This beloved bread has evoked many passionate discussions that extend from the north to the south. The Northerners prefer their cornbread sweet and the Southerners never add sugar. This Trini will avoid that controversy. Allow me to exercise my First Amendment Rights by claiming that I love my cornbread……on the sweet side.
I don’t recall making or eating my “first” cornbread, as much as I don’t recall sucking on the rubber nipple of my first bottle of milk(Klim). That doesn’t make it any less special. I have a special affinity for anything made with corn. I love corn muffins, corn casserole, cornmeal cakes, corn dumplings, payme, pastelles, puddings….
For many years, the only cornbread I knew came from the blue box and I must admit it was very good too. Now that I am older and chemical sensitivities prevent me from eating most products from a box, can or bag I have no other choice. “I eat it only if I make it”.
This is a basic cornbread recipe is the one that graces my dinner table every Thanksgiving(always make two because it goes so fast!), alongside the turkey and other delectable fixings. I also use this cornbread to make my dressing(also known as stuffing). After trying many recipes over the years, this is the one I gravitate to because it’s quick to prepare and that’s important when one is busy preparing about thirty dishes on Thanksgiving day. I could make it ahead of time, but I work best under intense pressure.
Cornbread is a great snack or accompaniment to any meal and leftovers can most certainly be used to make French toast or bread pudding. I liberally butter my day old cornbread and toast it in a non stick pan until it looks something like this…….[My 9 yr old loves eating it with maple syrup….]
According to cornbread aficionados, it’s best when baked in a cast iron skillet. My cast iron was unavailable during the preparation of this cornbread, due to situations beyond my control. In other words, I couldn’t find it. I chose the first skillet I could find, my 10 inch All-Clad, which didn’t disappoint. If you don’t have a skillet, use a greased 8 inch square pan.
The finished product with a golden brown top and heavenly, crunchy, almost cookie-like edges was buttery, sweet, grainy yet moist….….
5-18-20 See easier version on recent YouTube video. In that video, I mix the wet ingredients and add to the dry ingredients. Easy, Peasy!
Buttermilk Cornbread Recipe
Serves 10-12
Ingredients
½ cup ( 1 stick or 8 tablespoons) pure butter (best quality you can buy)
1 cup sugar (I use equal amounts of raw brown and white)
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk **
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 cup coarse yellow cornmeal
1 cup unbleached all purpose white flour
½ teaspoon salt
**No buttermilk? No worries: Add 1 tablespoon of white vinegar to a 2 cup measure, fill to 1 cup mark with whole milk. Wait about 5 minutes. Add the baking soda to the buttermilk, stir and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees C). Place one tablespoon of butter in the 10-inch cast iron skillet, or other heavy bottomed pot, you will be baking the cornbread in and place it in the oven to heat.
Melt butter in another pan over low heat (you will mix all the ingredients in this same pan so make sure it is large enough).
Remove from heat and stir in sugar. Quickly add eggs and beat until well blended.
Stir in buttermilk mixture.
Add cornmeal, flour and salt and mix only until just combined, with as few strokes as possible.
Carefully remove the smoking hot skillet from the oven and swirl to coat sides with butter.
Quickly scrape the cornbread batter into the hot skillet and return the skillet to the oven.
Bake until golden brown and crusty at the edges, about 30 minutes, depending on your oven (takes about 25 minutes in my oven). The edges are the absolute best! I’ve had ‘folks’ fight for the ends!
Slice into wedges or squares. Serve plain, or with honey, butter or honey-butter.
Enjoy for breakfast, as a side for lunch or dinner…as an anytime snack..
Buttermilk Cornbread Recipe
This is a basic cornbread recipe is the one that graces my dinner table every Thanksgiving(always make two because it goes so fast!), alongside the turkey and other delectable fixings. I also use this cornbread to make my dressing(also known as stuffing). After trying many recipes over the years, this is the one I gravitate to because it’s quick to prepare and that’s important when one is busy preparing about thirty dishes on Thanksgiving day. I could make it ahead of time, but I work best under intense pressure.
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Servings: 10
Calories: 293kcal
Ingredients
- ½ cup 1 stick or 8 tablespoons pure butter (best quality you can buy)
- 1 cup sugar I use equal amounts of raw brown and white
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup buttermilk **
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup coarse yellow cornmeal
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- **No buttermilk? No worries: Add 1 tablespoon of white vinegar to a 2 cup measure, fill to 1 cup mark with whole milk. Wait about 5 minutes. Add the baking soda to the buttermilk, stir and set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Place one tablespoon of butter in the 10-inch cast iron skillet, or other heavy bottomed pot, you will be baking the cornbread in and place it in the oven to heat.
- Melt butter in another pan over low heat (you will mix all the ingredients in this same pan so make sure it is large enough).
- Remove from heat and stir in sugar. Quickly add eggs and beat until well blended.
- Stir in buttermilk mixture.
- Add cornmeal, flour and salt and mix only until just combined, with as few strokes as possible.
- Carefully remove the smoking hot skillet from the oven and swirl to coat sides with butter.
- Quickly scrape the cornbread batter into the hot skillet and return the skillet to the oven.
- Bake until golden brown and crusty at the edges, about 30 minutes, depending on your oven (takes about 25 minutes in my oven). The edges are the absolute best! I've had 'folks' fight for the ends!
- Slice into wedges or squares. Serve plain, or with honey, butter or honey-butter.
Video
Nutrition
Calories: 293kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 60mg | Sodium: 291mg | Potassium: 109mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 21g | Vitamin A: 371IU | Calcium: 37mg | Iron: 1mg
Seen here: Stewed lamb with peas, boil and fried sweet potatoes, cornbread.
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With love always,
Ria
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A Trinidadian culinary connoisseur sharing recipes from Trinidad and the Caribbean with a modern twist.