So what’s the deal about cornbread today? It’s in the taste and texture. I have found out that people do tend to end up making cornbread they find nonappealing, and then the questions start to arise as to where they must have gone wrong. Hear me as I say this, it might not be you; it might just be the recipe!
There are numerous ways cornbread can be made, from hoecakes which are like the thinnest in the cornbread family to the thick and chunky types of cornbread. Even if you intend using all the cheese, milk and cream you have, there’s no end to the combination of ingredients that can be used in cornbread.
That said, you have to decide what your exact needs are and also what you intend pairing it off with before you pick what stays and what goes off the ingredients list.
Another thing we all can’t deny we love about cornbread is the endless stream of sides we can pair it with, all that will be our focus for the day: knowing some perfect recipes for cornbread and side dishes.
Cornbread Recipes
Simple Vegan Cornbread
So let’s start with the vegans choice this time, this recipe by Pickles&Honey is for those who like their cornbread soft, nothing strong, nothing dried, nothing crusty or crunchy, just soft, tasty, cakey cornbread that you can munch on all day.
The ingredients used in the recipe are everyday home ingredients which means that you can wake up one beautiful morning, stroll into your kitchen and make some vegan cornbread without having to buy any additives, isn’t that just l-o-v-e-l-e-y.
The combination of almond oil and coconut milk together gives the cornbread a fresh and nutty softness in flavours and texture; it should take you about 30 minutes to put this cornbread together so there shouldn’t be any fuss for time.
Bacon Upside down Cornbread
Before we continue talking about this recipe by Sweet Savant, take a look at the picture of the cornbread! Absolutely délicieux, I just had to speak some French. This is the kind of cornbread that gets cleared up even before you are done with the rest of your cooking.
There is a kick to this dish though, it isn’t at all low in fat, and it is indicated on the page so if you are up for it, then it is my solemn advice to use this recipe when next you want to make cornbread that isn’t simple or plain.
Be extremely careful when pouring the batter over the bacon so that it comes out neat and perfect, also ensure the batter itself is in the right consistency.
Classic Cornbread
This recipe by Simply Gluten Free is a very classic style of making cornbread with no additional ingredients to complicate things or make the food heavier than usual, and its gluten free.
This cornbread has a somewhat balanced out fusion of all its ingredients, and it’s done without sugar, so, for those that like very plain cornbread that isn’t rock hard and not mushy soft either, you have a recipe as well.
Now, I just have to mention that I saw a recipe for cornbread ice cream and it looked great! There really isn’t anything too special about the whole making procedure, just cornbread mixed with ice cream but did it ever cross your mind? Check out the recipe Take A Mega Bite to shake things up a little.
Sides! Sides!! Sides!!!
Navy Beans Soup
Beans soup is a perfect side dish to pair your cornbread with, not only does beans serve as a source of protein to balance the carbs you get from the cornbread, dipping your cornbread in hot soup gives you all the comfort you need in a meal.
This navy beans soup recipe by Happy Mothering makes use of a slow cooker which means you spend more time making this beans soup than you would have spent making it on a stove top but for the stress it saves you, and how soft you want your beans to be, it’s time well spent.
Some people prefer their beans soup very broken down: that is the beans is mashed into an excellent consistency whereby you see no solids at all, this is also a very nice way to try it.
Saurkraut
This isn’t the exact kind of side that everyone thinks of instantly but it is considered a good option to go with your cornbread and also a different one compared to all the chili commonly used as sides.
Let’s make pork and Sauerkraut with this recipe by Crafty Cooking Mama for a change. If you don’t know what sauerkraut is, it is a kind of fermented cabbage dish that is highly nutritious and aside from the sauerkraut and probably the Hungarian paprika every other ingredient used shouldn’t be hard to get. This dish takes you almost five hours to put together.
Okra with Tomatoes
Okra is a plant that is constantly avoided mainly due to the way it slimes but I deceive you not, it is packed with a lot of vitamins.
Depending on the way you cook it, you can enjoy it without cutting it through which leaves the slime locked in until you are ready to eat and it is one delicious plant once you get it right. Use this recipe by Give Recipe, and you will be an okra devotee after that.
Get Baking!!!
So there is always this argument about whether or not sugar should be used in making cornbread as “true Southerners” always find it offensive to even mention sugar in the same sentence with cornbread…Okay, I am exaggerating, but they do not see the need for sugar in it, and some of the recipes discussed above have sugar in their ingredients list, so this is what you should do, skip it!
If at all there should be any alteration in the way the cornbread turns out because of you leaving out sugar, it should be minimal. What makes the definition of authentic cornbread where you are from? If you care to share, I don’t mind the gist.