Plain Corn Bread
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the dough
Sift the cornmeal into a bowl.
Add the salt.
Make a hole in the center.
Gradually mix in the cold water to form a soft dough.
Shape the dough into a ball.
Cook on the griddle
Place it on a hot griddle dusted with flour or cornmeal.
Pat the dough to a thickness of half an inch.
Cook until the bottom is browned.
Flip it using a knife.
Once the other side is browned, remove it from the griddle.
Keep the cooked bread warm on a plate over a tea kettle until ready to serve.
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 bulk of the bread and gives it its corn flavor and grainy structure.
- Cold water
- Hydrates the cornmeal so it binds into a soft, workable dough.
The step that matters
Gradually mix in the cold water. Adding water slowly lets the cornmeal absorb it evenly, so the dough reaches a soft, cohesive texture without becoming sticky or leaving dry pockets.
“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.
More cornbread recipes
You might also like
Tomato Soup526 recipes
Brown Bread461 recipes
Mutton Broth292 recipes
Yorkshire Pudding264 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.