this is cornbread from Georgia ... it should be cooked in a well-seasoned cast iron skillet. NO sugar. NO flour. Use buttermilk. Make sure the skillet is smoking hot before you pour the batter. If you're lucky the batter will push the shortening up and over the outside edge forming a delicious 1/2" crust all the way around. Southern Corn Bread Serves 8 Yanks, 4 Rebs. Source: White Lily. (I do not use the sugar.) 2 cups White Lily cornbread mix (white, self-rising) 1 1/2 cups buttermilk 1/4 cup melted Crisco 1 egg lightly beaten 1 to 2 tbsps sugar (optional) Preheat well-greased 8 or 10" iron skillet in 425°F oven. Blend all ingredients, stirring just until moistened. The batter should be lumpy and rather thin. Pour into HOT skillet. Bake 20 to 25 minutes for 10" skillet or 25 to 30 minutes for 8" skillet or 8x8x2' pan. Serve hot with butter. White Lily mix is not avilable in my area. If you can't import the real stuff from the deep South, substitute a stone-ground, self-rising WHITE cornbread mix. Better yet, order the real stuff from www.whitelily.com Remember Southern cornmeal is ground from white corn and Southern cornbread is nothing like sweet Northern cake-like cornbread. It's even less like North Carolina cornbread which is similar to very sweet spoonbread which has collapsed.

Emily, I'm sorry you had trouble. I think that too much flour might have been the problem. I know the recipe calls for 6 cups of flour, but whenever I make any kind of bread, I always hold back at least 1 or more cups. I only add more flour if I think the mixture is too, too wet. I forgot that I kind-of ran into the same problem you're describing. Even at the five cup stage, the flour mixture seemed more like a kneading dough than a batter. So I remember (now) adding about 1/4 -1/3 cup additional water to make it more batter-like. When I got the batter into the pans, I was so worried about over-proofing the dough. I didn't want to pop the pans into a hot oven and then watch the bread deflate. So I think I could have let the dough rise in the pans longer. I'm sorry you had trouble. Forgive me for not mentioning anything. This old gray mare's brain ain't what it used to be. I need to make a note on my copy of the recipe too or else the next time I make it, who knows what I'll remember. I hope you'll try the bread again. It really did turn out well. My biggest problem right now is that my husband keeps wanting to have "toast" snacks.

Here's a traditional Kentucky recipe for "light" bread: Sift 4 cups all purpose flour. In a saucepan combine 1 1/2 cups of sweet milk, 1 teaspoon of salt, 2 tablespons of sugar, and 6 tablespoons of solid shortening and stir over low heat until the shortenting melts. Let the mixture cool to lukewarm, then add 2 crumbled cakes of fresh yeast (or 2 packages of dry yeast) and stir until dissolved. Add the milk mixture to the sifted flour a little at a time, stirring continuously to get a smooth and thoroughly blended dough ball. Transfer it to a greased bowl, voer with a damp cloth, and let rise in a warm place to double in size. When dough has risen, turn it out on a floured surface and knead it for several minutes to get a smooth and elastic texture. Shape to fit into a greased 9-inch loaf pan, let it rise again in the pan to double in size, bake on the bottom shelf of a prehated 425 degree oven for 8 to 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 and leave on bottom shelf for 30 more minutes,or until nicely browned and firm on top. If the loaf seems to be browning too quickly brush top with butter and lay a sheet of aluminum foil loosely over it.

Karen, none of the recipes I found for Ezekiel Bread had sprouts in them... I'm posting these but I know they aren't what you're looking for. Sorry I couldn't help! Ezekiel Bread 4 packets yeast 1 cup warm water 1 tablespoon honey 8 cups wheat flour 4 cups barley flour 2 cups soy flour 1/2 cup millet flour 1/4 cup rye flour 1 cup lentils, cooked and mashed 4 tablespoons olive oil, (4 to 5) 1/2 cup honey, (1/2 to 3/4) 4 cups water 1 tablespoon salt spiced peaches Dissolve yeast in 1 cup warm water and 1 tablespoon of honey. Set aside 10 minutes. Combine the next five ingredients. Blend lentils, oil, honey and a small amount of water in a blender. Place in a large mixing bowl with remaining water. Stir in two cups of (mixed) flour. Add the yeast mixture. Stir in salt and remaining flour. Place on floured bread board and knead until smooth. Put in oiled bowl. Let rise until double in bulk. Knead again, cut dough and shape into four large loaves. Place in greased pans. Let rise. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes to one hour. There is some confusion about the "fitches" called for in the original recipe. Apparently, the fitches referred to a herb. Cumin, fennel and nutmeg have all been suggested as the mistranslated "fitches". Take your pick or leave them out. Any of them will add a unique taste to your homemade bread. Ezekiel bread Ingredients 2 1/2 cups wheat berries 1 1/2 cups spelt flour 1/2 cup barley 1/2 cup millet 1/4 cup dry green lentils 2 tablespoons dry Great Northern beans 2 tablespoons dry kidney beans 2 tablespoons dried pinto beans 4 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C) 1 cup honey 1/2 cup olive oil 2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast 2 tablespoons salt Directions 1 Measure the water, honey, olive oil, and yeast into a large bowl. Let sit for 3 to 5 minutes. 2 Stir all of the grains and beans together until well mixed. Grind in a flour mill. Add fresh milled flour and salt to the yeast mixture; stir until well mixed, about 10 minutes. The dough will be like that of a batter bread. Pour dough into two greased 9 x 5 inch loaf pans. 3 Let rise in a warm place for about 1 hour, or until dough has reached the top of the pan. 4 Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 45 to 50 minutes, or until loaves are golden brown.