Rose's Cornbread

I learned to make this recipe as a teenager from an African American woman, originally from South Carolina, who helped raise me and my sisters. Hers is one of the best cornbreads I have ever tasted. My only suggestion is to use stone-ground cornmeal for additional flavor.

INGREDIENTS

Dry mix:

8 cups unbleached flour

10 cups stone-ground cornmeal

11/2 cups sugar

3/4 cup baking powder (be sure it hasn’t passed its expiration date)

Put all the ingredients into a large mixing bowl. (This is where young children can get involved.) The mix should be thoroughly blended. Divide the mix into 8 bags and attach a card with the following cooking instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously butter an 8'-square baking pan. Pour contents of bag into a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, beat 1 egg until smooth and lemon-colored. Add 1/3 cup safflower, canola, or other light cooking oil; stir to blend. Add 1 cup buttermilk or plain milk; beat all wet ingredients together. (Buttermilk makes a lighter, more flavorful cornbread.)

Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Stir just until thoroughly moistened; batter should be lumpy. Scrape the batter into the baking pan. Set the pan on the middle shelf of the oven. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the bread has pulled away from the sides of the pan a bit.

Cut into squares and serve with butter, maple syrup, honey, or whatever you like. Leftovers can be split and toasted, or gently warmed in the oven. (A microwave will make the cornbread rubbery.)

Package the mix in brightly colored bags decorated with gold and silver stars or other holiday motifs. Attach a card with the recipe and instructions on how to prepare the mix. This is ideal for those to whom you’d like to give a little something without breaking the bank, and it’s a gift children can proudly say they made themselves.