Cathey’s Corn Bread

(This is a repost from 2006. I’m transferring my recipes from my old blog, as I like to be able to have them in one place.)

For favorite comfort meals like red beans and rice and split pea soup, stews, chili, my aunt’s recipe for corn bread is our favorite. I’m posting the original recipe first, then my notes for a “safe” cornbread for my son.

Cathey’s Corn Bread

1 cup corn meal (white or yellow)
1 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup melted butter or margarine
1 cup milk
1 egg, beaten
1/2 stick butter or margarine

Preheat oven to 425 degrees (for glass pan, 450 for others). Grease a 9×9x2 pan or 12 muffin tins. Mix all ingredients except unmelted butter until all lumps are removed. Do not overmix. Pour into greased pan or muffin tins. Bake at 425 degrees about 20-25 minutes. Melt 1/2 stick butter or margarine on top after removing from oven.

Makes 12 muffins. (When doubling only use 6 teaspoons baking powder.)

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I’ve mentioned before that because my son is allergic to wheat, eggs and milk, baking is one of the more difficult areas to find just the right combinations. If you’re used to having breads with your meals, imagine how hard it would be without them.

My son calls it “special bread” and always loves it when I make something he can have. Recently I tried making these Basic Biscuits again. He was so excited…and then so disappointed. They just weren’t any good. He was so polite and just simply said “I don’t like these, Mommy.” I felt so bad that I couldn’t make something tasty for him.

A few days later, he came in to the office. “I’m sorry, I still don’t like them, Mommy.” I had some leftover biscuits in a plastic bag on the counter and he tasted them again. He later told Daddy at the table “I really wanted to like them!”

I was so happy that the next batch of “special bread” I made for him had better success. I have already posted this recipe as a side dish with Red Beans and Rice. The original recipe was from my Aunt Cathey, and a family favorite when I was growing up. I’ve tweaked the flour combinations again and liked this result in the muffins much better. And so did my son!

“Safe” Version of Cathey’s Corn Bread

1 cup corn meal (white or yellow)
1/4 cup corn flour
1/4 cup corn starch
1/4 cup white rice flour
1/4 cup oat flour
1/2 cup sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup melted margarine
1 cup soy milk or rice milk
1 Tbsp Egg Replacer with warm water
1 tsp. xanthum gum
1/2 tsp. soy lecithin
Safe margarine

Preheat oven to 425 degrees (for glass pan, 450 for others). Grease a 9×9x2 pan or 12 muffin tins. Mix all ingredients except unmelted margarine until all lumps are removed. Do not overmix. Pour into greased pan or muffin tins. Bake at 425 degrees about 20-25 minutes. Melt margarine on top after removing from oven.

Makes 12 muffins.

(When doubling only use 6 teaspoons baking powder.)

After the Epiphany

The party is over. Dh’s birthday on Saturday, and yesterday hosting my family’s Epiphany party, with 14 adults and 12 children under the age of 9, I’m a bit exhausted. But I thought I would mention our baking highlights:

My husbands enjoys football, and is a big Penn State and Pittsburgh Steeler fan. I decided to splurge and purchase this Stadium Bundt Pan. He loves cake, and has fond memories of his mother’s fancy decorated birthday cakes, so I thought he might enjoy this.

He really did. I used the Kahlua Cake recipe. It makes 9 cups of batter, but in the future I’ll only put 8 cups in the cake, as I had an overflowing lava of a mess and quite a smell in my house. But the cake was still good. I sprinkled the powder sugar and it looked like a stadium at a snow game. We’re very wishful for snow around here.

Yesterday was Epiphany and our family celebration. The day before I made our King Cake. This recipe makes two rings, and I did a few changes, as I was short of energy and time. I had to let the bread dough rise several times, because I just didn’t have free time to roll it out.

And rolling this dough out takes time. I have never been able to reach the dimensions of 15 x 30 inches, so I don’t. I think I did about 22-25 inches long. I doubled the amount of the filling. The first ring, I mixed the melted butter with the sugar combo, accidentally omitted the granulated sugar. I spread the filling all over the dough (didn’t divide into strips) and then rolled it like a cinnamon roll. My ring wasn’t perfect, but it’s oh, so tasty!

The other ring I made another batch of filling without mixing the butter and this time including the granulated sugar. I melted the butter, brushed it on the dough, and cut it in half, into two strips. I think put the filling, closed the edges and “braided” the two. It was easier than three, as I could keep the strips closed and not lose as much filling. I still struggle with the edges, so that the ring closes, but I was so pressed for time. I did the egg wash and colored sugar.

The cake is best served warmed with a bit of butter on the sliced piece. Yummy!

