GAMMEE’S CORNBREAD
This is an example of a batter-style quick bread. It’s extremely fast to make, and if you like a textured bread, use a coarsely ground cornmeal. Gammee would use bacon fat leftover from breakfast, rather than olive oil.
INGREDIENTS
1 egg
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon baking soda
2/3 cup yellow cornmeal
1/3 cup all-purpose or whole-wheat flour
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
DIRECTIONS
Heat oven to 375˚F. Grease an 8-inch square or 9-inch round baking pan.
In medium bowl, beat egg, sugar, and salt together with fork. Stir in buttermilk and soda. Stir in cornmeal, flour, and oil. Mix with a wooden spoon just until batter is smooth.
Pour into baking pan. Bake 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire rack.
Baker’s Note: Buttermilk, the milk left after butter is churned, is also called sour milk. When added to flour along with bicarbonate of soda (called baking or bread soda), a chemical reaction occurs between the acidic buttermilk and alkaline soda that causes the gas production that leavens baked goods. A substitute for buttermilk is soured or “clabbered” milk: 1 cup buttermilk equals 1 teaspoon vinegar plus enough regular milk to make 1 cup. Stir and let stand until the milk begins to curdle (it will look lumpy).