On 6/18/2010 1:01 PM, sf wrote:
> On Fri, 18 Jun 2010 09:50:36 -0400, "J. Clarke"
> > wrote:
>
>> Cornmeal, buttermilk, baking soda, a little salt, works fine if you have
>> good cornmeal.
>
> <laugh> Honestly, I wouldn't know good cornmeal from bad. AFAIC, if
> there are no bugs - it's good cornmeal.
>
>
>> Preheat the pan, melt some butter in it. If it turns
>> out too tart try a little more baking soda. Or you can make it with
>> baking powder instead which leaves most of the flavor of the buttermilk.
>>
>> But don't try to make a loaf out of it--you want a batter, not a
>> dough--if you're trying to make a dough out of it that's probably your
>> problem.
>
> Isn't cornbread considered a quick bread? Quick bread pours, I don't
> knead it. Thanks!

Yep.

I dunno any reliable guideline for distinguishing between good and bad
cornmeal except try it and if you don't like it try another brand.
There's more range of flavor there than you might imagine.

I will add that while a cast iron pan is traditional, practice in
something nonreactive first--the cast iron does alter the flavor, and
how much and in what way depends on what else you've cooked in it, so it
adds a difficult-to-control variable--if what you're making is
consistently unpleasant it might be the pan.

Traditionally Southern corn bread is made with white cornmeal, but
there's nothing magic about it if you like something else better.
Martha White's non-self-rising is OK (the self-rising has flour in it
for some reason) but a 2 pound bag doesn't last very long. Hodgson
Mill, which is available here in 5 pound bags, has an off taste to me--I
finally broke down and started sugaring it. Dixie Lily used to be the
old standby but they went under and I don't know if the new company is
making the same product--they don't sell it here in Yankee land anyway
(at least not that I've found). Many years ago I got some amazingly
sweet blue cornmeal from King Arthur Flour but they don't have it anymore.

Also, try both the bottled kind of buttermilk and the Saco
powdered--they give different flavors to the result--the bottled kind is
more tart than the powdered--whether that's goodness or not is a matter
of taste.