Cornbread means a lot of different things to different people, depending on where you are from. Say cornbread to my in-laws and they’ll  think of a rye bread that is crusted in corn meal.  But that is an Eastern European cornbread, and nothing at all like the cornbread we make here in the states. Typically, from the South and the Southwest,  cornbread varieties include skillet or molded corn pone cakes, Jonnycakes, hushpuppies, hot water cornbread and baked cornbread. Each is similar in ingredients but vastly different in texture and form.

I grew up eating cornbread made in a cast iron skillet or if my mother was being “fancy” she would bake them in the cast iron molds shaped like little ears of corn.  They were thin and crispy on the outside and dense and firm on the inside. I used to eat them coated in butter, or my favorite was to crumble and mix the pieces into a glass of milk and eat it with a spoon.

Nowadays, I prefer to eat cornbread that’s fluffier and moister but still with a rich butter flavor and crispy on the outside. You could almost call it a corn cake.

And it goes so well with hearty stews and chilis!

 

Ingredients

½  cup butter or margarine, softened

½  cup sugar

3 eggs

1 2/3 cups milk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 cup cornmeal

4 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

½ cup frozen corn kernels

Method

Preheat Oven to 400 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar.

Add the eggs and milk, mixing well.

Add the flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt. Blending together until just mixed.

Fold in the frozen corn kernels.

Pour into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking pan.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

Cut into squares; serve warm.

Cover any uneaten portions with plastic wrap.

 

Its really good for breakfast with a glass of milk or as a late night treat with a cup of tea.