Cornbread - The Historic Comfort Food

A perfect accompaniment to winter soups and stews, the delicious and versatile comfort food known as cornbread has long been a part of our great American heritage.

An essential food for early American colonists, corn was a gift from the Native Americans, who had cultivated it for thousands of years. They stored the dried, pounded cornmeal for winter months when most other foods were not available. Simply mixed with water and cooked as a flatbread with wood ash added for leavening, it was a staple in the diet of Native Americans.

A popular Colonial recipe called Johnnycake was an adaptation of the cornmeal flatbread recipe that was baked or cooked over an open fire. Early cooks would season to their own tastes, and add other ingredients as budget and convenience allowed. Sweet milk, buttermilk, eggs and leavening were eventually introduced to make the cornbread tender and more palatable.

Throughout the years the early cornbread known as johnnycake has also been called hoe cake, ash cake or corn pone, depending on how it was cooked and who was doing the cooking. Today there are as many variations of the cornbread recipe as there are regions in the United States. Different tastes and cultures produced the cornbreads that we now enjoy, and each one is considered a comfort food in its own region.

Clabber Girl currently features three different cornbread recipes on the back of the Clabber Girl Baking Powder can. Southern Cornbread and Golden Cornbread have been favorites for many years. The newest addition, Hush Puppies, is quickly growing in popularity.

These recipes and more are featured in the Clabber Girl New Classics recipe booklet, available for just $1.99 to cover shipping and handling, plus a proof of purchase from one of our Clabber Girl or Rumford products. Or, you can now purchase the booklet at our online store for $2.99.

Hush Puppies – a great adaptation of the Johnnycake, these are crispy little nuggets seasoned with onions and deep-fried.

Southern Cornbread is made with white cornmeal, and is unsweetened. The ¼ cup of oil in the recipe can be replaced with bacon drippings for additional flavor. The baking pan should be oiled and preheated in the oven before the batter is poured in, creating a crispy crust. – A cast iron skillet works best in this recipe.

Golden Cornbread is made with yellow cornmeal, and a hint of sweetness for the northerner’s taste buds.

Visit our Recipe Box for other variations and uses for cornbread. Just enter corn bread or cornbread into your keyword search.