Frankly, I like it all. For breakfast I like a sweeter corn muffin, with butter and honey or jam, or just by itself. For eating with beans I like a savory cornbread with no sugar better, but I'll use whatever is available.. I don't really care whether it's white or yellow but Elery's sister lives in Tennessee and tells me emphatically that if it's not made with white cornmeal, it is NOT cornbread. I live in Michigan, home of Jiffy Mix, so I just smile. I always bake mine in my cast iron skillet, because the crust gets so nice and crunchy. I think cornmeal has changed, though, or is different depending on brands. The cornbread recipe I used for years suddenly started turning out dry, crumbly, just not right. I've been "playing" with recipes for a while now, adding cheese, bacon, jalapenos, creamed corn, sour cream, whatever suits my fancy. A mildly sweet corn muffin with bacon and jalapenos goes really well with chili, and I'm as likely to sop up pot likker with Jiffy muffins as I am with Elery's white savory cornbread. Lately my favorite has been this recipe from Ellie Krieger's "Comfort Food Fix", although it's a spoon bread, not your typical corn bread. It has all corn, no flour. Corn and Cheddar Spoon Bread 2 cups 1% milk 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen thawed corn kernels 2/3 cup yellow cornmeal 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese 2 large eggs, yolks and white separated 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar 1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Spray a 2-quart baking dish with cooking spray. 2. In a medium saucepan, combine milk, corn, cornmeal, and salt over medium-high heat and bring to a gentle boil, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the mixture thickens, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the cheese. Allow to cool for 10 minutes. Add the egg yolks to the cornmeal mixture and stir until well combined. 3. In a stand mixer or using a handheld electric mixer, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar until soft peaks are formed, 1 to 2 minutes. Fold the egg whites into the corn mixture until just incorporated and pour into the prepared dish. Bake until browned on top and set but still slightly loose in the center, 40 to 45 minutes. Serves 6 Per Serving (3/4 cup) Calories 180; Total Fat 7 g (Sat Fat 3 g, Mono Fat 2g, Poly Fat 0.8 g); Protein 10 g; Carb 22 g; Fiber 2 g; Cholesterol 85 mg; Sodium 320 mg This is Elery's recipe, handed down from his mother. She always used white cornmeal (self-rising was preferred), bacon grease or lard and always cooked in a hot cast iron skillet. If it stuck at all, it didn't get turned over and it was still fine, but if you turn it over the top gets a bit more crunchy. Corn Bread 2 cups white cornmeal (use yellow if that's what you have on hand) 2/3 cup flour 1-1/2 tablespoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda (omit if you use regular milk rather than buttermilk) 1/2 teaspoon salt Dash of black pepper 1 1/2 cups buttermilk (more or less) 3 to 4 tablespoons of bacon drippings, lard or cooking oi Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Placing the bacon drippings in the skillet and place the skillet in the oven while preparing the batter. Combine all the dry ingredients and mix well. Add about 1/2 cup of the buttermilk and stir. Remove skillet from oven and slowly add about 1 or 2 tablespoon of the hot oil (bacon grease) from the skillet into the batter, stirring well. The skillet and bacon grease should be very hot but not smoking. Sprinkle the inside of the skillet with (dry) cornmeal and return to oven. Add rest of buttermilk to batter a bit at a time while stirring. The consistency of the cornbread batter should look like a thick pancake mix. This may require a little more or less of the remaining buttermilk. If the mix is too thick, add more buttermilk. If the mixture is too thin, add more cornmeal. Remove the skillet from oven and pour the batter in the skillet. Return the skillet to the pre-heated oven and bake until the top begins to brown, approximately 25 minutes. Remove the cornbread from the oven and flip the cornbread over in the skillet then continue baking another 5 minutes to brown the top. Annie

Here's a mix recipe that makes a lot more than you'll need. I don't know how much is in a Jiffy Mix. It's from KitchenCraftsnMore: CORN BREAD MIX 8 cups flour, all-purpose 4 cups cornmeal 2 cups sugar 3 tablespoons baking powder 2 teaspoons salt Mix all ingredients until just blended and store in a moisture proof airtight container at room temperature. To Use: Mix 1 1/2 cup mix, 1 egg, 1 cup milk, 1/4 cup oil until well blended. Pour into well greased: 8x8 dish or 12 count muffin tin. Bake 20-24 minutes at 425F degrees. Serve warm or freeze until needed.

I don't mind it just a little sweet but the cake mix/corn breads on the other thread are just weird. I want cornbread, not cornbread flavored cake. I like the recipes on the back of the Alba cornmeal box. One is slightly sweet and the other is not. I also like my cornbread a bit gritty. If I want it sweet I slather on honey butter. :-) I do make a smoother version when I am taking it for a group. I use the original Marie Callendar's pouch for that as it works well in fancy shaped muffin pans. I tried the Honey Butter version in the pouch and ended up throwing most of the batch out. Not only sweet but chemical tasting. Glenda I never knew it was called crackling cornbread but I do make corn bread with bacon in it. I do it in a cast iron skillet.

Always cook mine in a cast iron skillet, as did my mother. This is really close to my mother's recipe, though she never used one, just eye balled it, but I watched her make it many many times. Recipe: Southern Skillet Cornbread ©From the Kitchen of Deep South Dish Prep time: 10 min |Cook time: 20 min |Yield: About 8 servings Ingredients 1/4 cup of oil, shortening or bacon fat ^^Mother always used lard or bacon fat 1-1/2 cups of all purpose white or yellow cornmeal 3 tablespoons of all purpose flour 1 teaspoon of baking soda 1 teaspoon of baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 2 cups of buttermilk, more or less 1 large egg, lightly beaten Instructions Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Add the fat to a well seasoned 10-inch cast iron skillet and place the skillet into the oven to melt the fat and heat the skillet. In a bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Using mitts, carefully remove the skillet from the oven and swirl the hot fat around to coat the entire skillet. Pour the fat from the skillet into the cornmeal mixture; stir. Stir in half of the buttermilk and add the egg; add more buttermilk as needed to make a thick but pourable batter. Depending on the grind of your cornmeal and the type of buttermilk you use, you may not need it all. Fold ingredients and don't beat the batter. Pour the cornmeal mixture into the hot skillet. Carefully place directly into the oven and bake at 450 degrees F for about 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the skillet from the oven, let rest for 5 minutes, then very carefully turn the cornbread out onto a plate or platter to preserve that nice crispy crust! Cook's Notes: If your cast iron is not well seasoned, your cornbread may stick. Slice out of the skillet if you are unsure. Use a medium grind of cornmeal, not a fine grind. Don't beat the batter or your cornbread will be crumbly. If your baking soda is not fresh, you won't get much of a rise. For insurance I've added a teaspoon of baking powder. I store both my baking soda and my baking powder in the freezer. Can substitute milk for the buttermilk, you'll need less. Can also substitute 2 cups of self-rising cornmeal mix. Eliminate the baking soda and salt if you use a cornbread mix. I prefer White Lily brand, buttermilk, white cornbread mix.