Recipe simple cornbread

buckytom said:
Northerners' cornbread can be dessert like sweet
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Despite my best attempts to persuade them otherwise, my neighbours really prefer to eat my cornbread for breakfast with jam. So a sweet northern cornbread is underway this morning - a bit more sugar, milk and butter in the mix, plus 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla extract.

One neighbour had commented on the curious fact that in some ways there's a resemblance between cornbread and brioche, whilst acknowledging at the same time that they're completely different. It'll be interesting to see if a deliberately sweetened cornbread is even closer to brioche - or more distinctively not so.

I will also mention to them your suggestion of a drizzle of honey. Could put the whole village into sugar shock. That might be amusing
 
I’ve also read that mixing it too much can destroy the gluten and make it somewhat dry but I haven’t tried it yet because I’m worried there will be lumps in the finished product. Do you leave some unmixed bits in the batter or mix it all the way?
 
Caitie_Grace said:
I’ve also read that mixing it too much can destroy the gluten and make it somewhat dry but I haven’t tried it yet because I’m worried there will be lumps in the finished product. Do you leave some unmixed bits in the batter or mix it all the way?
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Yes, I read that too somewhere …"if you beat it too much the cornbread can be rubbery", I think. Well, I mix it up with a spoon, making sure that I crush any lumps against the edge of the mixing bowl. I try and get a uniform mix, without going mad. I think it's important to let the butter cool properly before adding it to the flour mixture - if it's still hot, then there's a danger that you'll scramble the eggs. But as the butter cools, it will start to coagulate - and it's best to try and blend the cooled butter in. I'm not too fussy about getting a perfect blend - and I guess there probably are some 'unmixed bits' in my cornbread. But it tastes and looks fine.
 
Caitie_Grace said:
I’ve also read that mixing it too much can destroy the gluten and make it somewhat dry but I haven’t tried it yet because I’m worried there will be lumps in the finished product. Do you leave some unmixed bits in the batter or mix it all the way?
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Actually, mixing too much DEVELOPS gluten, not destroys it. You want to treat it like pancake batter, pretty much mixed, but there can be a few very small lumps. If you warm your milk slightly to about body temp, you can mix your melted butter in then mix in the lightly beaten eggs, then add liquid mixture to your dry mixture.
 
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About yesterday's sweet cornbread.....I tried some late yesterday afternoon with strawberry jam and I thought that it was pretty good. I have just eaten some for breakfast this morning (having given it the best part of 16 hours for the flavours to fully emerge). It's completely knocked my socks off (I'll look for them later - I expect they've already hidden themselves).

The colour of the cornbread is a little lighter, the crumb is a bit denser - but the taste - oh, my - the gentlest hint of vanilla transports this to a different level. Not only is this the best cornbread I've ever eaten, it's one of the best things I've ever eaten in my life. Simply stunning.

@medtran49 ….I raised my coffee cup to you this morning - thanks for the suggestion to add a little more fat to the mix to avoid getting a dryish cornbread, and for the idea of adding a drop of vanilla essence. I think this may be my 'go to' breakfast food for the rest of my life.

@buckytom …. I don't know how this would stand up in comparison to the northern cornbread you mentioned a couple days back, but I reckon it's the best cornbread anyone's produced in this part of France since the end of WWII.

@Caitie_Grace and anyone else interested - I'll add a subsequent post to this thread with my revised ingredient proportions.
 
Mod.Edit Sweet cornbread posts moved to new thread.

Sweet cornbread - recipe updated 20 Aug 2018, see here: Sweet cornbread
 
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@morning glory - forgive me if I've already said this - I'm heading down two paths with 'Basement Baking' cornbreads ...sweet ones, like the raisin/orange (diff flour, and slightly diff proportions of ingredients) and savoury ones where I'll use bread flour and a whole raft of different fillings like cheese, peppers etc and @buckytom 's suggestion of jalapenos (assuming I can find them reasonably easily).

It might be worth splitting this old and creaking thread into two new ones fairly soon...?
 
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