Hi,

Below is a T & T recipe from America's Test Kitchen.

Fresh Corn Bread

A well seasoned 10" iron skillet is preferred, but an oven safe 10" skillet can be used. Alternatively, in step 4 you can add 1 Tblsp of butter to a 9" cake pan and place in oven until the butter melts.

1 1/3 cups (6 2/3 ounces) stone-ground corn meal

1 cup (5 ounces) all- purpose flour

2 Tblsp sugar (I use 4 Tblsp)

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 1/4 tsp salt

3 ears of corn, kernels cut from cob (2 1/4 cups)

6 Tblsp unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces

1 cup buttermilk

2 large eggs plus 1 large yolk

1) Adjust oven rack to middle position, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Whisk cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in large bowl.

2) Process corn kernels in blender until very smooth, about 2 minutes. ( This does not take 2 minutes, especially if you have a powerful blender, I just blend until I have purée, somewhat chunky). Transfer mixture to medium saucepan, (you should have about 1 1/2 cups). Cook purée over medium heat, stirring constantly, until very thick and deep yellow and it measures about 3/4 cup, 5 to 8 minutes.

3) Remove pan from heat. Add 5 Tblsps butter and whisk until melted and incorporated. Add buttermilk and whisk until incorporated. Add eggs and yolk and whisk until incorporated. Transfer corn mixture to bowl with cornmeal mixture and, using rubber spatula, fold together until just combined.

4) Melt remaining 1 Tblsp butter in 10" cast iron skillet over medium heat. Scrape batter into skillet and spread in an even layer. Bake until top is golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 23 to 28 minutes. Let cool in skillet on wire rack for 5 minutes. Remove cornbread from skillet and let cool for 20 minutes before cutting into wedges and serving.

You could also throw in some whole corn kernels, if desired. I know there are several steps, but entirely worth it. I receive many compliments on this cornbread. I am a New Englander and like this a bit sweeter per my note about sugar, but the less sweet version is also good if you prefer less sweetness. It also keeps well, if there is any leftover.

MJ

It will not keep but it does freeze well. I like using fresh white corn and grated cheedar and finely chopped green onion and or chives...and very finely chopped habanero. I triple Ruth Reichl's recipe (slightly altered) and have used a buttered sheet pan for a crowd. You may need two sheet pans!

I get a box of yellow cornmeal at my local grocery store and it has the recipe right on the box for the best cornbread I've ever had. I double the recipe to make it thicker and it turns out a bit moister.

Use either bacon drippings, or salted butter for the oil portion instead of shortening.

Also use extra large eggs at room temperature.

I inherited my grandmoms cast iron skillets, its really deep and my cornbread gets so tall.

I agree with Mavens, I use butter or bacon fat instead of shortening. I also like to add crumbled bacon, cheese, jalapenos, bits of ham, or all of the preceding!

Cornbread stales quickly but freezes well, so double bonus, you can make it in advance.

I don't have a favorite recipe, I keep trying new ones and I just like them all!

Annie

I know it is wrong but I swear by jiffy mix and add fresh corn kernels. Also use the jiffy to make corn pancakes.

Single best improvement that you can make to any cornbread recipe, IMO, is to use a whole kernel cornmeal and not the degerminated stuff (like Quaker.) I like the Hodgson Mill Stone Ground Yellow Cornmeal. Seems to make a moister cornbread. I tried Bob's Red Mill cornmeal once and was not impressed with it although I had a feeling that the bag I bought had been sitting on the grocery shelf for too long. The meal seemed very dry whereas a fresh bag of Hodgson Mill cornmeal looks and feels almost damp.

There are probably better meals to be had from some of the artisan mills. I've read a lot of positive comments about the cornmeal from Anson Mills. (It's pricey and I've not tried it.) I've been satisified with the Hodgson Mill product overall and delighted with it when I can find a very recently milled bag of it.

Thank you all for the input. I have a few more questions:

How should I package the bread to freeze, plastic wrap, foil, plastic bags...?

I have a 13" cast iron fry pan 2" deep or a 10" cast iron Dutch oven 4" deep. Can I use the Dutch Oven for a single batch of ATK recipe posted above or should I bake a double batch in the 13" fry pan? I ran the volume calcualtions and I think the double batch might be a tad too much for the 13" pan. Will the depth of the Dutch oven affect the baking of the cornbread?

Sleevendog - If I use the ATK recipe above, how much chedar cheese and scallions should I add?

