I’ve tried a number of cornbread recipes over the years, and this is the closest I’ve found to perfection. My complaints about others are numerous: too sweet, too dense, too dry, too labor intensive. These muffins have none of those faults, and they have a wonderful texture to boot. In addition, I’ve found six muffins to be just the right amount—because there is nothing sadder than that last hunk of cornbread slowly molding on the kitchen counter. (Not that I’m suggesting such a thing ever happens in your house, of course.)
from The Bread Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum
Ingredients
1/2 (2.25 oz) cornmeal
1/2 cup plus 1/2 tablespoon (2.6 oz) all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons plus 2 (about 1 oz) teaspoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
2/3 cup (5.7 oz) sour cream*
2 tablespoons (1 oz) unsalted butter*
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Position one rack in the middle of the oven. Spray a 6-cup muffin pan with cooking spray. (Or put in paper liners.)
In a small glass bowl or measuring cup, melt the butter in the microwave and set aside to cool.
In a medium bowl, stir together cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
In a small bowl, lightly whisk together the egg and sour cream. (I find a fork works well for this.)
Stir the egg mixture into the flour mixture just until it is moistened. Fold in the melted butter just until incorporated. Don’t worry about lumps—overmixing will result in tough muffins. (I like to use my trusty silicone spatula for this step, but a wooden spoon would also do the job.)
Spoon batter into muffin cups, filling them almost to the top. Use a small spoon or a clean finger to smooth the tops if necessary. (If you have a 12-cup muffin pan, fill the other 6 cups half-full with water to ensure the pan heats evenly.)
Bake for 15-18 minutes or until the tops are golden brown and a wooden toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
Immediately unmold the muffins and cool right-side-up on a cooling rack. Serve at room temperature. Top with butter if feeling extravagant.
Store any leftovers in an airtight container 2-3 days. Reheat muffins at 400°F for about 4 minutes.
*I’m pleased to say these turned out equally well when made with tofu sour cream and Earth Balance.
I might try this tomorrow. I should make bread of some kind more often.
I've never tried making my own bread, but if ever there was a chance I'd do it, it'd be to make cornbread. I love cornbread.
Quickbreads ≠ bread. But quickbreads still rock.
Leftovers? Hah! Great stuff, pepper!
Sweetbreads also ≠ bread, but still rock.
Seconding Doc; a great addition to the WGOM's recipe book, Pepper.
Immediately unmold the muffins and cool right-side-up on a cooling rack. Serve at room temperature. Top with butter if feeling extravagant.
When I use cornbread mix, I like to take them out about 2-3 minutes from time and put a layer of honey on top and put it back in to finish.. It slightly affects the rise of the bread, but I find it worth it.