Friday, July 12, 2013

Leah Nesbitt's Cornbread Recipe

Let it go on record that Danny Klecko loves Sarah Beadle, so whenever she requires my services....the rest of you will need to wait.

Recently when I was in my prayer closet, sending supplications to my Father in Heaven, I saw the Beadle signal flashing over the sky of Gotham.


So now I pick up my Beadle phone and call Sarah, and she informs me that she loves Leah Nesbitt, and Leah Nesbitt needs a killer corn bread recipe.

Polish Jesus........give your humble servant a moment of wisdom and clarity.

Well Leah, the first thing you need to know about cornbread is....................

The cooler you try to get with it -

The further from its origins you get -

The higher likelihood you'll have of producing a crappy product.

I am guessing you are wanting a personal size batch instead of a commercial formula, so I decided to start our journey in Marjorie Johnsons cookbook.

If you don't know who she is Leah, you can read my previous post (where a full description is included) or simply trust me when I tell you she had won more Blue Ribbons and Baking Sweepstakes awards than anybody ever-ever.

Let's get started.........................

BATTER

1 CUP ALL PURPOSE FLOUR

1 CUP YELLOW CORNMEAL

1/4 SUGAR

1 TEASPOON SALT

3 TEASPOON B-POWDER

2 EGGS

1/4 CUP BUTTER / MELTED

1 CUP MILK

preheat your over to 425. remember....your batter doesn't take long to put together. B-Powder loses energy fast so make sure that oven is at its proper temp as soon as you fill your foil.

grease / spray a 9" foil -

in a bowl -

flour - cornmeal - sugar - salt - b-powder -

beat eggs add butter and milk to eggs -

now add wet to dry -

stir ,  incorporate.....but don't mix, you will overwork it. I really suggest hand or whisk or spatula....not a kitchen aid.

pour into pan -

bake for 20-25 minutes -

bake until golden brown -

you can use the "toothpick" trick, or wait for the cornbread to pull away from the foils walls -

OTHER POINTS TO NOTE ......................

Blue Corn Meal - Ewwwww, it is nasty. It lacks grit and gets soggy. You lose mouth feel, but if you are a hippy or have religious reasons.....well, I guess........

MODIFICATIONS ....................................

That cup of milk, well Klecko would split that to 1/2 cup milk and 1/2 cup sour cream. I just think it tightens the product up, giving if more heft and a prettier crumbwall.

HOT ?

Some peeps throw jalapeno's into their corn bread.

If so, here is a couple things to remember.....

Strain those peppers. If you have a bunch of juice, your product will have less strength. Also....jalapeños will attack the b-powder. it's like pointing a gun on a fat man and forcing him to run....within moment....BOOM....heart attack city.

If you add peppers, add a pinch more of the b-powder to compensate.

Good luck Leah, if you need any other help....Klecko is 651 329 4321 
 

6 comments:

  1. Oh I have to try that. I have Marjorie's cookbook, signed copy even. Had a nice chat with her at a Cook's event. What a sweetheart! Do you use foils at home too? Do you ever use a "real" pan and is there any difference in how they bake?

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    1. Zenner,

      I do use foils at home, you certainly can use a thicker dish/pan....but that will lead to a more intense "Direct Heat", causing a thicker crust. Many people like that effect, however...as I Polack, I stay away from crust drama LOL.

      Good question.

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  2. Sounds great, but do you really need that much baking powder?

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  3. Clever cornbread.

    Yes, this is a fun recipe. After a stint of a few years down South, I appreciate the down-home appeal and folks-friending cornbread naturally bakes up.

    As a fan of a soft crumb in all things baked, I always use buttermilk and a little more flour than corn meal. Using some self-rising flour makes the cornbread lighter.

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    Replies
    1. Lee, I have never used much self rising flour.......thanks for the tip.

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