Growing up I loved corn bread, but rarely actually got the good stuff. You see my mom, as wonderful as she is, is convinced that the best corn bread is just cornmeal mixed with water. She may have put some other stuff in there, but that’s pretty much what it tasted like. Her early years were spent in Arkansas and she’s convinced that cornbread should never have any sweetner and should be as gritty as possible. My sister and I eventually gave up on trying to convince her that sweet cornbread was infinitely better and learned to stop asking for cornbread altogether.
A couple years ago I was searching online for a cornbread recipe (because no way was I going to ask my mom for her recipe!) and found a very highly rated recipe called “Golden Sweet Cornbread” with the tagline, “If you like sweet cornbread, this is the recipe for you!” When I saw how simple the ingredients were, I was completely sold. These are things that we always have on hand and it’s so easy to make that I can throw it together almost faster than you can Joseph can say, “Let’s make chili tonight.” And some recipes have a stick or two of butter, and as good as I’m sure it is, I like to have a couple of pieces of cornbread with my meal without having to worry about artery overload.
Now, as much as I like sweet cornbread, the recipe seemed like maybe just a little too much sugar (3/4 cup), so I reduce it to 1/2 cup. That’s still a half cup too much for my mom, but I think it’s just about right.
Quick and Easy Cornbread
Adapted from bluegirl’s recipe on Allrecipes.com
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 egg
1 cup milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray or lightly grease a 9×9 inch pan or 9 inch round cake pan.
In a large bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt and baking powder.
In another bowl combine egg, milk and vegetable oil. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix in with quick strokes. Pour the batter into prepared pan.
Bake in preheated oven for 18 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Pixelated Crumb 
October 4th, 2010 at 10:05 am
Well, it’s not just the sugar — it’s also the ratio of cornbread to flour! My excellent recipe is :
1C cornmeal
1/4 C flour
1/2 t salt
1t baking soda
1C buttermilk
1 egg beaten
2T bacon grease — okay, that’s too unhealthy so I now use canola oil.
Mix dry ingredients and stir in the wet ingredients.
Bake in a greased 8″ pan at 425 for 25 minutes. It’s even better if poured into a cast iron pan that’s been heated on top of the stove so the cornbread is really crusty.
Based on a recipe in a 1960s Congressional Cookbook.
October 4th, 2010 at 10:18 am
Yes, to each their own. If you grew up on and prefer gritty unsweetened cornbread like my mother, try this recipe from her.
October 6th, 2010 at 1:27 pm
Ha ha ha ha!!! The cornbread debate will never end! I thought you liked whole corn kernels in yours as well, Mom?
February 2nd, 2011 at 11:32 pm
[…] These burgers are a great way to kick off the Super Bowl because you can go ahead and make the patties ahead of time and then cook them up when you’re ready. They’re pretty healthy and packed with yummy, smokey flavor and subtle heat from the cumin and the chipotle. Personally, I’d take these over a beef hamburger any day. If you want even less work while you’re watching the Steelers and the Packers, this chili can be made in advance and all you have to do is throw it in a pot to heat up while you watch the game. Just make sure you serve it with cornbread. […]
February 4th, 2011 at 11:56 pm
[…] main courses and appetizers are so easy (turkey burger, spicy sweet potato fries, turkey chili and corn bread, smokey chipotle salsa and chips are just a few), but desserts? Well, chocolate came to mind […]