Cornbread, a North American creation, is not a conventional loaf. While ideal for soaking up chilli and brothy bean soups, it can be substantial enough to serve as the main event. It is also gluten-free, should that be a consideration.
Ingredients and Preparation
This recipe requires 200g coarse cornmeal or polenta, preferably stoneground, 240ml buttermilk, 2 tbsp bacon grease or butter or oil, ½ tsp salt, 2 beaten eggs, 1 tsp baking powder, ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda, and 2 tsp soft light brown sugar (optional). Preparation takes 10 minutes, with 2 hours soaking and 25 minutes cooking, serving six.
Key Steps for Flavour
The most flavourful cornmeal is stoneground, but it may not be easy to find. Coarse cornmeal is often available in world food sections of larger supermarkets, usually from Caribbean brands. To enhance flavour, toast the cornmeal in a dry frying pan over a medium-high flame, shaking constantly until fragrant but not browned, which takes only a couple of minutes.
Soak half the cornmeal in buttermilk for at least a couple of hours, or overnight for breakfast. If buttermilk is unavailable, use the same amount of milk with a teaspoonful of lemon juice or vinegar added in step 6. Once ready to cook, heat the oven to 220C (200C fan)/425F/gas 7. A roughly 20cm ovenproof frying pan gives a crisp base, though a non-loose-bottomed cake or tart tin can be used.
Finishing and Variations
For pork eaters, cooking in bacon fat is particularly delicious. Put the drippings, butter or oil in the pan and heat until sizzling. Stir the remaining toasted cornmeal into the soaked mixture, then add salt, beaten eggs, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, and sugar. The sugar may horrify those from the American South, but according to Serious Eats, corn used for milling is traditionally ripened for longer, making it sweeter, so a pinch of sugar helps replicate that.
Stir the hot fat into the batter, then pour into the hot pan—it should sizzle—and bake for about 20-25 minutes until golden and firm. Serve warm. Cornbread reheats well in a moderate oven and freezes well. For variations, stir 70g grated cheddar or red leicester cheese and two-thirds of a chopped jalapeño chilli into the batter, then sprinkle 10g more cheese on top before baking. Other additions include cooked beans, crumbled fried bacon, feta, chorizo, tinned corn, chives, spring onions, or cooked peppers. Serve with room-temperature butter whipped with hot honey.
