Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Buttermilk Cornbread: Not that Zingy

I'm a big fan of cornbread, but I haven't yet found the perfect recipe.  My latest batch was buttermilk cornbread.  Buttermilk is usually a nice addition to quickbreads and muffins — it has a little zing.  But I didn't taste any difference between this batch of cornbread and my non-buttermilk-recipes.

My main problem is that, no matter what I do, the cornbread turns out a little dry.  Part of this is just the style of the bread, but I've had some genuine, Southern-made cornbread here in Raleigh that is full of cornmeal goodness and not at all dry.  So I know it's possible.

The cornbread quest continues.  And in the meantime, this will be a fine start to a little cornbread dressing for Thanksgiving.


Buttermilk Cornbread
  • 1/4 c. butter, melted
  • 1 c. cornmeal
  • 1 c. flour
  • 1/3 c. sugar
  • 1 1/2 t. baking powder
  • 1 t. salt
  • 1 c. buttermilk
  • 2 eggs
Preheat oven to 400 degrees and grease an 9x9 pan.  Combine cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.  In a separate bowl, mix the buttermilk, butter and eggs.  Ad buttermilk mixture to dry ingredients and stir until just combined.  Pour into prepared pan and bake 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

The food: Buttermilk cornbread
The verdict: I'd butter keep looking for the perfect cornbread recipe
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4 comments:

  1. TonyNovember 24, 2009 at 3:08 PM

    I'm still on a cornbread search myself. Have you tried any recipes that use vegetable oil or shortening instead of (or in addition to) butter?

    ReplyDelete
  2. AbbieNovember 24, 2009 at 3:25 PM

    I haven't, but that's a good suggestion. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  3. UnknownNovember 25, 2009 at 1:38 PM

    Hi - I think my cornbread comes out pretty tender. The only differences are that my recipe calls for a rather shocking 4 tsps of baking powder and increases the butter to 1/3 cup. I also liberally brush the cornbread with butter while it is baking. I hope this helps.

    ReplyDelete
  4. LynnFebruary 7, 2010 at 9:03 PM

    I add a little bit of creamed corn (from a can or homemade).

    ReplyDelete