Vera Obias' Cheddar & Black Pepper Cornbread Recipe on Food52 (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between Yankee cornbread and Southern cornbread? ›

The thing that distinguishes Southern cornbread from, say Yankee cornbread, or any other cornbread one is likely to eat outside of the southern states, is that it is savory, not sweet, and it is made mostly with cornmeal.

Cornmeal gives cornbread its classic color and flavor, but too much can make your bread crumbly. Try replacing a little bit of cornmeal with flour. The specific measurements will depend on how much cornmeal and flour is in your recipe, but you should try to have more flour than cornmeal in your batter.

Baking powder & baking soda: To help the bread rise.

The most common theory is a change in cornmeal itself. Until early in the 20th century, Southern cornmeal was made with sweeter white corn and it was water-ground. When industrial milling came along, that changed. The steel-roller mills used yellow corn that was harvested before it was ripe, so it had less sugar.

As for the best cornmeal for cornbread, either fine- or medium-grind cornmeal is a great choice. Medium-grind cornmeal will bring slightly more texture and grittiness to the batter, which you may or may not want (it's up to you!). You can use fine or medium cornmeal in these extra corny muffins.

By letting the cornbread batter sit at room temperature before baking, the cornmeal has some extra time to absorb the flavor from the other ingredients, and the baking powder gets a head start. I love using my cast-iron skillet for cornbread and preheat it before adding my batter.

Can I substitute water for milk in cornbread mix? Yes, you can, but it may result in a less rich flavor. If you're out of milk, try using cream or half-and-half, evaporated or powdered milk, or even plain yogurt.

The primary purpose of using eggs in cornbread (and with other baked goods) is to bind the ingredients together. By holding the ingredients together, the egg improves the mixture's structure and texture while allowing you to create a gel-like substance for easier processing.

Skillet cornbreads are meant to be denser and flatter than those baked in square or loaf pans. For that reason, they don't generally require baking powder or white flour, relying instead on a small amount of baking soda to keep the bread from being pancake-thin.

Why does my cornbread taste metallic? ›

That slightly bitter, kinda “tinny” flavor you often experience when biting into a muffin, biscuit or scone is the result of using a baking powder in high quantities — as is needed for these quick-rise treats — with aluminum in it.

It's a real treat with chili, ribs, or barbecued chicken. You could even use this sweet, homemade cornbread to make stuffing for your Thanksgiving feast! My mom made this for me as a child, and now it's my family's favorite. Serve with butter, jam, honey, or your favorite spread.

Pour batter into prepared pan. The batter will be lumpy. Overcome the urge to mix until smooth. Overmixing can cause the corn bread to peak and have tunnels, resulting in a tough texture.

Hot water cornbread

This type of cornbread is often known as "hot water" or "scald meal" cornbread and is unique to the American South.

The verdict: Northern cornbread's cakey texture and sweetness allow it to be a stand-alone dish, complete without any mix-ins. It can still be used to soak up other foods, like cranberry sauce, but its sweetness makes it less versatile than Southern cornbread, and more suited to accompany other sweet foods.

Real, traditional, Southern-style cornbread is savory, not sweet, and always has been.

The only substantial difference between white cornmeal and yellow cornmeal is right there in the names: their colors. The two varieties get their hues from nothing more than the different colors of the kernels of corn from which they are ground.