• Ultimate Cornbread recipe

    From Derek Schur@21:1/5 to All on Thu Jun 6 15:46:43 2019
    In the interest of furthering the neverending discussion of how best
    to make cornbread, I offer the following thoughts. Start as as folows.

    4Tbs. Melted Butter, Margarine or Vegtable Oil (In that order of
    preference)
    1 Cup Cornmeal
    1 Cup A/P Flour
    Sugar--Anywher from nothing, if you're a True Southener, up to 1 Cup,
    if you're A Damned Yankee. (My taste is about 1/4 Cup.)
    1 Tbs. Baking Powder
    1 Tsp. Baking Soda
    1-2 Tsp. Salt
    1/8-1/4 Tsp Nutmeg (*Yes! This matters!*)
    1.5 Cups Buttermilk (strongly prefferable) or regular Milk
    1-2 Eggs*

    Grease a 10" skillet, and place it in a cold oven, and then pre-heat
    it to 400 degrees Farenheight.

    Mix the ingredients together (withold wet ingredients for as long as
    possible), and pour into the fully heated skillet. Then bake at 400
    degrees for 18-20 (posaibly 22) minutes.

    * I've heard suggestions of 3 eggs. But I think that hurts the flavor.
    I think that 3 eggs doesn't improve the rise (which it does), enough
    to offset the detriment to flavor.

    **With this said? I welcome vigorous debate. Have a quibble with this?
    Feel free to say so. *EXCEPT* for one point. The Northern/Southern
    thing. I.E.--sugar. That's a Holy War that just can not be resolved by discussion. So let's not even try. ;)

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  • From Peter Flynn@21:1/5 to Derek Schur on Tue Jun 11 23:44:09 2019
    On 06/06/2019 20:46, Derek Schur wrote:
    In the interest of furthering the neverending discussion of how best
    to make cornbread, I offer the following thoughts. Start as as follows.

    Never tried this, although I think I may have eaten it on a trip to the
    US once. It was like a yellow focaccia. and really good.

    1 Cup Cornmeal

    This I must hunt for. It's non-native, but I think my spice merchant
    sells it.

    Sugar--Anywhere from nothing, if you're a True Southerner, up to 1 Cup,
    if you're A Damned Yankee. (My taste is about 1/4 Cup.)

    Lips are sealed on this.

    1 Tbs. Baking Powder
    1 Tsp. Baking Soda

    Baking powder *and* baking soda? I have some Clabber Girl double-acting
    BP that I brought back a few trips ago. Would I need baking soda as well
    if I used this?

    1/8-1/4 Tsp Nutmeg (*Yes! This matters!*)

    Cool.

    1.5 Cups Buttermilk (strongly preferable) or regular Milk

    Buttermilk it shall be.

    Grease a 10" skillet, and place it in a cold oven, and then pre-heat
    it to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

    A skillet has a handle, right? Like a frying pan?
    *EXCEPT* for one point. The Northern/Southern
    thing. I.E.--sugar. That's a Holy War that just can not be resolved by discussion. So let's not even try. ;)

    Do Southerners use vi or Emacs?

    Peter

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  • From Dennis29@21:1/5 to All on Tue Sep 3 11:13:50 2019
    GUEST wrote:
    In the interest of furthering the neverending discussion of how
    best
    to make cornbread, I offer the following thoughts. Start as as
    folows.

    4Tbs. Melted Butter, Margarine or Vegtable Oil (In that order of preference)
    1 Cup Cornmeal
    1 Cup A/P Flour
    Sugar--Anywher from nothing, if you're a True Southener, up to 1
    Cup,
    if you're A Damned Yankee. (My taste is about 1/4 Cup.)
    1 Tbs. Baking Powder
    1 Tsp. Baking Soda
    1-2 Tsp. Salt
    1/8-1/4 Tsp Nutmeg (*Yes! This matters!*)
    1.5 Cups Buttermilk (strongly prefferable) or regular Milk
    1-2 Eggs*

    Grease a 10" skillet, and place it in a cold oven, and then
    pre-heat
    it to 400 degrees Farenheight.

    Mix the ingredients together (withold wet ingredients for as long
    as
    possible), and pour into the fully heated skillet. Then bake at 400
    degrees for 18-20 (posaibly 22) minutes.

    * I've heard suggestions of 3 eggs. But I think that hurts the
    flavor.
    I think that 3 eggs doesn't improve the rise (which it does),
    enough
    to offset the detriment to flavor.

