Simple Cooking: Chicago-Style Cornbread

By Caitlin Klein in Food on Jan 17, 2011 7:40PM

This week, we are going to do you a solid and share with you our most beloved cornbread recipe. We make it in the Midwestern style, which means a fluffier, sweeter cornbread. There’s nothing wrong with the dense, fried cornbread of the South, or the jalapeno and cheese-laden cornbread of the Southwest, but this is Chicago and we tend to do things our way, because it’s… well… better. This bread is a great accompaniment to chili or stew, or simply on its own with butter and honey. And bonus - you probably have most of the ingredients in your pantry already.

Chicagoist’s Chicago-Style Cornbread
(This is an old family recipe, so the instructions are a little screwy - buckle up!)

Ingredients
½ cup butter
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 cup minus 1 tablespoon milk
1 ½ cups cornmeal
¾ cup flour
¾ cup sugar
½ teaspoon salt
2 eggs, beaten
1 ¼ teaspoons baking soda

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375. Butter a 9-by-9 baking pan. In a saucepan, melt the butter, but do not brown. Meanwhile, add the vinegar to the milk. Add baking soda to the milk and vinegar. Set this aside - it will start to curdle and that is good. Gross, but good.

In a large bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, sugar, and salt. Make a well in the cornmeal mixture (this basically means, dig a hole in it.) Add the eggs and butter to the well. Add the curdled milk mixture, and stir. STOP! To achieve the fluffy texture, do not overmix this batter. It will be lumpy, and that is cool. Lumps are desired.

Pour the batter into the 9x9. Bake 35-40 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown and springs back when you touch it lightly with a fingertip.

Slice the bread into squares and serve warm.