1 C. flour
1 C. Cornmeal ( I like yellow because it has more flavor, or at least makes me feel like it does because it's a pretty color :-D
1/4 C. sugar
4 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
2 beaten eggs
1 C. Milk
1/4 C. oil, melted shortening or lard
Put all of the dry ingredients into a bowl, mix thoroughly with a mixer or whisk. Make a well in the middle of the dry stuff. Put two eggs into well, mix up and then add oil and milk. Mix just into smooth . . . do not over beat! I actually leave some small lumps, especially if I plan to make muffins. Pour into a 8"X8" pan that has been greased. If you want to make sure that it doesn't stick in the pan, dust with corn meal. Bake at 425 degrees for 20 - 25 minutes.
Now for the variations!
Cornbread Muffins--I usually add another 1/4 C. sugar, bake for 12-15 minutes
Corn Sticks--Spoon into greased corn stick pan filling each pocket 2/3 full. Bake for 12-15 minutes.
Cornmeal Pancakes--- I made these for the first time while camping. I just added milk to the batter until I had the consistency to make my pancakes the thickness I like. I add close to another 1/2 C. to make thin pancakes.
Cornbread Dressing or Stuffing
OK . . . . I know this is ridiculously late, but hopefully it will be helpful sometime during the holiday season. I made my own dressing/stuffing this year. Not by buying the mix at the store and adding the broth, eggs, and other goodies, I made it all from scratch. OK I cheated one time. I had some baguette loaves in the freezer and cut some of those up to for the bread in my dressing. I did make my own cornbread with the seasonings, etc. in it. Had to chase my hubby off a couple of times while it was drying out in the oven, so it must have been pretty tasty. OK I
confess, it snitched too, it was tasty!
1. First I made regular cornbread with some 2. Added flavors. I also added a couple of teaspoons of chicken broth powder. Since that is salty, I eliminated the salt in this batch.I I had to look poultry seasoning on the internet because I was out of it. It is mainly sage with marjoram, thyme and a dash of pepper and cloves. I skipped the cloves. 3. To tell if your cornbread is done or not, check to see if it has pulled away from the sides of the pan slightly. It should also have the cracks that you see here. This is a double batch spread out in a cookie sheet to dry more quickly for making the dressing.
4. Break the cornbread and set back into the warm oven let it dry out. You can cut or break it into what ever size you want for your dressing. I guess I did it this way because that is how my dad always did it. Next time I will just let it cool and then dice it up. 5. I used some left over baguettes for the bread. Cut or break it up as you did the cornbread. 6. Now for the really tasty stuff. Dice onions and celery, saute in butter or I used olive oil.
This year I also added some scrambled some sausage and chopped some craisins (dried cranberries) at my daughter's request. They did add some great flavor. I mixed all of this together, covered it tightly, put in the back of the fridge a couple of days before Thanksgiving. On the big day, I just had to beat a couple of eggs, add the chicken and turkey broth and toss it into the oven for half an hour. Great little time saver!
