Buttermilk Cornbread & Other Whole Grain Recipes (2024)

FAQs

Is cornbread considered a whole grain? ›

Cornbread Nutrition

It's a whole grain and provides a variety of nutrients that can contribute to your health, says Maya Feller, MS, RD, CDN, of Brooklyn-based Maya Feller Nutrition and author of “Eating From Our Roots: 80+ Healthy Home-Cooked Favorites from Cultures Around the World.”

While both styles generally use the same ingredients -- cornmeal, flour, eggs, and baking powder -- the variance lies in the flavor and texture. Northern-style cornbread tends to be sweeter, moister, and cake-like compared to its Southern counterpart.

The most common theory is a change in cornmeal itself. Until early in the 20th century, Southern cornmeal was made with sweeter white corn and it was water-ground. When industrial milling came along, that changed. The steel-roller mills used yellow corn that was harvested before it was ripe, so it had less sugar.

Cornmeal gives cornbread its classic color and flavor, but too much can make your bread crumbly. Try replacing a little bit of cornmeal with flour. The specific measurements will depend on how much cornmeal and flour is in your recipe, but you should try to have more flour than cornmeal in your batter.

Both whole wheat and whole grains contain all three components of the grain kernel and are equally nutritious. The main difference between the two is that whole wheat is reserved for products using the entire wheat kernel, while whole grain is an umbrella term for all types of grains in their whole form.

Whole grains have the entire grain kernel, which includes the bran, germ, and endosperm. Some whole-grain examples are whole-wheat flour, bulgur (cracked wheat), oatmeal, and brown rice.

Among them was a version of Indian bread made of cornmeal, salt and water called pone or corn pone. The name came from the Algonquin word apan, meaning "baked." The Narragansett word for cornbread, nokechick, became no-cake and then hoe-cake.

The verdict: Northern cornbread's cakey texture and sweetness allow it to be a stand-alone dish, complete without any mix-ins. It can still be used to soak up other foods, like cranberry sauce, but its sweetness makes it less versatile than Southern cornbread, and more suited to accompany other sweet foods.

In the Southern Appalachian Mountains, people are crazy for their Cornbread and Milk, a concoction made by crumbling leftover cornbread into a tall drinking glass and topping it with milk. It's usually buttermilk, although some people prefer "sweet milk", a vernacular term for regular fresh milk.

The exact nutritional profile of cornbread can vary depending on the specific recipe and ingredients used. However, cornbread generally contains high amounts of carbs, phosphorus, and sodium in each serving. One piece of cornbread prepared from a commercially prepared mix contains ( 2 ): Calories: 198.

Why do people eat cornbread and buttermilk? ›

Some people have theorized that cornbread and milk, also referred to as “crumble in” or “crumb-in,” was a way for farmers and their families to stay fed during food shortages. Others agree that it may have risen from southern people trying to revive stale or dried-out cornbread.

Diabetics should approach cornbread with caution due to its high carbohydrate content, which can lead to spikes in blood sugar levels. Traditional cornbread recipes often contain refined flour and added sugars, further exacerbating the issue.

1Preheat the oven to 400°F (204°C). We recommend allowing cornbread batter to sit for 10 to 15 minutes before baking, so if you prefer, you can delay heating the oven until you make the batter. 2Melt the butter, and then set aside to cool slightly.

One of the simplest ways is to bring in more flavor and depth is by adding ⅓ cup of sour cream to the batter, which makes the cornbread extra moist and a little tangy. Another tangy option: Add ⅔ cup of buttermilk, which also makes the cornbread super tender.

Corn that is harvested when fully mature and dry is considered a grain. It can be milled into cornmeal and used in such foods as corn tortillas and cornbread. Popcorn is also harvested when it matures and is considered to be a whole grain.

It's considered a quick bread, meaning that it rises very quickly. It's also easy to make and can be baked in a pan, cast-iron skillet, or Dutch oven to give it its signature crisp, delicious crust. Summary. Cornbread is a type of quick bread that can be savory or sweet.

Whole grains and vegetables both contain fiber. Cornbread contributes 1.38 grams of fiber in each serving. Cornbread that is not high in added sugars can be a nutritious choice and keep you feeling satiated more so than a standard dinner roll.

Risk of Inflammation

People mostly make cornbread with refined flour. The flour used does not contain all three parts of the wheat kernel. Not only are refined grains lower in fibre than whole grains. They also lead to greater levels of inflammation and blood sugar.