buttermilk – honey cornbread muffins

For all of the times I’ve ordered an iced tea in the South and ended up with a tall achingly sweet beverage that is most certainly composed of more sugar than tea, it truly amazes me that those South of ye ‘ole Mason Dixon line just do not want to hear nothin’ about any sugar in their cornbread.

It is a great debate; the addition of the sweet white stuff into the simple and humble cornbread.  What Northerners know to be a dense and yellow cake-like bread, Southerners identify cornbread only as being white in color, light in texture, and decidedly – not sweet.

I would almost (almost) liken it to showing a born and bred Texan a great big pot of bubbling chili, dotted with beans – their reaction is unequivocally unwavering: first a look of horror, immediately followed by tsktsking noises and a pinched-up-angry-face, and culminating with a (usually) bellowing proclaimation that “it just ain’t chili if it’s got beans in it!” 

Well, my friends, I happened to grow up in a little place about as far above the Mason Dixon line in miles as it was in tastes.  As much as I do love just a drop of sweet tea here and there (and even then – always over lots of ice, and diluted with extra-tart lemonade), my cornbread just ain’t cornbread unless it’s a tad bit sweet.  I just cannot wrap my head around dragging that unsweet and white fluffy stuff through a pile of spicy barbeque sauce, or dredging it through some spicy chili (ahem – chili with beans, that is).  I grew up eating it enough with just a tad of sugar in it, that now instead of embracing the viva la difference stance, I can’t even munch my way through it without feeling as though someone just plumb botched the recipe, and forgot to throw in just a teeny bit of sugar.

Keep in mind we aren’t talking sickly sweet here – it still, in my opinion, is nowhere near as sweet as something you’d find on the dessert table.  My ideal cornbread is golden brown on top, and inside the cake-like bread should be fluffy, moist, and bright yellow from the cornmeal.  It should have just a hint of sweetness – and not overly so by any stretch; but just sweet enough to give the naturally sweet corn a bit of a boost, and to elevate it up from something so simple, into the whole reason you sat down to eat the barbeque all-together.

To balance the sweetness of the bread, I like to use tangy buttermilk instead of regular milk; I think it adds a nice depth to the flavor, and keeps the bitter/sweet tastes in harmony.  To make the top of the bread extra crisp and to give it a bit of a hefty edge, I drizzle honey over the bread just when it is almost cooked through, and let the heat of the oven caramelize it and harden it as the bread finishes cooking.

Though my favorite way to make this is in late August when I can scrape fresh kernels of local sweet corn into the batter, the rest of the year I simply go without, and it is perfect every time. It is so simple to make, it’s a shame that the blue boxes of Jiffy mix have come to trump making it straight from scratch.  The batter comes together in less than 10 minutes, and most of the time I already have what I need on hand.  I use any leftover buttermilk to make dressings (like this greek-yogurt ranch dressing), to marinate meats, or to make other quick breads (like this irish soda bread with cranberries and lemon).

The honey added on the top and the sprinkle of flaky salt makes all of the difference here; the contrast between salty and sweet is lovely, and elevates something which at it’s essence is very plain, into something very special.  I highly recommend pairing these with some homemade oven baked ribs, some vegetarian lentil chili, or alongside a slice of rustic meatloaf –  their slightly spicy flavors are the perfect foil for this lovely bread.

Slightly sweet, slightly salty, slightly tangy, utterly delicious cornbread muffins.

Buttermilk Honey Cornbread Muffins
Makes 12 muffins
Adapted liberally (and added the honey & salt) from Alice Water’s The Art of Simple Food

I like to make these both as muffins and as a tin of bread in a 9 x 9″ pan – both work fine with the amounts this recipe calls for. Just be aware that the muffins might cook more quickly than the bread, and be sure to start checking for doneness with a toothpick 5-10 minutes before you think you are finished.

Try swirling in some fresh corn kernels, grated cheddar cheese, or diced smoked jalapenos for a few fun different twists on this basic recipe.

Be sure to use medium or fine ground cornmeal, so that the pieces of cornmeal are not large, gritty, or detectable in the finished product.

3/4 cups medium ground cornbread
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1 egg
4 Tbsp butter, melted
additional butter for greasing the tins
~6 Tbsp honey
flaky sea salt, such as Maldon

butter for serving, if desired

Preheat the oven to 425F. Grease the inside of 12 muffin tins with butter.
Mix the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk the egg into the buttermilk, and set to the side.

Make a well in the dry ingredients, pour in the egg and milk mixture, and whisk or stir until well mixed and smooth, with no lumps. Stir in the melted butter, and then pour the batter into the greased muffin tins, filling each muffin 3/4 of the way full (to avoid overflowing when baking).

Bake the muffins in the preheated oven, and bake for 15 minutes, until the muffins are looking set on the edges but still just a tad undercooked in the center. Remove the muffins from the oven, and drizzle ~1/2 tsp of honey over the top of each muffin. Return the muffins to the oven, and bake another 5-7 minutes, until the cornbread is golden on top and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Sprinkle a few flakes of flaky sea salt on top of each muffin, and allow them to cool in the tin until they are cool enough to handle. Remove from the tin, and let cool further on a wire rack.

Serve warm with plenty of butter passed around.