Last, but of course not least, was my first attempt at this Allergy Free King Cake. Don’t be aghast, but I used Crisco and store-bought icing, added Jelly-Bellys and Sour Lifesavers for decoration. My flour changes were 1/2 cup barley flour, 3/4 cup oat flour, 1/4 cup potato starch, 1/4 tapioca starch, 1/4 cup corn starch and a small amount of soy lecithin and xanthum gum. The taste is delicious, although my version was a bit dry and crumbly. I would remove about a 1/4 cup of flour combination or maybe add a bit more shortening.

My son mainly enjoyed the candies and frosting, but enjoyed nonetheless and was thrilled to have his own cake.

Epiphany King Cake

“King Cake” is the Louisiana term for the sweet bread served on Epiphany. This is the day that opens up Carnival or Mardi Gras. Epiphany used to be a fixed date on January 6, and known as Twelfth Night. Here’s an interesting explanation of the King Cake origins.

It seems almost every country has their own version of an Epiphany cake or bread. I couldn’t find all the names or types for all the countries, but here are some highlights:

Hispanic Countries: Rosca de los Reyes (Cake of the Kings). This is a fruit and nut filled ring or crown topped with icing and decorations, and bean or tiny doll inserted.

France: Galette (or Gateau) des Roi (or Rois) (Cake of the Kings). Usually this is a round and flat cake, honey-spice or sponge inside. It is decorated with pastry, fruits, or sugared frills. Each cake has a bean, small token or miniature doll inside. A nice tradition: there should be one more piece than the number of guests. The extra portion, la part a Dieu–God’s share–is for the first poor person who knocks at the door. The day of the Kings means sharing as well as receiving. Nobody who asks for food or alms will leave empty-handed that day.

England: Twelfth Cake is eaten with Lamb’s Wool (mulled ale with roasted apple pulp). Inside the cake are a bean and a pea. The man to find the bean was the King of the part, and the woman with the pea is the Queen.

I found this great cookbook called The Festive Bread Book by Kathy Cutler. In her book she has 7 different types of bread or cakes for Epiphany, including ones from Spain, Brazil, Holland and a Twelfth Night Bread of Lady Carcas. This book is OOP. The other book I keep recommending, Celebrations of Bread by Betsy Oppenneer, only has one recipe for Epiphany, Rosca de Reyes.

The Epiphany Cake I posted previously will be a new addition to our Epiphany celebration. We usually serve this King Cake as part of our family celebration. This recipe is from from La Cucina Egeriana. by Eleanor Bernstein, Ferraro, CSJ and Maria Bettina, from Notre Dame Centre for Pastoral Liturgy.

It makes two 9×12 bread rings. The rolling and braiding is a little tricky and time consuming, but it is so delicious and beautiful. My family likes a sweet icing, so I put it on top and sprinkle with colored sugar (purple, green, and gold). The recipe calls for an egg wash with a colored sugar sprinkle.

Cake:
1 stick butter
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 packages dry yeast
1/3 cup warm water
4 eggs
1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
2 tablespoons grated orange rind
5 cups flour plus 1 cup for kneading surface

Melt 1 stick butter, milk, 1/3 cup sugar and salt in a saucepan. Cool to lukewarm. Combine 2 tablespoons sugar, yeast and water in a large mixing bowl. Let stand until it forms (5-10 minutes). Beat eggs into yeast mixture. Then add milk mixture and lemon and orange rinds. Stir in flour, 1/2 cup at a time, reserving 1 cup for the kneading surface. Knead dough until smooth (about 5-10 minutes). Place in large mixing bowl that has been greased. Turn dough once to grease top; cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Filling:
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon cinnamon
1 stick butter, melted

Topping:
Either 1 egg beaten or Confectioner’s Sugar Icing
Then 1/3 cup each colored sugar of purple, yellow and green
2 plastic babies (3/4 inch) or 2 red beans

For filling, mix pecans, brown sugar, granulated sugar and cinnamon. Set aside. For topping, tint sugar by mixing in food coloring until desired shade is reached. For purple, use equal amounts of blue and red. (Use just a drop or two at a time).

When dough has doubled, punch down and divide in half. On a floured surface, roll half into a rectangle 30 x 15 inches. Brush with half of the melted butter and cut into 3 lengthwise strips. Sprinkle half of sugar mixture and pecans on strips, leaving a 1-inch lengthwise strip free for sealing. Fold each strip lengthwise toward the center, sealing the seam. You will now have three 30-inch strips with sugar and nut mixture enclosed in each. Braid the 3 strips and make a circle by joining the ends. Repeat with the other half of the dough.

Place each cake on a 10″x15″ baking sheet, cover with a damp cloth, and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour. Brush each egg and sprinkle top with colored sugars, in sequence.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake 20 minutes or until cake tests done. Remove from baking sheet immediately so that sugar will not harden. While still warm, place 1 plastic baby or bean in each from underneath the cake.

To freeze, wrap cooled cake tightly in plastic wrap. Before serving, remove plastic and thaw. The cake is best if heated slightly before serving.