Cornbreads On The Side

I am out of town on Spring Break (but don’t even think about robbing me–my dogs will eat you) so you are getting a double feature bonus post. Bonus because I might not have normally shared these muffins, seeing as I have no pictures of them. However they are of a theme with the pancakes so I figured why not.

Like many (North and South) Americans, we like corn based breads with our beans around here. I made chili last week and decided to experiment with some corn muffins. When I ran out of those and we were eating leftover Greek beans, I decided to try an unsweetened corn pancake–what the rest of the world would deem a flatbread. Both were terrific, huge hits (and the muffins freeze well). So while I am visiting relatives and perusing foodie items in Pittsburgh’s Strip District, especially at Mon Aimee Chocolat, here are some very easy, very fast cornbreads for you to serve with dinner. Both of them, of course, came from The Cornbread Gospels, which is rapidly becoming my go-to book for grabbing when it is too late to make any other kind of bread with dinner.

Corn Flapjacks
Closely adapted from Lynn Larson’s Crisp Corn Flapjacks (Lynn’s have no sugar), The Cornbread Gospels

2/3 cup stone ground cornmeal (I used fine)
1/2 t salt
1 1/2 t sugar
1/4 t baking soda
2 T AP flour
2 T cold unsalted butter, cut into tiny pieces
1 cup buttermilk (I used country style, which has more fat, just because it is what I had)
oil for the pan

Perhaps because I added a small amount of sugar, these pancake stuck for me until I liberally oiled a nonstick pan. However, they were delicious and needed no butter, so I am not sure they ended up any less healthy for it.

Whisk together the cornmeal, sugar, salt, flour and baking soda. I keep my cornmeal in the freezer, so I rubbed the butter into the flour mix using my hands. You can cut in by some other method, but I felt like there was not enough dry ingredients to be able to use my pastry cutter effectively. At any rate, cut the butter in by whichever method you prefer.

Preheat a nonstick skillet with a few teaspoons of oil in it on medium heat. When it is nearly hot enough, stir the buttermilk in, just until the dry ingredients have been moistened. Do not worry about lumps. Ladle out small pancakes (2-3 inches diameter at most). It may take one or two pancakes to get the timing and temperature right–you are looking for the bottom to brown and the top to not be too runny when you flip them, probably 1-3 minutes. They will cook much more quickly on the second side. Serve hot.

Simply Corn Muffins
The Cornbread Gospels, Crescent Dragonwagon

1 cup (126 g) AP flour
1 cup stone ground cornmeal (I tried fine and coarse ground and preferred the fine)
1/2 t salt
1 T baking powder
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1/2 t baking soda (it will be dissolved into the buttermilk)
2 eggs
1/3 cup sugar (could use 1/4 cup if you prefer, I did not)
1/3 cup melted butter or vegetable oil (I used combination)

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Spray a 12 cup muffin tin with oil.

Whisk together the flour, cornmeal, salt and baking powder. Set aside.

Whisk together the baking soda and buttermilk (I forgot every time and added the baking soda later to no apparent ill effect). Whisk in the eggs, sugar and melted butter or oil. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry–mix gently and only mix until moistened. Do not overmix and do not worry about lumps.

Divide the batter between the muffin cups. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the muffins comes out clean, 15-20 minutes. Serve warm with good butter.