TIPical Mary Ellen host Mary Ellen Pinkham shares her favorite tips for preparing cornbread as well as a couple of recipes.
- If you can't find cornbread mix, try using regular cornmeal mix with two teaspoons of baking power and a dash of salt. The buttermilk can also be replaced with regular milk.
- For lighter cornbread, cut the amount of cornmeal to 1/2 cup and substitute with plain flour.
- If you prefer sweeter cornbread, try adding 1/4 cup of sugar to the recipe.
- Cook cornbread in a cast-iron skillet, muffin pan or a shallow 9- x 9-inch square pan.
- Instead of baking, try frying the batter on the stovetop in a little oil for cornbread fritters.
- When making cornbread muffins, try filling the muffin tins only 3/4 full, then adding a tablespoon of cream cheese. Bake as usual. You can also try adding jam, jelly or jalapenos to the cream cheese.
- If you run out of eggs, try using a tablespoon of mayonnaise.
- Add flavor to cornbread by adding a few teaspoons of bacon grease, grated cheese or sauteed onions to the batter.
- If you like your cornbread with crusty edges, make sure that the pan has a good layer of oil or shortening in it.
- For a quick and fun dish, add your favorite cornbread mix on top of a bowl chili. (Top the chili with grated cheese before adding the cornbread mix if you like.) Bake at 425 degrees for about 10 minutes.
- Bake cornbread in corncob-mold cast-iron pan for a great finger food.
Basic Southern-Style Cornbread
Ingredients:
1 egg
1-3/4 buttermilk
1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 cups self-rising cornmeal mix
2 Tbs. oil
Preparation:
Mix all dry ingredients together in a large bowl. The batter should be creamy and easy to pour. Pour into an oiled cast-iron skillet and bake for 20 to 25 minutes at 450 degrees. Serve with honey and butter.
Blue Cornbread
Wet Ingredients:
1 Tbs. honey
1 egg
1 cup milk
blue cornmeal
1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp. non-alum baking powder
1/4 tsp. sea salt
Preparation:
Thoroughly mix together ingredients.
Dry Ingredients:
1 cup of blue cornmeal
1/2 cup flour
1-1/2 tsp. non-alum baking powder
1/4 tsp. sea salt
Preparation:
Mix together ingredients. Slowly add the liquid ingredients to the dry. Grease an eight-inch pan and bake at 425 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.
