Southern Corn Bread
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a hot oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Make the batter
Dissolve the baking soda in the buttermilk.
Combine the buttermilk mixture with cornmeal, lard, and salt.
Add water to achieve the desired consistency, adding more if necessary.
Bake
Pour the mixture into a baking dish and cook in a hot oven at 400°F (200°C) until golden.
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
- Cornmeal
- Forms the main body and structure of the bread.
- Buttermilk
- Its acidity reacts with the baking soda and adds moisture and tang.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the buttermilk's acid to release gas, lifting the batter.
- Lard
- Adds fat that tenderizes the crumb and helps the surface brown.
The step that matters
Baking in a hot oven. The baking soda releases gas as soon as it reacts with the acid, so the batter should go straight into a hot oven. Heat expands the gas quickly for good lift, and sets the crust before the batter deflates. Hot heat also drives browning on the surface.
“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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