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Plain Corn Bread

A simple cornmeal bread baked with water, lard or butter, salt, baking soda, and boiled water.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 5 ingredients
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Plain Corn Bread

Oven, in the book's wordsA quick oven

Ingredients

Directions

The book says “a quick oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.

Make the batter

  1. Pour boiling water over the cornmeal to scald it, stirring well without forming a dough.

  2. Let the mixture cool until tepid; it should be dry.

  3. Add melted lard or butter and mix well.

  4. Gradually add water and beat until the batter is smooth.

  5. Dissolve baking soda in a little boiling water and add to the mixture.

Bake and serve

  1. Grease a baking pan and pour in the batter.

  2. Bake in a 400°F (200°C) oven for about 35 minutes, until golden brown.

  3. Remove the bread from the pan and place it on a hot platter.

  4. Cut into slices and serve.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.

Explore the science

What each ingredient does

Fine white cornmeal
Provides the main structure and corn flavor once scalded and baked into a crumb.
Water
Hydrates the scalded cornmeal into a smooth batter that sets as it bakes.
Baking soda
Reacts with the batter to produce gas that lifts and lightens the bread.
Lard or butter
Adds fat that tenderizes the crumb and carries flavor.

The step that matters

Let the scalded mixture cool until tepid and dry. Cornmeal must absorb boiling water gently and be cooled before adding fat and baking soda, so the batter stays smooth and the baking soda does not react too early or unevenly.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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