The World of Cornbread

By Dennis Weaver

We're partial to cornbread. We like its rustic texture and chewy goodness. We like its versatility—it works for breakfast, lunch or dinner. It complements eggs in the morning, a hearty soup for lunch, or a dinner meal such as pork chops or chicken. Cornbread always reminds us of the South and some of the best is the result of wonderful Southern cooking.

There's a wonderful world of cornbread to explore. The cornbreads that we have made the most are balanced with equal parts flour and cornmeal to make a lighter bread with a couple eggs to give it structure and hold it together. But cornbread doesn't have to follow this traditional formula. We often make cornbread that has no flour and is so rich in eggs it's approaching a soufflé. (Because it has no flour, it is a great choice for those who are gluten intolerant.) One of our favorite cornbreads is on the other end of the spectrum—made in a yeast bread with whole kernel corn.

Cornbread makes a wonderful vehicle for a variety of additions. Try adding ham, bacon bits, or even cheese to your cornbread. One of our favorite additions is drained, whole kernel corn as mentioned previously. Vegetables such as green peppers, onions, or celery work well in cornbread.

Today, we thought we would explore some of these recipes with you.

Texas Chili Corn Bread: If you would like to try the egg-rich, flourless cornbread recipe, try this one!

Amish Cornbread: This is a great traditional cornbread.

Southern Cornbread: The yeasted cornbread is different—almost like anadama bread. Because the kneading develops the gluten, it is more bread-like and less crumbly than traditional cornbread. Oh, and this bread would make great Thanksgiving dressing.

Copyright 2004 The Prepared Pantry