In the interest of furthering the neverending discussion of how best
to make cornbread, I offer the following thoughts. Start as as folows.

4Tbs. Melted Butter, Margarine or Vegtable Oil (In that order of
preference)
1 Cup Cornmeal
1 Cup A/P Flour
Sugar--Anywher from nothing, if you're a True Southener, up to 1 Cup,
if you're A Damned Yankee. (My taste is about 1/4 Cup.)
1 Tbs. Baking Powder
1 Tsp. Baking Soda
1-2 Tsp. Salt
1/8-1/4 Tsp Nutmeg (*Yes! This matters!*)
1.5 Cups Buttermilk (strongly prefferable) or regular Milk
1-2 Eggs*

Grease a 10" skillet, and place it in a cold oven, and then pre-heat
it to 400 degrees Farenheight.

Mix the ingredients together (withold wet ingredients for as long as
possible), and pour into the fully heated skillet. Then bake at 400
degrees for 18-20 (posaibly 22) minutes.

* I've heard suggestions of 3 eggs. But I think that hurts the flavor.
I think that 3 eggs doesn't improve the rise (which it does), enough
to offset the detriment to flavor.

**With this said? I welcome vigorous debate. Have a quibble with this?
Feel free to say so. *EXCEPT* for one point. The Northern/Southern
thing. I.E.--sugar. That's a Holy War that just can not be resolved by
discussion. So let's not even try.

---
This email has been checked for viruses by AVG.
https://www.avg.com

On 06/06/2019 20:46, Derek Schur wrote:
> In the interest of furthering the neverending discussion of how best
> to make cornbread, I offer the following thoughts. Start as as follows.

Never tried this, although I think I may have eaten it on a trip to the
US once. It was like a yellow focaccia. and really good.

> 1 Cup Cornmeal

This I must hunt for. It's non-native, but I think my spice merchant
sells it.

> Sugar--Anywhere from nothing, if you're a True Southerner, up to 1 Cup,
> if you're A Damned Yankee. (My taste is about 1/4 Cup.)

Lips are sealed on this.

> 1 Tbs. Baking Powder
> 1 Tsp. Baking Soda

Baking powder *and* baking soda? I have some Clabber Girl double-acting
BP that I brought back a few trips ago. Would I need baking soda as well
if I used this?

> 1/8-1/4 Tsp Nutmeg (*Yes! This matters!*)

Cool.

> 1.5 Cups Buttermilk (strongly preferable) or regular Milk

Buttermilk it shall be.

> Grease a 10" skillet, and place it in a cold oven, and then pre-heat
> it to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

A skillet has a handle, right? Like a frying pan?
> *EXCEPT* for one point. The Northern/Southern
> thing. I.E.--sugar. That's a Holy War that just can not be resolved by
> discussion. So let's not even try.

Do Southerners use vi or Emacs?

Peter

> GUEST wrote:
> In the interest of furthering the neverending discussion of how
best
> to make cornbread, I offer the following thoughts. Start as as
folows.
>
> 4Tbs. Melted Butter, Margarine or Vegtable Oil (In that order of
> preference)
> 1 Cup Cornmeal
> 1 Cup A/P Flour
> Sugar--Anywher from nothing, if you're a True Southener, up to 1
Cup,
> if you're A Damned Yankee. (My taste is about 1/4 Cup.)
> 1 Tbs. Baking Powder
> 1 Tsp. Baking Soda
> 1-2 Tsp. Salt
> 1/8-1/4 Tsp Nutmeg (*Yes! This matters!*)
> 1.5 Cups Buttermilk (strongly prefferable) or regular Milk
> 1-2 Eggs*
>
> Grease a 10" skillet, and place it in a cold oven, and then
pre-heat
> it to 400 degrees Farenheight.
>
> Mix the ingredients together (withold wet ingredients for as long
as
> possible), and pour into the fully heated skillet. Then bake at 400
> degrees for 18-20 (posaibly 22) minutes.
>
> * I've heard suggestions of 3 eggs. But I think that hurts the
flavor.
> I think that 3 eggs doesn't improve the rise (which it does),
enough
> to offset the detriment to flavor.
>
> **With this said? I welcome vigorous debate. Have a quibble with
this?
> Feel free to say so. *EXCEPT* for one point. The Northern/Southern
> thing. I.E.--sugar. That's a Holy War that just can not be resolved
by
> discussion. So let's not even try.
>
> ---
> This email has been checked for viruses by AVG.
> https://www.avg.com

Thank you for such an excellent recipe.
I want to try to do it myself.