    **With this said? I welcome vigorous debate. Have a quibble with
    this?
    Feel free to say so. *EXCEPT* for one point. The Northern/Southern
    thing. I.E.--sugar. That's a Holy War that just can not be resolved
    by
    discussion. So let's not even try. ;)

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    Thank you for such an excellent recipe.
    I want to try to do it myself.

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  • From Peter Flynn@21:1/5 to Peter Flynn on Thu Sep 26 12:41:10 2019
    On 11/06/2019 23:44, Peter Flynn wrote:
    [...]
    1 Cup Cornmeal

    This I must hunt for. It's non-native, but I think my spice merchant
    sells it.

    1. Before I launch into this, Cornmeal isn't the same as Cornflour,
    right? We use cornflour for thickening, not baking.

    1 Tbs. Baking Powder
    1 Tsp. Baking Soda

    Baking powder *and* baking soda? I have some Clabber Girl double-acting
    BP that I brought back a few trips ago. Would I need baking soda as well
    if I used this?

    2. Can anyone clarify? I have just seen another recipe which calls for
    both and I'm puzzled.

    1.5 Cups Buttermilk (strongly preferable) or regular Milk

    Buttermilk it shall be.

    3. Is this buttermilk as in the liquid left over after making butter, or
    the commercially-cultured stuff (which I don't think we have).

    Peter

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  • From Boron Elgar@21:1/5 to All on Thu Sep 26 11:44:20 2019
    On Thu, 26 Sep 2019 12:41:10 +0100, Peter Flynn <peter@silmaril.ie>
    wrote:

    On 11/06/2019 23:44, Peter Flynn wrote:
    [...]
    1 Cup Cornmeal

    This I must hunt for. It's non-native, but I think my spice merchant
    sells it.

    1. Before I launch into this, Cornmeal isn't the same as Cornflour,
    right? We use cornflour for thickening, not baking.

    Cornmeal is different- sort of like polenta when it is coarse ground
    cornmeal, but generally a finer grind is thought of when one mentions
    cornmeal.

    What you describe as cornflour, we refer to as cornstarch, and yes, we
    use it for thickening, too.

    1 Tbs. Baking Powder
    1 Tsp. Baking Soda

    Baking powder *and* baking soda? I have some Clabber Girl double-acting
    BP that I brought back a few trips ago. Would I need baking soda as well
    if I used this?

    2. Can anyone clarify? I have just seen another recipe which calls for
    both and I'm puzzled.

    Not uncommon for a recipe such as this to call for both.

    1.5 Cups Buttermilk (strongly preferable) or regular Milk

    Buttermilk it shall be.

    3. Is this buttermilk as in the liquid left over after making butter, or
    the commercially-cultured stuff (which I don't think we have).

    These days, we think of it as the commercially cultured version. If
    you cannot find that you "can use 1 tablespoon of white vinegar or
    lemon juice plus enough milk to measure 1 cup. Stir, then let stand
    for 5 minutes. You can also use 1 cup of plain yogurt or 1-3/4
    teaspoons cream of tartar plus 1 cup milk."

    The above is from:

    https://www.tasteofhome.com/article/buttermilk-substitute/

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  • From Peter Flynn@21:1/5 to Boron Elgar on Sun Sep 29 14:53:34 2019
    On 26/09/2019 16:44, Boron Elgar wrote:
    [...]
    Cornmeal is different- sort of like polenta when it is coarse ground cornmeal, but generally a finer grind is thought of when one
    mentions cornmeal.

    What you describe as cornflour, we refer to as cornstarch, and yes,
    we use it for thickening, too.

    Riiiight. Now I remember. Brain going soft.

    These days, we think of it as the commercially cultured version. If
    you cannot find that you "can use 1 tablespoon of white vinegar or
    lemon juice plus enough milk to measure 1 cup. Stir, then let stand
    for 5 minutes. You can also use 1 cup of plain yogurt or 1-3/4
    teaspoons cream of tartar plus 1 cup milk."

    I did some digging, and the commercially cultured version is available,
    but what we buy in the supermarket dairy section is literally what the
    local creamery has left over after churning butter, so I'll carry on
    using that.

    Many thanks for clearing this up

    Peter

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  • From Joel Polowin@21:1/5 to Boron Elgar on Thu Dec 12 15:36:24 2019
    On 2019-09-26 11:44 AM, Boron Elgar wrote:
    What you describe as cornflour, we refer to as cornstarch, and yes, we
    use it for thickening, too.

    To avoid confusion, in North America, corn flour is finely-ground corn,
    not just the starch. Masa harina is used in Mexican cooking to make
    things like corn tortillas; it's a flour ground from corn that has been
    treated with lime (i.e. calcium hydroxide, not citrus).

    Joel

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