Family Baking Activity -
Johnnycake or Cornbread?
In
this baking activity you will learn about the history of corn and
cornbread. Corn was essential to early colonists in America, and
they learned about corn from native Americans. We have three different
recipes for cornbread; Johnnycake, Quick
Cornbread, and Peach Johnnycake.
Before looking
at the recipes and deciding which one to bake, learn about the
history of corn in America and discover how it was an important
part of our nation's history and why it is now so important to
our modern way of life. Also, try and answer these questions:
- Are there
other names for corn?
- What is
Indian Meal?
- How did
Johnnycake get its name?
- What are
other names for Johnnycake and cornbread?
- What other
new foods did early colonists find in America?
Before Christopher
Columbus came to America, corn was sacred to the Mayans, Aztecs
and Incas. Learn
about the Maize God.
Native
American History of Corn, Learn about
the Native American history of corn and uses for other parts of
the corn plant - see how to make corn husk dolls.
Corn
Facts, Corn products and the role of corn in the first Thanksgiving
menu. http://www.campsilos.org/mod3/students/c_history.shtml
Learn about
hushpuppies and corn pone in the history of
Soul Food
Maize
- Gift from America's first peoples - History of corn and
its present uses - sponsored by Iowa State University.
Recipe
#1:
Peach
Johnnycake
Materials
needed:
- 9x13 inch
baking pan
- Shortening,
or butter to grease pan
- Two medium
mixing bowls and one small
- Measuring
spoons
- Measuring
cups - dry and liquid
- electric
mixer
- oven
- wire whisk
Ingredients:
4 tablespoons
butter
1/2 cup honey
1 egg
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup corn meal
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
3-4 peaches, sliced (about 3 1/2 cups)
Streusel topping:
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 cups pecans, diced
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
Instructions:
- Read the
recipe top to bottom first-adults and children together. Explain
to children all steps and methods in advance. Discuss and answer
any questions.
- Have all
the ingredients and utensils out and ready to go. Let children
help prepare.
- Preheat
oven to 375 degrees.
- Grease
9x13 inch pan with shortening or butter.
- In a medium
bowl, Cream together the butter and honey on medium speed, then
add the egg and mix for one minute. (The mixture may look lumpy-it
is okay).
- In another
medium bowl Whisk together the flour, corn meal, baking powder,
baking soda and salt.
- Add the
dry ingredients alternately with the milk, beginning and ending
with the dry ingredients.
- Stir in
the peaches and spoon the batter into the prepared baking dish.
- For
the streusel:
Whisk
together the flour, cinnamon, pecans, brown sugar and salt.
Add the butter and mix by hand to form crumbs. Sprinkle the
streusel over the batter in the pan.
- Bake for
50 - 60 minutes. (The amount of peaches make the batter unusually
moist and therefore hard to use the toothpick or cake tester
method). The cake is done when it springs back when pressed
ver so gently in the center.
- Place baking
pan on cooling rack to cool.
Additional activities:
- After learning
about the history of corn, cornbread and johnnycake, do you
think you could tell which of our recipes is the oldest or most
modern just by looking at the ingredients, name or baking method?
- Which recipe
uses the creaming method of mixing learned in baking activity
#1, shortcakes?
- Look for
other cornbread recipes you want to try next time. Or let children
dream up their own creations (with your guidance), making a
sweet cornbread with fruits, or savory cornbread with spices,
cheese, etc.
- Go to the
Home Baking Association website www.homebaking.org
for more Family Fun baking activities.
