Anyone have a good cornbread recipe?

[Sakai]

Dinner plans for Friday are pork tenderloin, black bean salsa and corn bread. 

 

Problem is my corn bread is always super dry and falls apart. 

 

Looking for any tips or tricks to make it edible. 

[AboveTheChemist]

This is the cornbread recipe I grew up with so it's the standard by which I judge other cornbread. I have not made it in a while, but I've made it plenty of times and never been disappointed. It's got a little more texture to it, as opposed to what I consider cornbread-flavored cake, which I've run across a few times. In addition to making it in an 8 by 8 pan, I've also made it in a cast iron corncob baking mold that was my grandmother's (similar to this one) and it turns out great in those too.

 

3/4 cup corn meal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
3 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1 cup milk
1 egg, well beaten
2 Tbsp shortening, melted

 

Mix and sift dry ingredients. Add milk, egg, and shortening. Bake in a shallow (8”x 8”) pan at 425 degrees for 20 minutes.
 

[Mr. Vee]

I don't have a recipe as no cook in my family ever wrote anything down but if it has any sugar in it at all it's not cornbread, it's an 8x8 corn muffin.

[Sakai]

That is a neat pan. 

[Ura Hero]

1 hour ago, AboveTheChemist said:

This is the cornbread recipe I grew up with so it's the standard by which I judge other cornbread. I have not made it in a while, but I've made it plenty of times and never been disappointed. It's got a little more texture to it, as opposed to what I consider cornbread-flavored cake, which I've run across a few times. In addition to making it in an 8 by 8 pan, I've also made it in a cast iron corncob baking mold that was my grandmother's (similar to this one) and it turns out great in those too.

 

3/4 cup corn meal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
3 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1 cup milk
1 egg, well beaten
2 Tbsp shortening, melted

 

Mix and sift dry ingredients. Add milk, egg, and shortening. Bake in a shallow (8”x 8”) pan at 425 degrees for 20 minutes.
 

 

Only heathens put sugar in cornbread.  🙂  But this is the one I use as well without the sugar.

[DougGraves]

I love cornbread but I don't bake

[Sakai]

Am I looking at all purpose flour or cake flour?

 

*sigh*  all purpose it is. 

Edited February 23, 2021 by Sakai
Decided to read the recipe for my answer.

[Doc_Scorpion]

10 hours ago, AboveTheChemist said:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar

By my families standards...  that's corn flavored cake, not cornbread.

[Techwright]

I've a beloved cornmeal & sage dressing recipe we use every year during the holidays.  It is one of the three ingredients in a dynamite turkey-rice-dressing soup we make.  Sadly no cornbread dressing to pass on.  Doubly sad, because I'm a born Southerner, descended from Midwestern farmers.  You'd think that'd be a staple in our home.  

 

And yeah, no sugar.  If you want it sweet, a drizzle of honey at serving time would be the way to go.

[Sakai]

They turned out pretty well...I was very happy. I understand what everyone is saying about the sugar but I was ok with it. 

 

Next I'm going to try one that has a higher cornmeal to flour ratio.  I like the slight grittiness of some I have had. 

 

I also hear good things about extracting jalapeño flavour in heated milk. 

[Mr. Vee]

I'm perfectly happy to eat a sweet corn muffin, just keep it away from my beans. 

Glad you were happy with it, that's all that matters.

[InvaderStych]

I should probably learn to make savory corn bread, for nostalgia.

 

But I do try to mimic the blueberry corn muffins that I used to get at the shop across from a former workplace long, long ago.

 

All I do though is multiply the recipe on the box by 1.5 (yup, 3 eggs instead of 2, everything else 1.5x) and add a bunch of blueberries.  Done. 😄

Edited March 19, 2021 by InvaderStych
had to look at some notes

[Oubliette_Red]

In our household, using a cast iron skillet is not only preferred but required. Put a dollop of bacon grease in the pan, toss in the oven to heat pan and melt bacon grease. Makes for the perfect, golden, crispy crust.

 

[Sakai]

I miss my cast iron frying pan. Lost it in the great split of 2010. Small price to pay for happiness. 

[Ohsirus]

The secret to good cornbread is buttermilk.