NFL Conference Championship Sunday. The NFC game is on, the chili pot is simmering on the stove and the plan is to make cornbread for dinner. I usually use the recipe on the bag of Indian Head cornmeal. Sometimes I add bacon. I always add whole kernel corn. But not today! Today I am going to make Sourdough cornbread. Several years ago, my buddy from Arizona (BluesMan) sent me a souvenir from his trip to Alaska. It was a postcard mailer with a packet of sourdough starter mix and a 4×6 recipe card. If you have read Sourdough Bread Daze, you might remember when I feed the starter, I through away a portion of the bubbly, sticky, sour smelling starter to make room in the jar. It always seems like a waste to wash that living creature down the drain. It is; but a necessary one. It is so nice to get to use that extra starter. If you use your starter to make all the bread you eat, I guess you could find a way not to ever spill a drop of your creation. Suddenly, I feel like Dr. Frankenstein. Anyway, there are lots of recipe’s out there for sourdough waffles, pancakes, and cornbread. Today I am using the one from the recipe card from Alaskan Sourdough Starter, Arctic Circle Enterprises.com, Anchorage, Alaska.
Here is the recipe and a picture. This might be the best cornbread I have ever made. I had resigned myself to cornbread being “short” or crumbly by nature, but this cake is moist. My only addition to the recipe is a little more salt.
Ingredients
1 Cup Sourdough Starter 2 Eggs
1-1/2 Cup evaporated milk ‘1/4 Cup melted butter
1-1/2 Cup corn meal ‘1/2 teaspoon salt (needed more) will do 1 teaspoon next time.
2 Tablespoons sugar ‘1/2 teaspoon baking soda
In a large bowl, mix starter, milk, cornmeal, eggs and sugar. Stir in melted butter, salt and soda. Turn into an 8×8 greased pan. Bake at 450 degrees F for 25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean in the center.
