There is a cornbread mix out there on the market that we all know and love but making it from scratch is almost as easy and you are 100% in control of what goes into it. You can increase or decrease the sugar, swap out the milk with a variety of dairy products, and stir in what you want to and create the cornbread of your dreams. The cornbread of my children’s dreams is one with actual corn and grated cheddar cheese in it. Once I made it this way it is the only way they will have it now. How are you going to do it that will become the mandatory creation with your loved ones?
¾ teaspoon salt (½ teaspoon plus ¼ teaspoon)
1/3 cup cooled melted butter or vegetable oil
Preheat the oven: Set your oven to 400°F. Generously grease an 8-inch square baking dish or a 9 inch cast iron skillet.
Whisk together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.
In another bowl, combine the wet ingredients and mix the milk, vegetable oil (or melted butter), and egg. Should be well combined.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir just until combined. Don't overmix, it's okay if there are a few lumps. Over-stirring will make it tough.
Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish or skillet. Bake for about 25-28 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Allow the cornbread to cool slightly before slicing and serving.
Add corn. This works for a sweet or savory product. ½ to 1 cup of frozen corn that has been defrosted can be added to the batter right before putting it into the baking dish. You may have to cook another 5 minutes because of the added bulk.
Swap out the milk for sour cream or plain yogurt. This will make your cornbread more moist and tender but the batter will be a bit dry to mix (don’t worry).
Sprinkle a coating of sugar on top before baking. Demerara sugar works nicely here if you have it in your pantry.
Swap out honey or maple syrup for the sugar. This makes the batter a little looser so you may have to bake another 2-3 minutes.
Add a teaspoon of cinnamon to your batter. It can go in with the dry ingredients.
½ cup of almost any fruit works. Be sure to chop it fairly small. I like a peeled apple or sliced bananas.
½ cup of cooked, mashed sweet potato
Any kind of chopped nuts sprinkled on top before baking
½ to 1 cup of grated cheese. This is a no-brainer as a side dish for chili. Almost any cheese will work.
4 ounces of canned diced green chilis.
½ to 1 cup of diced fresh poblano peppers.
Arrange sliced jalapenos on top of the cornbread before baking
½ cup of sliced green onions or ¼ cup of chopped chives
1 cup of shredded zucchini, squeezed dry of excess liquid (there are a lot of sweet choices to incorporate with this too)
Cooked Chorizo. Almost enough said? 1 cup of cooked crumbled chorizo stir in before baking.
Are you inspired? A cornmeal batter is sturdy and can hold up to any addition you want to add to it. Remember, the more you add, the more baking time you may have to the total.
What’s your crazy idea and when are you going to add it to an 8x8 pan of cornbread?
