I made my first recipe from my Great Grandmother Munn’s recipe box – Cornbread with a date of 1935 on it. I am not really a big cornbread fan myself, but I wanted my family and I to try these recipes out and see how they taste.
1935 Cornbread Recipe
I gathered all the ingredients and used the fresh light green egg from Trish’s farm.
I started adding ingredients to a 2-cup Pyrex measuring cup.
This recipe confused me a little.
It said “Meal to make a batter 1 1/2 or 2 cups”.
I think it can be taken to mean to add 1 1/2 or 2 cups of cornmeal. Or it could mean fill up the jar to 2 cups after your remaining ingredients. I just chose to fill up the measuring cup to a little over the 2 cup mark with cornmeal after the other ingredients were added. The recipe turned out great, but I am not sure if more cornmeal would have made it even better. Not really sure. Which do you think this recipe meant?
I busted out my antique hand mixer to mix it all together. I do love this old tool. It can whip up eggs to stiff stage faster than my mixer I think.
I lightly greased a small pampered chef stoneware I had (I would suggest a 8×8 pan if you have it). After greasing I added the cornmeal batter.
Now the recipe says to cook in a “HOT OVEN”.
Ummmm. Yeah. I wasn’t sure what temperature “HOT” meant exactly. So I Googled it of course 😉 – I love modern ease of searching online. I found this:
The following list of Cooking Terms and Tips is taken from “Twenty Lessons in Domestic Science – A condensed Home Study Course – Marketing: Food Principals, Functions of Food, Methods of Cooking, Glossary of Usual Culinary Terms, Pronunciations and Definitions. Etc.” by Marian Cole Fisher (Compiled and printed for the Calumet Baking Powder Company) 1916
METHODS OF COOKING
Slow Oven: Temperature is about 250 to 300 degrees Fahr.
Moderate Oven: Temperature is about 350 to 400 degrees Fahr.
Hot Oven: Temperature is 400 to 450 degrees Fahr.
Very Hot Oven: Temperature is 450 to 550 degrees Fahr.
I decided 420 degrees would be a good temperature and put the cornbread in at. You will also notice there was no time listed in this recipe, so I just watched it carefully. After 25 minutes mine was all golden, cracked and done. I checked with a toothpick to see if it came out dry.
Here is how it turned out. Very lovely!
I ate up a piece of it, and discovered this corn bread was unlike all the sweet tasting cornbreads at all the church functions I have gone too which I enjoy. I didn’t like it at all. But you do know that I am one of the pickiest people on this planet.
It was more like a bread than a sweet bread.
My husband and kids came down to try it and absolutely LOVED IT. Not one piece left after 5 minutes. I think I was most shocked that I even got a comment from my husband on how much he loves cornbread and how I never make it – yada yada yada. 🙂 I guess I will have to make it more now that I know the kids and husband like it.
You all should try out this recipe too, its cool and vintage. If you do make it come back here and leave a comment on how you think it tastes.
See more of my Happy Homesteading series posts here.
1935 Cornbread
Ingredients
- 1 Egg
- 1 Cup Buttermilk
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- 1 TBSP Shortening Melted
- cups Cornmeal to make batter 1 1/2 to 2 cups
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 8 x8 Pan greased
Instructions
- Add egg, buttermilk baking powder, melted shortening and salt to a 2 cup Pyrex measuring cup.
- Then add the cornmeal to the 2 cup mark or just above.
- Mix well.
- Pour batter into lightly greased 8x8 pan and cook at 420 degrees F for about 25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
Nutrition
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About Karrie
Food is my love language. But so is saving money. So I like to combine the two a lot and make thrifty make ahead and freeze meals to save time. Because life is busy, and freezer meals can come to the rescue for all of us. And yes, they actually CAN taste good. Read more...
Comments & Reviews
judy Smith says
I use this receipt but I always add sour cream to the batter, make a good moist cornbread, I also use this recipe to make a hot pepper corn bread, add corn, chopped hot peppers and chopped onions to the batter along with shredded cheese.
Glenda says
Cornbread was never meant to be sweet! Hence the 1935 receipe that did not call for sugar.
Sugar is the result of a modern society that adds sugar to everything! Did you ever hear of the the book “Sugar Blues”?
Aquaria says
This is close to the recipe my Nana (b. 1903) used back in East Texas. But not quite.
Here’s how it’s supposed to work:
2 cups yellow corn meal. NEVER white!
1 cup flour
3 TB baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda (needs a bit of rise to make it good)
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
1.5 – 2 cups buttermilk (depends on how humid your location is)
2 TB shortening, lard or bacon fat. My grandmother always used bacon fat or lard. Makes a richer, tastier crust than nasty trans-fat laden shortening.
