flipCornbread
Cornbread
Why this dish? Cornbread accompanied every meal in Southern and Great Migration households. It's what you crumble into greens and dip in pot likker — the humble, constant companion of the kitchen where Toni Morrison grew up.
A golden cornmeal bread, crispy at the edges and tender inside, barely sweet, traditionally baked in a cast-iron skillet.
We never sat down to the table without it. The cast-iron skillet, you'd grease it and heat it until it smoked, because that sizzle gives the bread its crispy edge. I like it barely sweet, just enough — and hot, split in two, with a pat of butter melting. Crumble it into your greens, let it drink the pot's juice: that's the most honest bite I know.
- •Cornmeal — two cups (base)
- •Buttermilk — enough to bind (moisture)
- •Egg — one (binder)
- •Lard or butter — a little (fat)
- •Salt, baking powder, a little sugar — to taste (structure)
Cornbread
A golden cornmeal bread, crispy at the edges and tender inside, barely sweet, traditionally baked in a cast-iron skillet.
Why this dish? Cornbread accompanied every meal in Southern and Great Migration households. It's what you crumble into greens and dip in pot likker — the humble, constant companion of the kitchen where Toni Morrison grew up.
We never sat down to the table without it. The cast-iron skillet, you'd grease it and heat it until it smoked, because that sizzle gives the bread its crispy edge. I like it barely sweet, just enough — and hot, split in two, with a pat of butter melting. Crumble it into your greens, let it drink the pot's juice: that's the most honest bite I know.
Ingredients (period version)
- Cornmeal — two cups (base)
- Buttermilk — enough to bind (moisture)
- Egg — one (binder)
- Lard or butter — a little (fat)
- Salt, baking powder, a little sugar — to taste (structure)
Ingredients
- Fine cornmeal — 250 g (base)
- All-purpose flour — 100 g (structure)
- Buttermilk — 300 ml (moisture)
- Eggs — 2 (binder)
- Melted butter — 60 g (fat)
- Baking powder — 2 tsp (leavening)
- Sugar — 2 tbsp (sweetness)
- Salt — 1 tsp (seasoning)
Method
- Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F) with a greased cast-iron skillet inside.
- Mix dry ingredients in one bowl, wet ingredients (buttermilk, eggs, butter) in another.
- Combine quickly without overmixing.
- Pour into the hot skillet (it should sizzle) and bake 20-25 minutes until golden.
- Unmold, cut into wedges, and serve hot with butter.
How it was made : Corn, an American grain adopted throughout the South, made a quick, cheap, unleavened bread. Baked in the family cast-iron skillet passed from mother to daughter, it was the daily staple, made as bread, hoecakes, or fried dumplings.
The contemporary twist : Fold in a few fresh corn kernels and some cheddar for a richer "everything-in-one" version.
Sources : Jessica B. Harris, High on the Hog (2011) · Adrian Miller, Soul Food (2013)
Toni Morrison · Charactorium
