<p>I saw Alton Brown put together an interesting recipe for cornbread on FoodTV. He used cream and fresh corn kernels. Well, two great southern- born cooks, my mother and my aunt [LOL] were incredulous. I myself had never seen before such a concoction for cornbread, though mother used sour milk in her recipe on ocassion. Alton Brown also claims that true southern biscuits, like flat biscuits, can only be made with flour processed in the south because of some chemical reaction and humidity[?]</p>
<p>Do any of you adhere to such techniques for cornbread and biscuits?</p>
<p>I have had corn kernals in cornbread and found it to be quite tasty, but have never made it myself. When I make cornbread from scratch, I use buttermilk. As for the biscuit flour, I just use Martha White flour. I don’t know if it is southern-specific, but it’s one of the brands available at my grocer and I’ve always enjoyed the foods I’ve made with it.</p>
<p>This thread has made me hungry. I think I’ll make some chicken-fried steak for dinner tonight with some yummy biscuits and gravy.</p>
<p>I always dump in a can of creamed corn in my corn bread dough. I just use the recipe on the cornmeal bag and throw in the creamed corn. (Includes buttermilk.) It’s nice and moist.</p>
<p>My uncle, a Chef, would make this type of corn bread for special occassions. We are North Carolina folks. My Grandmother, (his mother), did not. Every now and then I put corn into my corn bread. I prefer “fried” bread, (corn bread fritters). MMMM, now I am hungry…pass me those greens, lol. :)</p>
<p>Corn kernels in corn bread… I never had them before we moved west. But it sure is yummy! </p>
<p>I add sweet cream to many baking recipes (like banana bread and corn bread)… it seems to lighten the dough and give it a wonderful texture, similar to the texture you get with sour cream, but without the tangy taste.</p>
<p>Mmmmm, getting hungry here, too. For a sweet cornbread (one that is just right for topping with butter and honey), I use applesauce in place of about half of the oil/milk mixture. It makes it very moist and not so crumbly. For a good savory cornbread to serve with chili, I add chopped green New Mexico chilies and a can of corn.</p>
<p>Asked my Mom, she said back in the old days, late Depression and during the war for her, that sometimes they would put fresh cut off corn into the cornbread in the summer when they were loaded with sweet corn. Often into hushpuppies to make them more moist.
Cornbread never, never, never has sugar in it - that is something else, not Southern cornbread.</p>
<p>As for the flour, that is from Shirley Carriere?sp cookbook, Cookwise. She is a food scientist from Vanderbilt, and has been featured on some of the earlier Alton Brown shows. According to Dr. Corriere, one of the things that makes Southern biscuits so light and fluffy is the use of the soft wheat flour, Martha White or White Lily, which is made from the only type of wheat that can be successfully grown in the South - so traditionally that was what was used. Bread flour is made from harder wheat, winter wheat I think, which doesn’t grow here. King Arthur bread flour is made of hard wheat, so it is good for bread, but makes chewy biscuits - has to do with the amount of gluten.
Cookwise is a great cookbook for those with an interest in the science of cooking, not many recipes, but the best biscuits and best broccoli salad I’ve ever had.</p>
<p>My dad was famous (in our family :)) making Corn Pone. He used a family recipe passed to him by some elderly aunts. After my dad died, I became interested in using his recipe for corn pone. However, as luck would have it, my husband and I were travelling in WV and stopped at a tourist center (The Tamarak), and they sold corn pone mix. I bought it, brought it home, followed the instructions, and it was just like Dad’s. I wanted to order some more, and when I checked the name of the “company” that made the mix, it was made by my dad’s cousins from WV.</p>
<p>Yankee from hell (posing as a southerner for 10 years)–I always, always put sugar in my cornbread, and lots of butter and maple syrup on top. And I make it in the microwave, too–I suppose that gets me an even hotter corner of hell. . .</p>
<p>Most people really like my cornbread recipe. It’s similar to Marie Callendar’s, sweet and cake-like. It’s simple and makes great muffins, too. I mix a Jiffy yellow cake mix with a Jiffy cornbread mix, or a regular size cornbread mix with 1/3 of a regular size cake mix. If using the Jiffy mixes, I add all the eggs, oil, and liquid needed on both boxes. If using the regular size mixes, I use all the ingredients needed on the cornbread mix and 1/3 of the ones needed for the cake. This is easiest if the cake mix needs 3 eggs, if it needs 2 or 4 eggs, half the box could be used. I follow the mixing and baking directions on the cornbread box. Simple, sweet, and delicious!</p>
<p>Just D: I’m sure it’s yummy. Just don’t think this recipe will keep you from being labeled a Southern Living Imposter and sentence you to h-e-double-toothpicks… Cake mix!!! (I’m heading for the kitchen).</p>
<p>I also love to spice up the cornbread for chili. A good shortcut is using a can of Mexicorn and a can of creamed corn in the mix. Throw in some Monterrey Jack or Colby-Jack and it’s even better! (Btw…our family always bakes the cornbread in a black iron skillet and serves it in wedges.)</p>
<p>I think the popularity of the Jiffy mix has made sweet corn bread the only corn bread a lot of folks are familiar with these days. Come south, to a real southerner’s home and you may never find a box of Jiffy in their cabinets. Why, it’s insulting to think we’d ever buy “store bought, boxed bread.” (Saying this with much humor, as I keep Jiffy in the cabinets, working Mom here, lol).</p>
<p>But jiffy mix mixed with cake mix? I use Jiffy too, but I don’t call it corn bread when it is mixed with a cake mix!!. Not that that is a bad thing, its just not corn bread anymore. Its … corm cake!!</p>
<p>All said tongue in cheek. Its just that I love my home made cornbread, and love it more with some corn thrown in. </p>
<p>And yes, the southern flour is a softer wheat that does make a great biscuit.</p>