~Dear friends ~ If the only corn bread you've ever met came pre-prepared from a plastic container at the grocery store or from a cardboard box then I am sorry to tell you that you have been depriving yourself one of life's simplest edible pleasures. The joy that comes from biting to into a warm, moist, full of sweet golden corn with the taste and scent of rustic cornmeal and the the sweetness of honey, corn bread. Simple. Honest. Period. But I come bearing good news with the definiative answer - home made corn bread with corn. Did you hear what I said? with corn. How many cornbreads that you've eaten have actually had little morsels of golden corn in it?
Not many, I'm sure. For me during my growing up years, a trip to LA always included - a trip to Mary Callender's for their apple pie, corn bread and spaghetti & meatballs. Things have changed however - on my end or their end. Now, there are only few places I where I adore the corn bread and that I believe has largely come about from me developing an actual opinion on the subject. For one, I know I like mine sweeter than savory. I also like mine moist rather than dry and crumbly. I also like mine to be made from scratch, slathered with butter and warm out of the oven. Now in case you are wondering why I bake mine in a muffin pan? That would be 1) impatience (they bake quicker) bringing me closer to warm & slathered with butter. 2) Because I recognize that # 1 is a very bad thing for me & my hips and so muffin pan = muffin sized portions = portion control. It's taken me years of trial and error and pans full of mediocre corn bread to finally declare that I now have - THE Definitive Answer to End Our Corn Bread Woes. Before you think I've bitten off more than I can chew on this subject, fix it-eat it and then drop me a line.
Gather the ingredients - all purpose flour, corn meal, white sugar, baking powder, baking soda, heavy cream, milk, canned corn kernels, butter, honey, egg, salt and pure vanilla extract. Note - I find the canned kernels much sweeter than the frozen or fresh variety and I think these muffins need the sweetness. Prepare the ingredients - Eggs - Crack the eggs in a mixing bowl and discards shells. Butter - Melt in a pyrex or microwave safe dish. Canned corn - Drain all the liquid form the can of corn using a sieve before using. Preheat the oven to 400 deg F. Cook's Note - If you do not like your corn bread a rich golden brown as shown and prefer a lighter corn bread then preheat the oven to 375 deg F
Use a small mixing bowl for the dry ingredients and a large mixing bowl for the batter. Blend till combined.
In the larger mixing bowl add the wet ingredients - add the eggs and combine with a whisk. Add the honey, heavy cream, milk, melted butter and pure vanilla extract. Whisk till combined and blended. Cook's Note re: corn kernels - If yu are particular that the corn kernels do not settle towards the bottom of the muffin, add them to the dry flour mix and combne to coat the kernerls with flour. Other wise, add the kernels to the wet mix and stir till combined.
To the larger bowl with the wet ingredients, add the dry ingredients and use a whisk till well combined. Cook's Note - The batter will be quite loose and if you taste it, it will be quite sweet. The sweetness will lessen after baking once the cornmeal adds its own earthy flavors to the muffin.
Spray a muffin pan or a cast iron skillet (if you prefer) with nonstick baking spray. Empty the batter equally into the muffin pan or skillet.
Muffin pan - Bake the corn bread in the preheated oven for about 17-20 minutes till golden brown or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cast Iron skillet - Bake the corn bread in the preheated oven for about 30-35 minutes till golden brown or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Allow the pan to cool for a few minutes. Cut and serve directly from the skillet. Remove the muffins from the muffin pan and allow them to cool slightly on a baking rack. Serve warm with butter.
What's not to love? Wrm and most corn muffins with the sweetness of corn in every bite and the earthy flavors of cornmeals and honey is heaven in the mouth. I love serving this with Chili or a stew on a cool evening. Recipe for Pillow-Soft Honey Corn Bread
Preparation time - 10 minutes
Cooking time - 20 minutes
Makes 12 muffins
Shopping list 1 cup all-purpose flour 3/4 cup corn meal 2 tbs white sugar 1/4 cup honey 1/2 cup heavy cream 1/2 cup milk 1# 15 oz can corn kernels (about 1 cup) 1/4 cup butter 1 egg 1/2 tbs pure vanilla extract 1 tsp baking powder 1 tsp baking soda 1/4 tsp salt Preparation - Eggs - Crack the eggs in a mixing bowl and discards shells. Butter - Melt in a pyrex or microwave safe dish. Canned corn - Drain all the liquid form the can of corn using a sieve before using. Cooking Method - Preheat the oven to 400 deg F. Cook's Note - If you do not like your corn bread a rich golden brown as shown and prefer a lighter corn bread then preheat the oven to 375 deg F. Use a small mixing bowl for the dry ingredients and a large mixing bowl for the batter. Blend till combined. In the larger mixing bowl add the wet ingredients - add the eggs and combine with a whisk. Add the honey, heavy cream, milk, melted butter and pure vanilla extract. Whisk till combined and blended. Cook's Note re: corn kernels - If yu are particular that the corn kernels do not settle towards the bottom of the muffin, add them to the dry flour mix and combne to coat the kernels with flour. Other wise, add the kernels to the wet mix and stir till combined. To the larger bowl with the wet ingredients, add the dry ingredients and use a whisk till well combined. Cook's Note - The batter will be quite loose and if you taste it, it will be quite sweet. The sweetness will lessen after baking once the cornmeal adds its own earthy flavors to the muffin. Spray a muffin pan or a cast iron skillet (if you prefer) with nonstick baking spray. Empty the batter equally into the muffin pan or skillet. Muffin pan - Bake the corn bread in the preheated oven for about 17-20 minutes till golden brown or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cast Iron skillet - Bake the corn bread in the preheated oven for about 30-35 minutes till golden brown or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the pan to cool for a few minutes. Cut and serve directly from the skillet. Remove the muffins from the muffin pan and allow them to cool slightly on a baking rack. Serve warm with butter. Enjoy!