Ci_lantro - I bought Bob's Red Mill since that is what was available. I saw a trick on ATK last night where they mix the cornmeal and liquid together and heated it in the mocrowave for a minute or two. The science was heating the mixture allowed the cornmeal to abosorb 4 to 5 times more liquid and made the corn muffins (bread) more moist. Since I bought Bob's, I might try this trick. What do you think?

The Dutch oven will work great for a single batch. My 13 inch pan is 3 inch deep and a double batch uses the whole three inches.

To freeze cakes I always use a few layers of plastic wrap and then put it in a plastic grocery bag and twist-tie it shut. You won't be freezing it for very long, so I'm sure that would be sufficient.

Wild Haired Mavens - Single batch it is! Thanks.

Blueocean m - Thank you.

My objection to Bob's Red Mill corn meal....and whole wheat flour, while I am complaining, is I often find it to be a touch rancid...over the hill...bitter.
Glad to hear Hodgkins Mill is better.
I make corn bread like the recipe posted by MJ without the kernal corn usually...but I may add corn from the cob or chili bits or bacon or bits of caramelized onions, or roasted red peppers or none of that, increase the sugar and serve with maple syrup....or sorghum.
I may cook it in a cast iron skillet, or an aluminum pan, or muffin tins...or in "globs" on a hot griddle or in the frying pan after the sausage is done.
It's all good!

Moosemac, that sounds like a great trick, heating the cornmeal w/ the liquids. I gotta' try that!

We have been soaking the corse meal. It wakes it up and softens. (hot water for a half hour or so) I also use corn flour for half the corn meal or run half of it through my grain grinder.

Actually never have made it the same way with additional ingredients. I have filled my pan half way, layered in some corse grated white cheddar, then poured over the rest of the wet mix. Chives, green onion? 1/2 cup per double batch?...

If a double batch uses 6 tbsp sugar i use maybe 2, if that. Or none. Fresh corn added is sweet enough.

Packing for the freezer ?....i wrap in parchment in 10" x 10" 'ish' blocks, sometimes already cut into squares and wrap in foil dotted with butter for a party....i can heat it in the oven or on the non-coal side of the grill.

Sometimes a bbq party can go on for hours with friends with kids showing up on the early side of the afternoon, then the older group for sunset. I can just add a packet to the grill as needed...

I just pay attention to how much soaking liquid i've used so i can remove that amount from the yogurt milk/buttermilk amount.

Thank you all for the tips. I manged to turn out 5 batches yesterday. It only took me 6 hours.Whew! My kitchen was a disaster when I finished. It looked like a frat house kitchen after a rough Saturday night LOL. I even had flour in my hair. I have no idea how it got there. But...overall I am happy with the result. My family thinks it isn't sweet enough; I think it is just sweet enough. I am going to serve it with either honey or maple syrup butter for those who like it sweeter.

This was first one which I think I over baked a tad.

The one below is the last one.

It is moist, has a nice corn flavor and isn't too dense. Overall I am happy with the results.

Today I am making batches of Boston Baked beans, 4 lbs. of Navy Bean and 4 lbs. of Kidney Beans for the pig roast. This is more in my comfort zone. I have my grandmother's and mother's bean pots. Cooking with them always brings back wonderful memories and makes me smile. I will freeze the beans in steamer pans with lids and bring them out Satruday morning to thaw then reheat on one of the grills.

Your corn breads look beautiful. I like the honey or maple syrup butter idea, I may try that next time in place of the extra sugar. I'm impressed with all the batch cooking you are doing for the pig roast. Have fun!

MJ

Kidney beans in Boston Baked beans??

Moosemac, could you show a picture of your bean pots and what they're made of? I love cooking beans.

Wild Haired Maven - I have two bean pots, one I inherited from my Grandmother aka Memere, the other I inherited from my mother. Memere’s bean pot is heavy crockery and was produced in the late 1800’s??. My mother’s bean pot is lighter weight possibly stoneware. Mom received it as a wedding present in the 1940’s. The two pots produce entirely different beans even if I use the same ingredients AND bake them at the same time. Memere's pot produces tender beans with a thick juice while my mother’s produces a slightly firmer beans with a tad thinner consistency juice.

I always bake the kidney beans in Memere's bean pot and the Navy beans in my mother's bean pot.