On 11/06/2019 23:44, Peter Flynn wrote:
[...]
>> 1 Cup Cornmeal
>
> This I must hunt for. It's non-native, but I think my spice merchant
> sells it.

1. Before I launch into this, Cornmeal isn't the same as Cornflour,
right? We use cornflour for thickening, not baking.

>> 1 Tbs. Baking Powder
>> 1 Tsp. Baking Soda
>
> Baking powder *and* baking soda? I have some Clabber Girl double-acting
> BP that I brought back a few trips ago. Would I need baking soda as well
> if I used this?

2. Can anyone clarify? I have just seen another recipe which calls for
both and I'm puzzled.

>> 1.5 Cups Buttermilk (strongly preferable) or regular Milk
>
> Buttermilk it shall be.

3. Is this buttermilk as in the liquid left over after making butter, or
the commercially-cultured stuff (which I don't think we have).

Peter

On Thu, 26 Sep 2019 12:41:10 +0100, Peter Flynn >
wrote:

>On 11/06/2019 23:44, Peter Flynn wrote:
>[...]
>>> 1 Cup Cornmeal
>>
>> This I must hunt for. It's non-native, but I think my spice merchant
>> sells it.
>
>1. Before I launch into this, Cornmeal isn't the same as Cornflour,
> right? We use cornflour for thickening, not baking.

Cornmeal is different- sort of like polenta when it is coarse ground
cornmeal, but generally a finer grind is thought of when one mentions
cornmeal.

What you describe as cornflour, we refer to as cornstarch, and yes, we
use it for thickening, too.
>
>>> 1 Tbs. Baking Powder
>>> 1 Tsp. Baking Soda
>>
>> Baking powder *and* baking soda? I have some Clabber Girl double-acting
>> BP that I brought back a few trips ago. Would I need baking soda as well
>> if I used this?
>
>2. Can anyone clarify? I have just seen another recipe which calls for
> both and I'm puzzled.

Not uncommon for a recipe such as this to call for both.
>
>>> 1.5 Cups Buttermilk (strongly preferable) or regular Milk
>>
>> Buttermilk it shall be.
>
>3. Is this buttermilk as in the liquid left over after making butter, or
> the commercially-cultured stuff (which I don't think we have).
>
These days, we think of it as the commercially cultured version. If
you cannot find that you "can use 1 tablespoon of white vinegar or
lemon juice plus enough milk to measure 1 cup. Stir, then let stand
for 5 minutes. You can also use 1 cup of plain yogurt or 1-3/4
teaspoons cream of tartar plus 1 cup milk."

The above is from:

https://www.tasteofhome.com/article/...lk-substitute/

On 26/09/2019 16:44, Boron Elgar wrote:
[...]
> Cornmeal is different- sort of like polenta when it is coarse ground
> cornmeal, but generally a finer grind is thought of when one
> mentions cornmeal.
>
> What you describe as cornflour, we refer to as cornstarch, and yes,
> we use it for thickening, too.

Riiiight. Now I remember. Brain going soft.

> These days, we think of it as the commercially cultured version. If
> you cannot find that you "can use 1 tablespoon of white vinegar or
> lemon juice plus enough milk to measure 1 cup. Stir, then let stand
> for 5 minutes. You can also use 1 cup of plain yogurt or 1-3/4
> teaspoons cream of tartar plus 1 cup milk."

I did some digging, and the commercially cultured version is available,
but what we buy in the supermarket dairy section is literally what the
local creamery has left over after churning butter, so I'll carry on
using that.

Many thanks for clearing this up

Peter

On 2019-09-26 11:44 AM, Boron Elgar wrote:
> What you describe as cornflour, we refer to as cornstarch, and yes, we
> use it for thickening, too.

To avoid confusion, in North America, corn flour is finely-ground corn,
not just the starch. Masa harina is used in Mexican cooking to make
things like corn tortillas; it's a flour ground from corn that has been
treated with lime (i.e. calcium hydroxide, not citrus).

Joel