet or savoury bread…
Corn bread has a reputation as a traditional American staple that started its long and varied history as a daily dietary component of southeastern U.S. indigenous tribes who taught settlers in the southern English colonies how to make it. But it has also been long-known in Greek, Portuguese and Turkish cuisine.
A little research quickly reveals that the Cornmeal-based dish most folks associate with the name Cornbread is closely related to a plethora of other foods that are popular in various parts of the U.S. and Central America. Wikipedia offers a great, eye-opening ‘family tree’:
“Cornmeal is produced by grinding dry raw corn grains. A coarser meal (compare flour) made from corn is grits. Grits are produced by soaking raw corn grains in hot water containing calcium hydroxide (an alkaline salt), which loosens the grain hulls (bran) and increases the nutritional value of the product (by increasing available niacin and available amino acids). These are separated by washing and flotation in water, and the now softened slightly swelled grains are called hominy. Hominy, pozole in Mexican Spanish, also is ground into masa harina for arepas, tamales and tortillas. This ancient Native American technology has been named nixtamalization. Besides cornbread, Native Americans used corn to make numerous other dishes from the familiar hominy grits to alcoholic beverages (such as Andean chicha). Cornbread was popular during the American Civil War because it was very cheap and could be made in many different forms—high-rising, fluffy loaves or simply fried (as unleavened pone, corn fritters, hoecakes, etc.).”
Got that?
My preferences
I like several different kinds of Cornbread for several different roles. I particularly covet the high, fluffy loaf as a surrogate for regular slicing bread. Give me the medium-weight version as an alternative to pancakes or waffles. And serve up the skillet-baked, heavier (traditional) version as an option to Biscuits or the tea bread-consistancy loaf we commonly use as a foundation for a ladle-full of chili, stew or sausage gravy.
There are literally thousands of Cornbread recipes on the Internet. I usually try a different one each time, based on the submitting cook’s description of the end product, just for fun.
Applications abound…
Another thing I love is using a skillet full of Cornbread as the basis for a ‘pick-up’ supper incorporating leftover shredded or cubed meat, diced leftover (or fresh/raw) veggies and other flavours. A great base for a Tex-Mex creation! Or a one-pan ‘Cowboy’ supper dish with beans, bacon or whatever. I always throw a handful of frozen corn kernels (and sometimes even Green Peas) into these concoctions. The more veggies, the better.
If you simply want to enhace regular Corn Bread that you’re going to serve as a hot side ‘bread’ with a given meal, you can easily enhance it and tune it to your entrée by adding appropriate spices and/or herbs, and stuff like bacon crumbles. The right enhanced Cornbread can make any stew or porridge (take Lentil stew, for example) a memorable main event.
Not just for ‘savoury’, anymore – or ever
I’ve generally mentioned savoury applications for Cornbread, but don’t forget the sweet breakfast and dessert dishes you can make with different ‘weights’ of Cornbread. As I check back, I see I did mention pancakes, and Cornbread squares can just be smothered in Honey or Sorghum just as easily as Biscuits can.
Add a teaspoonful or two of sugar or other sweetener to a pan of Cornbread and use it the way you would Shortcake or other cakes or quick breads in desserts.
An easy, quick, one-pan wonder!
You’ll come to love cornbread as a quick one-pan addition to almost any meal – or even the centrepiece to many – and I guarantee it’s so easy, you’ll be making it from memory after only a few ‘practice rounds’. Ingredients? Some cornbreads have only 3 or 4, and most call only for components most if us already have in our pantries and fridges as a matter of course.
If cornbread isn’t a regular, or even go-to, part of your daily recipe repertoire, get out there and start making this versatile, family favourite your own today!
~ Maggie J.