Corn bread, American corn flour bread

Among typical American recipes, a place of importance is occupied by corn bread, corn bread of very ancient origins. Here's how to prepare it!

Corn bread is a typical dish of American cuisine . It boasts very ancient origins (it is thought that it was already prepared by Native Americans) and is widespread throughout the country. Initially served during the Thanksgiving holiday , its consumption was then extended to the rest of the year.

Cornbread, or cornbread, can be made with any variety of corn . It follows that there are as many variations of bread whose color changes depending on whether traditional corn, red corn or blue corn is used.

The other ingredients, however, are essentially always the same: eggs, butter, buttermilk and yeast. Some more modern versions include the addition of already cooked corn kernels , but we will stick to the original corn bread recipe.

How to prepare the corn bread recipe

1. To prepare corn bread it is essential to have buttermilk . If you struggle to find it you can prepare it with our recipe .
2. In a bowl mix the two flours , salt and yeast . Separately, mix buttermilk , eggs and sugar .
3. Pour the liquid part over the powders, mixing with a kitchen spatula. Finally, add the now cold melted butter . It is important to mix all the ingredients quickly, without mixing too much.
4. Now line a rectangular baking tray measuring approximately 22×26 cm (or a 20-22 cm round one) with baking paper and pour in the mixture. This will be quite consistent and not very fluid but you don't have to worry about it. Level the surface with a spatula and bake at 220°C for 25-30 minutes. Also in this case you can use the toothpick test to check the cooking.
5. Let your American cornbread cool completely before serving it cut into squares.

We also leave you a short video in the original language where you can see all the steps of the recipe we have described.

Some more modern versions add 100 g of cooked and blended corn to the dough. We preferred to stick to tradition so as to bring it to the table on Thanksgiving day together with the stuffed turkey .

Conservation

Cornbread tends to dry out pretty quickly. Store it tightly closed in a plastic bag for a maximum of two days. Crumble the leftover one in cold milk just like Americans are used to: you will get a rich breakfast or a different snack than usual.

Origin and history

Cornbread is a cornbread of very ancient origins . Different from what we mean by bread, it is a cross between sweet and savory with a consistency more similar to the first. Corn cultivations had been widespread throughout the Americas since the time of the Maya and the first settlers had to learn from the natives how to use it to make up for the lack of soft wheat.

Originally, however, cornbread was very different from what we are used to today. In fact, it was prepared with just corn flour and water and everything was then cooked on a high flame. The addition of eggs, buttermilk and yeast dates back to the 18th century. In this version two major absences are still white flour and sugar.

Following the introduction of the most modern corn milling techniques, the quality of the flour deteriorated drastically in the 19th century and it became necessary to add the two new ingredients. Today in the United States cornbread is made with cornmeal , a slightly different mixture than our cornmeal. There are various preparations on the market, but the most famous is undoubtedly Jiffy Corn Mix.

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