Corn Bread Clinic

I love a good corn bread.  It is one of my favorite things to eat and make.  There are many different types of corn bread and many ways to bake it.  I love fresh ground pop corn kernels in my Wondermill ground to a perfect corn flour with any other grains I choose to use in my corn bread.   Corn bread does not even need white flour to be good.  I have made it with a large variety of flours with perfect success every time.  My mom made her corn bread in a cast iron skillet with a couple tablespoons of bacon drippings.  By far that is my favorite way.  The crispy outside and tender middle are heaven.

There are those corn breads that are like cake,  in fact they use cake mix in the recipe.  So sweet and cake like that everyone loves them.  I don't like the cake mix version, but I have developed a healthy wonderful cake like version that I love.  It was totally by accident that I created this recipes.  Often times I have learned that our apparent failures at the time can become our greatest success.  That is how this recipe came about.  Learning how to use coconut flour.  Coconut flour is dangerous if you don't understand just how absorbent it can be.  It sucks moisture like a large dry sponge.  But if you get that it can be great.  The first time I used it I added one cup to my corn bread and wow it was crazy.  Like a rock.  I just kept adding and adding buttermilk until finally I could get it to pour.  I was certain it would be a huge failure but I refused just toss it.  I went ahead and put it in a larger pan then planned on and baked it.  It was amazing.   Just like the sweet cake cornbread, only filled with goodness.

Did you know that popcorn kernels have 25% less starch then field corn, the kind they use to make cornmeal.  Popcorn meal makes a corn bread that is firmer and filled with flavor and texture.  It is higher in fiber and makes a better health choice.  Add a whole grain flour to that to replace the white flour and you actually have a great healthy cornbread leaving enough room for the butter and jam.  

Popcorn meal can be used anytime you need cornmeal.  It replaced it in all recipes.  I prefer to use it and the great thing is I always have popcorn in the pantry and if it does not pop anymore I don't throw it away,  I grind it into the perfect cornmeal.   

Corn breads can be fun and exciting.  You can add any thing from cheese to chilies to make a great bread.  Corn bread done the Chef Brad way is filled with nutrition and goodness.  

Enjoy

Chef Brad~America's Grain Guy

"Changing the world one grain at a time".

Corn --Old Fashioned Corn Bread

You don’t have to use bacon drippings,  but in the south it is a staple.  Butter works well, but bacon is amazing.  

Ingredients:

2 T. bacon drippings

2 cups popcorn, freshly ground

2 cups amaranth, freshly ground

½ cup sugar

1 t. salt

2 T. Rumfords baking powder

2 cups buttermilk

2 eggs

½ cup canola oil

Directions:

Place a large cast iron skillet on stove over high heat or in preheated 400 degree oven with the bacon drippings. Whisk all of the other ingredients together in a mixing bowl. When skillet is very hot, remove from heat or from oven and pour in the batter. Place in 400 degree oven for about 15-20 minutes.

Corn --Old Fashioned Corn Bread  Healthy Version 

Ingredients:

2 T. coconut oil

2 cups popcorn, freshly ground

1/4 cup coconut flour

½ cup coconut sugar 

1 t. salt

2 T. Rumfords baking powder

2 cups buttermilk

2 eggs

½ cup good oil,  refined coconut oil works well or a good first pressed oil 

Directions:

Place a large cast iron skillet on stove over high heat or in preheated 400 degree oven with the coconut oil . Whisk all of the other ingredients together in a mixing bowl. When skillet is very hot, remove from heat or from oven and pour in the batter. Place in 400 degree oven for about 15-20 minutes.

Amaranth Sour Dough Dinner Rolls

Winter time is bread baking time.  It warms the home and the heart.  Nothing like the smell of fresh baked rolls and nothing, absolutely nothing like the taste of a warm roll out of the oven with butter and honey.  I love baking.  I love everything about it.   From the mixing the dough to letting it rise and the anticipation of fresh rolls right out of the oven.  The roll that just melts in your mouth.   

Amaranth is a wonderful grain from South America.  It is amazing.  It pops and has the best flavor, especially when added to doughs.   It is packed with perfect protein and fiber.  And wow, it makes the rolls so pretty.   

Adding Potatoes to any bread dough ups the game.  Potatoes make a bread tender and oh so flavorful.  Baking should be fun and enjoyable.  I always say that if your stressing making bread or rolls you are doing something wrong.  Enjoy the experience.  

Amaranth  Potato Sourdough Dinner Rolls

To start: 

In the early morning or the day before, remove the sourdough starter from the refrigerator and place one cup in a large bowl.  Add 2 cups flour, ¼ cup sugar, and 2 cups water, place in a warm spot and let set for 8 to 12 hours.

Next:

In your Wondermix bowl and place starter in bowl and add following ingredients adding half the flour and placing the yeast on top of the flour.  Add the feta cheese during the last minute of kneading.

4 cups hot water

2 pressured potatoes, riced 
1.5 cups feta cheese 

4 eggs, whole 

½ cup sugar

½ cup melted butter or oil

1 tablespoon salt

2 cups popped amaranth

3 tablespoons yeast

3  to 6 cups Flour, high gluten white flour

Turn on the mixer and add more flour until the dough just starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Remember, remember, the sticker the dough the lighter the roll.  Keep the dough sticky and mix for 6 minutes.   Remove from bowl after six minutes onto a oiled surface.  Form into rolls and place in jelly roll pan and let rise to double.  Bake in a 400 degree preheated oven at 350 degrees.  Meaning, place the raised rolls in a 400 degree oven and drop the temperature to 350 degrees.  Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the rolls are golden brown.  Enjoy 

Variations:

To make whole grain dinner rolls, replace ¾ flour with fresh ground wheat flour, and add remaining  natural white flour until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.  . 

Sour dough can be purchased at www.chefbrad.com