I admit it; I used to be a sucker for Thomas’ Corn Toasties/Toast-R-Cakes. I bought some recently and was not as in love as I used to be; either they changed the recipe or it had just been a while (decades…..), similar to remembering old movies from the 80’s you thought were hilarious and then watching them again and saying, geez that was kind of dumb.
In any case, I love cornbread, and so began the quest for the perfect cornbread that tasted like what I think was the illusion of yumminess that Corn Toasties used to have for me.
When the pandemic first hit, we had some shortages at our local grocery store (the great toilet paper hoarding notwithstanding) and small containers of milk became non-existent in the dairy aisle. So it was a gallon of milk or bust. Now neither my husband nor myself drink milk; we eat plenty of dairy and have 1/2 and 1/2 and heavy cream on hand all the time. AAAANNNNND I know I can dilute both to make milk for baking, but honestly, I love my heavy cream, and using up the 1/2 and 1/2 meant for coffee and tea (plus it’s pricier) isn’t an option.
Off I went to research what was the best powdered dry milk. I found Peak dried whole milk (from Holland) in a huge can and promptly fell in love with it for baking. Add a little more powder than called for and get a creamier product. Plus it’s shelf-stable and no more tossing milk, which was more than enough waste after the first few times.
I’ve tried dozens of cornbread recipes and many dozens more of the faux corn toastie recipes, and I think I’ve finally ended up with the perfect blend of sweetness and moistness for at least my taste buds. My husband is not a cornbread fan, and I know I have a winner; when I cajole him into trying a little, he takes a small slice out and then eats a crumb but then eats the full slice and says, “it’s good”. For me, that’s a win-win.
*A note, as soon as this is cool, make sure you wrap promptly; it does dry out quickly.
Preheat oven to 375
Ingredients:
- 2 cups water + 8 tablespoons Peak dried whole milk powder (or 2 cups whole milk)
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/2 cup Crisco (melted)
- 2 cups medium grind yellow cornmeal (I like the Great River Organic cornmeal, which has not removed the germ and bran, so it’s a tad healthier, plus it has a nice flavor and consistency)
- 1 1/2 cups AP flour
- 1 1/4 cup sugar
- 6 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
Method:
- Sift all the dry ingredients together.
- Blend milk (or milk powder and water), eggs, honey, and room temperature melted Crisco.
- Stir in the dry ingredients and mix until fairly smooth.
- Pour into a greased (I use Vegelene Spray) 10 X 13 half pan (commercial) or a 9 X 13 baking square (retail); this can also be done in deep sheet pans or muffin tins depending on usage.
- Bake for approximately 40 minutes (less for muffins and sheet pan) until a toothpick inserted comes out dry. The top will be golden brown.
Serve warm.
This would be very nice with the addition of some grilled corn mixed with the batter, some nice double-smoked chopped bacon, or a nice, tart, slightly spicy, corn and peppadew salsa on top to balance out the sweetness if you wanted more of a sweet and savory blend.