Directions: Heat fat at 425 in a CAST IRON SKILLET. Cornbread MUST be cooked in a skillet, to get properly browned on the bottom without burning when cooking at this temperature.
Meanwhile, mix all the dry ingredients together thoroughly. Add egg and then buttermilk until a smooth, but not runny, batter forms. Basically, you have enough buttermilk if you stop stirring and there’s a thin layer of white along the edge of the batter where it meets the pan.
By this time, your shortening should be fry-level hot. Toss a small dot of batter into the pan, though, to see if it dances. If it does, pour in your batter and cook for around 20-25 minutes at 425. It’s done if the top is just starting to brown and is firm but not hard to the touch if pressed in the center. The old toothpick trick will work, too.
When you use the proper amount of baking powder and soda, your cornbread will be a couple of inches thick, which is just right for slicing in half, buttering, and putting some sliced onions and/or homemade pickle slices inside, which is how we usually had it with pinto beans, black-eyed peas, turnip greens, and etc.
To all those who suggested it: DO NOT PUT SUGAR in cornbread! You’re making cornBREAD, not cornCAKE. There oughtta be a law against the filth known as sugar in cornbread.
Donna Blanton says
I think it means to use as much corn meal necessary to make a batter……estimated usage will be approximately 1 1/2 to 2 cups.
Faith Dossett says
This was also my mother’s cornbread recipe. She had made it so many times that she just used her hand and fingers to “measure” the ingredients. I remember asking her for her recipe once, and she said a little salt, baking powder, and soda, some milk, some meal… I’m happy to find a recipe with measurements! Thank you.
Terry Wynn says
Similar to my Mom’s recipe. Also, a Greek friend of mine pours 1/2 the batter in the pan, then a layer of Feta cheese, then the rest of the batter. I have also added chopped green onions and cooked bacon crumbles to mine – very versatile.
Toni says
My family is from east Tennessee and we do not add the egg and we use white instead of yellow corn meal but basically it looks like a recipe for southern style cornbread. There’s never sugar in southern cornbread. Also, we bake it in a 10 inch well seasoned (and oiled with shortening) cast iron skillet at 425 degrees for about 25 minutes. Then, you turn it out on a plate and cut into pie sliced pieces. It has the yummiest dark golden crust on the top (because of the cast iron skillet) after you turn it out. Delicious with fried potatoes and a crockpot of pinto beans. Yummy!!
Happy.MoneySaver says
Yum! Your description made me feel like I was right in your kitchen! I will have to try it out with your recipe soon!
Linda Ray says
Toni’s recipe sounds close to what I am scouring the web to find. Lost my recipe ugh. But it had no flour and no sugar and it was wonderful. I think no egg either. It wasn’t the buttermilk and soda one – my late husband didn’t like that one at all, sweet milk and baking powder, but I think I know how to alter this recipe just a bit to get what I’m looking for. I”d love it if Toni would see this comment 3 years after hers and would post her family recipe.
Forgive me, but I had a good laugh at the comment that some didn’t like it because it tasted more like bread. It IS bread, cornbread. The cakey stuff so in vogue in so many places is actually corn muffins done in a skillet. Just kind of evolved into what some people consider cornbread.
Thanks for sharing these true old timey recipes Karrie. It’s an important service.
PS It’s 1 1/2 to 2 cups cornmeal added to all the rest of the stuff. Your batter should be thick when you pour it in the skillet. Very thick, like a quick bread.
C.L. says
Some things are just meant to go together and thats beans and cornbread and fried potatoes. Absolutely! I think people got the idea that Quick Breads i.e. banana bread ,pumpkin bread are always sweet, but not so. Quick breads mean any bread without yeast, sweet or otherwise. Cornbread is a Quick bread and should never have sugar in it!!! This recipe is what was in almost any cookbook from the early 1900s. My mama wrote mine on a scrap of paper when I married my husband 60 years ago. I still have it. And he still loves it.
Rachel says
Try it with butter and honey on top and you’ll be a convert! 🙂 I recently started making cornmeal cornbread without other added flours or sugar, though my recipe does call for a T of honey in it, and I love it!! So much better than those “jiffy” boxes of sweet cornbread! My family took a bit to get used to it, but with butter and honey on top they can’t get enough! 🙂
Happy.MoneySaver says
Butter and honey sounds delicious on the cornbread!
