Scalded Corn Bread
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no oven temperature. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point.
Prepare the batter
Mix cornmeal and salt in a bowl.
Pour boiling water over the mixture, stirring constantly until it forms a thick mush.
Let the mixture cool, then beat in the egg.
Cook and bake
Melt lard in a pan to prevent sticking.
Drop spoonfuls of the mixture into the pan.
Bake quickly at 400°F (200°C).
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 of the bread, as its starch thickens and sets when heated.
- Boiling water
- Gelatinizes the cornmeal starch, turning the mixture into a thick mush that holds its shape.
- Egg
- Binds the mixture and adds structure and richness to the cornbread.
- Lard
- Adds fat for moisture and tenderness, and keeps the spoonfuls from sticking to the pan.
The step that matters
Stirring the boiling water into the cornmeal. Stirring constantly spreads the hot water evenly so the starch in the cornmeal swells into a smooth, thick mush. Lumps left dry will not set properly and can make the cornbread crumbly.
“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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