Corn Light Bread (My Mother’s Recipe File: Part 2)

I meant to blog last week but representing my mother’s recipes is not to be taken lightly. The tasters have been great with everything from fascinating 70’s appetizers to cookies to salads (well one taster won’t eat salad but it’s too late to teach that old dog a thing). Although there’s not a clear winner and continuing to test recipes is a lot of fun (and heavily encouraged by tasters), this one in particular is something my mom made frequently, and it was always a favorite – her recipe for Corn Light Bread.

It’s possible that this may be a Tennessee specialty. A Wikipedia search for the history came up completely empty. I know my mother made this as did my grandmother as well as a slew of great aunts, cousin etc. Recipes for Corn Light Bread can be found in lots of older local cookbooks, and they are almost all identical from Mrs. Russell’s in the Hermitage Cookbook to Mrs. Harwell’s in the original Nashville Seasons. And no, the word light does not refer to light (or lite – that’s not really a word is it?) as in calories. This recipe has plenty of everything you can’t help but love. This is easy to serve because it’s baked in a loaf pan and sliced. It’s easy to make – just one bowl, a whisk, and a big spoon. Slathered with butter and a good dose of honey or sorghum it’s always going to be a tough act to follow. And Corn Light Bread is unexpected. Instead of the usual loaf of French bread, a roll, or a biscuit, Corn Light Bread is a different and a perfect accompaniment to soup, a grilled entree, chili, a southern veggie plate – let your imagination run wild. If any smell triggers a memory it’s of this bread coming out of the oven and the impatient waiting until it was “cool enough to cut.”  Adult cooking has taught me that it actually does have to cool to be sliced, but that antsy feeling is still there begging for just a taste.

Hopefully you’ve enjoyed a peek into the 2 shoe-box recipe file – or could it be three- yet to be determined! In any event please make and share this Tennessee treasure. Everyone will be impressed – you most of all. Enjoy!

Corn Light Bread

Ingredients

2 cups cornmeal (I love Shelton Farms purchased from Green Door Gourmet.)

½ cup flour

½ cup sugar

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

¼ tsp baking powder

2 cups buttermilk

1 Tbsp butter

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spray a bread pan with cooking spray. (I used 3 small pans for sharing purposes).

Mix all dry ingredients in a mixing bowl until well combined.

Stir in buttermilk.

While oven preheats put butter in the bread pan and put the pan in the oven to melt butter.

Add batter to hot pan and bake for 45 – 50 minutes until lightly browned and set (30 minutes for smaller pans).

Cool before slicing.

*Remember the butter and honey