Cathy Craigo says
That is a great recipe. Try using fresh ground popcorn for the meal and grease your pan by putting a couple of tablespoons of bacon grease in your pan. Heat the pan nice and hot and swirl your bacon grease in pan then add the batter…you can hear it sizzle as you pour it in and the grease should push up the sides of the pan ahead of the batter. Then bake as usual. You get a cornbread with a crispy outside that has a hint of bacon and by using the popcorn a bread that crumbles less and has a great flavor. It is also a great way to use up old popcorn that doesnt pop well anymore. (Idea comes from chef brad of fusion grain cooking). You’ll love it
Maridy says
I love this project! Some of my most treasured recipes came from my grandmother, and some of them came from HER grandmother. Her cornbread recipe is just such a one. And yes, they were from Ohio, so it has sugar in it. 😉 This recipe dates back about 1910. My family loves it!
1 cup soured milk (buttermilk)
1 cup flour
1 cup corn meal
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
Mix all together and pour into an iron skillet (or a glass 8×8 pan as I usually end up using) and bake in a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes.
Sometimes I add in a can of creamed corn for an extra moist bread. And usually I take the sugar down to 1/3 or even 1/4 cup and most people don’t even notice the difference 😉
Roberta says
My grandmother was from Tennessee and she called cornbread with sugar in it “Yankee Cornbread”. We never make it sweet.
Mary says
I have a similar version from my grandmother and I like it much better than the cake that usually passes for cornbread. I have a buttermilk cornmeal waffle recipe that is fabulous because it has the crunchy, salty thing going on. It is just so yummy. And I agree about the cast iron skillet being the best way to bake cornbread. You get the really crispy outside texture. Thank you for sharing your recipes. I love going through grandma’s recipe book and I’m glad others are doing that too. It also reminds me to be specific when I am writing down my own recipes for future generations.
Donna says
My interpretation of the recipe is so many old recipes are the just pour kind of measurement. So till it makes a batter would be 1 1/2 -2 cups!
Cat Whatley says
This sounds like a great recipe! Thanks for sharing! I have some insight on why this recipe isn’t so sweet…
It’s true that back when your lovely grandmother made this recipe, sugar was an expensive luxury that most couldn’t afford on a daily basis. This version of cornbread was often made to go with hearty soups and stews…basically as a cheap “filler”. My grandfather would put a piece of cornbread in the bottom of a bowl and cover it with the soup, stew or “pot beans”! The extra liquid would soften and break down the cornbread, which would then absorb the extra liquid, making it thicker and richer in flavor! I know of another person who eats his with “pot liquor” and greens. I’ve also heard of “Southern Pudding” where cornbread crumbles were put in a glass and topped with buttermilk! Our ancestors were all about making hearty & filling healthy meals on the cheap!!
And of course, these days, most people make “packaged” cornbread (from a box at the store), where all kinds of extra things are added…including sugar or sugar substitutes! My family loves that I take the extra time and love to make it fresh (no box)…and they think it tastes so much better!!
I hope this helps…keep up the good work!!
Karrie says
Hi Cat. I love that they used to not use as much sugar and processed items – I am going to have a make this again the next time I make my beef barley stew recipe and put it in first now. Great tip!
grannyVinTn says
I have always heard that the farther north ones going the “sweeter” the cornbread. and by the time you get to north Michigan it becomes cake…. So of course being a life long Tennesseean I don’t want any sugar in my cornbread. And Yes to warm cornbeard in a glass of milk.
Shelia says
Absolutely, we ate corn bread just like this, and with the buttermilk in a cup, dash salt and pepper. Don’t forget crumbled with pinto beans over it, chopped onions, tomatoes and chow chow. Yummy!
Melissa says
Ha! I just made a recipe like this for the first time last week.
My man, though he has lived most of his life here in Az, has been raised by his southern family, (and he lived there for a year when he was a child) anyway, he always said that my cornbread was more like cake because it was too sweet. I’ve never known any other kind of cornbread. But I figured back in the day they didn’t have cups of sugar to add to their cornbread so there had to be a different way.
So I looked a recipe up online and it was almost just like this. The only difference was it called for 2 eggs, 2 cups buttermilk and 2 cups cornmeal.
I put 2Tbsp oil (or bacon fat) in the bottom of a cast iron skillet and popped it in the oven at 450. Once the oven was preheated I took out the pan added a sprinkle of cornmeal right in the pan (for a crunchy bottom crust) and added the batter and back in the oven it went.
I didn’t like it either! but my man loved it!
It came out a bit too over done, I think I cooked it a little too long. I’m making this again, and next time I think I’ll cut the time a bit short (or lower the temp a bit) and add a bit of honey to the batter because I just gotta have a bit of sweetness. ^.^
MsMarieH says
How sweet and what a lovely memory of your family. I think the recipe meant add 1.5-2 cups of cornmeal to the bowl, not fill up the measuring cup to 2. Most of my vintage cornbread recipes would call for roughly that amount or more of cornmeal.
Quinn says
So great you are sharing these recipes with everyone. You are very kind and it tributes your Grandma well. Thank you.
Karrie says
Thank you so much Quinn!