Teaching has its benefits; proof exists in this recipe from a grandmother of a former student who delivered a pan of comfort, known as Wet Cornbread, on a whirlwind school day almost 20 years ago. It was fabulous! I literally pleaded and begged her for the recipe. Eventually, I was secretly passed a folded piece of paper from her granddaughter with the handwritten recipe. The title? Corn Bread… For You Only! I hope she would be flattered that I shared her recipe here for you to enjoy. It disappears quickly! Time creates legends and this is definitely one of them. Consider this one of my food hugs to you when you need it. You’re welcome!
Note: The original recipe made 2- 13″x 9″x 2″ pans of cornbread… which I found out the hard way. The recipe didn’t indicate pan equirements. My rather large pot was barely big enough. Lesson learned. The next time I made it, I sized it down to make a perfect 8″x 8″ pan which was easily done based upon the ingredients listed. This post indicates that adjustment, without changing proportions of the original. Feel free to double…. or quadruple, if you have a huge pot, for a big church pot luck or family barbeque/reunion.
The Prep:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Prepare 8″ x 8″ pan by lining with parchment paper(2-8″ strips slightly overhanging the sides), foil or Baker’s Joy spray.
- Whisk yellow cornmeal, sugar and baking powder in a small bowl.
- Whisk eggs, then blend into the milk.
- Place stick of butter in medium saucepan with 2 cups of water.
- Make sure everything is next to the stove as it’s added back-to-back once butter has melted completely in the water.
Let’s cook it!
Place water and butter in a saucepan and bring to a boil over MED-LOW heat. Reduce heat to LOW to simmer once butter has melted. Add the dry ingredients and stir quickly. Whisk in the milk/egg mixture. Continue to cook on LOW heat, stirring constantly to prevent sticking on the bottom of the pan. It will slowly begin to thicken into a custard-type consistency. REMOVE from heat once it reaches that point as shown below.
Pan it!
For an easy clean up, I chose to line my pan with 2 strips of parchment paper as shown. An aluminum pan is perfect for baking because of it great heat conductivity. Other pans could be used, but an adjustment to baking times may be necessary. Into it, I poured in the contents of the saucepan, then smoothed/evened it out with a rubber spatula first, followed by an offset spatula.
Bake it!
In about 90 minutes, this golden creation with a buttery aroma will be sitting on your cooling rack as you have a knife in hand ready to slice it. DON”T DO IT! Extended waiting time will transition this into a more dense, required, texture.
You can see the top “crust” appears to be lifted up somewhat from the cornbread. This is what happens when what is below it cools and settles into a more dense consistency. The crust sort of stays in that position as it cools. It will conform in time.
Slice it !
I allow about 1-1/2-2 hours to cool before slicing. The pan will still be warm, so you won’t be disappointed, I promise.
Options:
- Cut warm, spread on more butter, if desired.
- Serve with any comfort food: Collard Greens, Fried Chicken, Chili, Soup
- For breakfast: slice, warm in pan like french toast, serve with syrup
- Comment below on how you serve yours and I’ll add it to my list!
Wet Cornbread
Ingredients
- 2 c water
- 1/2 c butter(1 stick)
- 1-1/2 c yellow cornmeal
- 1 c sugar
- 1 t baking powder
- pinch salt
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 2 c milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare an 8" x 8" pan by lining with 2 strips of parchment paper or Baker's Joy non-stick spray.
- Whisk together the cornmeal, sugar and baking powder. Set next to stove.
- Beat the 2 eggs, then blend into milk until smooth. Set next to the stove.
- Place water and the stick of butter in a medium saucepan. Bring to a low boil. Simmer just until the butter has melted.
- Blend dry ingredients into simmering water. Once incorporated, slowly pour in the milk/egg mixture as you continue to whisk.
- Continue to whisk over LOW heat until it thickens to a custard-type consistency. Remove from heat and pour into an 8" x 8" prepared pan.
- Smooth out the top with a rubber spatula or an off set spatula.
- Bake for 90 minutes on middle rack. The top should be golden and may be a little patchy in color.
- Place pan on a cooling rack. You will notice it settling over the next hour or so and the "skin" may appear to separate in places.
- Slice once cooled and settled, but still warm. YUM!