Here they are:

Side note: That is not the original cover on Memere's bean pot. My aunt broke the cover 50+ years ago. She was going to throw it out but my mother rescued it. For 20+ years, my mother used a saucer wrapped in foil as the cover. One Christmas my Dad handed her a small, hastily wrapped box. This from the man that gave Mom an envelope every Christmas. Anyway inside the box was the cover. Dad explained he had been scouring yard sales and antique shops looking for a cover for the bean pot. Mom only got to enjoy the cover for a couple years before she passed but she said it was the best present she ever received from Dad.

Thank you, now I'm on the hunt, I've never seen pots like those but they're mine when I find them.

OOoo! I have a Western Stoneware bean pot....somewhere,,,LOL! It does make the Best Beans!
But I have never heard of baked kidney beans.... pea beans, navy beans and even dried limas....Do you use the same recipe?

Wild Haired Mavens - My BFF wanted a bean pot like my Memere's. It took us 4 trips to the Brimfield Antique Flea Market but we finally found one. That was 10 years ago and I think she paid $60 for it. Good luck in your search! :-)

lindac92 - Boston Baked Bean are traditionally made with Navy beans but in our famiily we had both Baked Navy Beans and Baked Kidney Beans and yes the recipe is the same.

Here's the one I use.

1 lbs.
dried beans (kidney or pea/navy beans)

½ lb. lean salt pork

1 medium yellow onion, cut in half

1½ cups molasses

1 heapin’ tablespoon dry mustard

½+ cup brown sugar

Hot water

Rinse the beans in cold water. Remove any floating beans or debris. Drain the beans. Preheat oven to 250o.
Adjust racks to bottom half of oven. Rub the inside
of the bean pot with the salt pork. Place beans in bean pot. Add molasses,
brown sugar and mustard. Stir mixture. Place onion halves in beans and
press down into bean mixture. Place the salt pork on top of bean mixture. Add
enough hot water to just cover beans completely. Cover bean pot and place in
oven. Bake beans for 8 hours, checking beans every 2 hours, adding hot water to just cover the beans and stirring gently to incorporate. You will add the last of the hot water 2 hours before the end of the cooking time. There’s an old adage about the disastrous results of stirring the beans so use
restraint or you’ll “bruise” the beans. During the last 2 hours, you should
just barely be able to see the juice in the beans. Don’t add too much water
toward the end or you’ll end up with soupy beans.

Remove the beans from the oven, remover the salt pork and gentley stir. Serve directly from the bean pot or pour into a serving bowl.

A lot of folks soak their beans before cooking, I don't, I just cook them longer. That way they get infused with all the flavors not water.

I can bake 2 lbs of beans in each bean pot. I normally only use 12 oz. of salt pork for 2 lbs. of beans but if I am only making 1 lb. of beans, I still use a 1/2 lb. Not sure why but it seems to work best this way. LOL

I typically serve this with "Church Relish" and either ham or hot dogs.

My curiosity is peeked, moosemac. What is Church Relish?

very Very similar to the way my grandmother, my mother and I make baked beans....but we boil the beans first, with an onion sliced. Then put all the beans, onion and what's left of the cooking liquid into the bean pot. with molasses, brown sugar and dry mustard....but I use less molasses and a little more brown sugar....and top with a piece of salt pork that you sort of poke down into the beans....and cook for 8 hours....yadda yadda...checking...yadda....only stir....yadda yadda.
And served with grandma's Pickilily.
My grandmother believed that if you mashed the beans on your plate before eating them, they would be less gassy....Hmmmm?
Also she always cooked more than a pound of beans because she knew there would be "snitchers" in the kitchen, stealing some of those boiled beans before they even made it into the bean pot!

Oow those baked beans sound so good, soon as I find a croc I'm going to try it.

Being from the south I only made boiled beans.

We boil

1 lb of pinto beans with a garlic clove, and 1/2 inch of salt pork

1lb of lima beans with half a ham hock

1 lb of black eyed peas, and piece of salt pork

All are boiled low and slow for 8 hours in a coated cast iron dutch oven.

Serve with chow chow (our cabbage relish) and cornbread

Walnut Creek - Here's my aunt's Church Relish recipe. When I was a child I ate it for breakfast on buttered toast.

Church Relish

4 cans #2 tomatoes, chopped

1 lb. onions, slivered

1 lb. green pepper, slivered

3 cinnamon sticks

1 cup sugar

1 tbs. mustard seed

3 cups vinegar

2 tbs. salt

¼ tsp. cayenne

1 tbs. whole cloves

Combine ingredients in a large stockpot. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer on medium heat for 1 hour. Chill and serve with baked beans and ham.