Cornbread

A “Northerner’s” cornbread, it is usually made with yellow corn meal (though a good grainy white cornmeal works just as well), and a little sugar (Southern corn bread recipes often omit sugar). I love to add crisp bacon crumbles or even better – cracklins, if I have the luxury, and softened dried corn (that I “put up” during corn season).

I found this recipe in Bernard Clayton, Jr.’s The Complete Book of Breads, and tweaked it slightly. The original recipe calls for the room temperature butter to be beaten with a fork into the milk and eggs. Frankly, I’m puzzled as to how to beat softened butter into milk and eggs, so rather than risk it my first go at the recipe, I just cut the butter into the dry ingredients, as one would for a pie crust. The result is a moist, tender, delicate cornbread with a wonderful crumb. Also, I bake the bread in a cast iron skillet instead of a baking dish. This gives the bottom a delightfully crisp, browned crust, and the bread a good rise and even bake.

Ingredients
3 Tbsp. dried corn (optional)
1 cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup sugar
1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. baking powder
¾ tsp. salt
1 cup yellow cornmeal
¼ cup cold butter (½ stick), cut into small pieces 2 eggs
1 cup milk
⅓ cup chopped crisp bacon or cracklins (optional)

Steps

1. Lightly grease a 9 or 10 inch cast iron skillet. Pre-heat the oven to 425 ̊ Fahrenheit.
2. Place the corn in a small bowl or a mug. Add enough very hot or boiling water to just cover and set aside while you mix the batter.
3. In a medium sized bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Stir in the cornmeal.
4. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients, as you would for pie dough, so that the resulting butter bits are small but visible “pearls”. Beat together the milk and eggs. Add the liquid into the batter, stirring with a wooden spoon just long enough to incorporate the ingredients. Do not over-stir. Drain the corn (reserving the hydrating liquid for rice or soup if you wish). Gently blend the corn and the cracklins into the batter.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared skillet. Let rest 10 minutes.
6. Bake for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Do not over-bake or the cornbread will be dry. Cut and serve immediately.

From Chef Kathryn Yeomans
The Farmer's Feast
http://thefarmersfeast.me/

Pumpkin Bread

Pumpkin and the other winter squashes have a variety of uses, from stews and purees to simply roasting in the oven. Pumpkin puree (and purees made with butternut squash or Kubocha squash) also make great quickbreads. To make pumpkin puree, cut a pumpkin in half, scoop out the seeds and stringy stuff out of the center,then the pumpkin cut side down on a lined baking sheet. Bake at 350°F until soft, 45-60 minutes. Cool, scoop out the flesh. You can freeze the puree you don’t use for another time or double the recipe and make two loaves.

Ingredients
1½     cups all-purpose flour
½     tsp. salt
1     cup sugar
1     tsp. baking soda
1     cup pumpkin puree
8     Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2     eggs, beaten
¼     cup water
½     tsp. nutmeg
½     tsp. cinnamon
½     tsp. allspice
½     cup chopped walnuts

Steps

 1. Preheat oven to 350°F . Stir together the flour, salt, sugar and baking soda.
 2. Mix the pumpkin, melted butter, eggs, water, and spices together, then combine with the dry ingredients. Mix until combined. Stir in the nuts.
 3. Pour into a well-buttered 9x5 inch loaf pan. Bake 50-60 minutes until a thin skewer poked in the very center of the loaf comes out clean. Turn out of the pan and let cool on a rack.

Cranberry Bread

Ingredients
2 cups flour
¾ cup granulated sugar
1½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1½ cups chopped cranberries
¾ cup orange juice
¼ cup butter, melted
1 egg, beaten
1 Tbsp. grated orange peel

Steps

1. Pre-heat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour a 9x5 loaf pan.
2. Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl.
3. Mix together orange juice, sugar, butter, egg, and orange peel. Add to dry ingredients. Fold in cranberries.
4. Pour into prepared loaf pan. Bake at 350°F for 55-60 minutes or until done (a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean).
5. Cool in pan for 20 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool on a wire rack.