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Cracklin' Cornbread
From Cook's Country
December/January 2010
With a perfectly
seasoned skillet and some rendered pork skin,
anybody can enjoy this southern classic.
Unfortunately, not everyone has the ingredients or the
equipment, and store-bought pork rinds are a
laughable stand-in. To create makeshift cracklings for
our Cracklin Cornbread, we tried everything from salt
pork (too sa lty and tough) to Fritos fried in bacon
grease (just wrong), and eventually settled on fried
bacon. To keep the cornbread crunchy, we removed it
from the skillet shortly after it was done. This way it
didnt steam and soften while it sat in the warm skillet.
Serves 10
For the crunchiest crust, bake the cornbread in a cast-iron pan. Avoid coarsely ground cornmea l, which
will make the cornbread too gritty. See related Quick Tip for information about seasoning cast-iron
skillets.
INGREDIENTS
slices bacon, chopped fine
cups cornmeal (see note)
teaspoon baking powder
teaspoon baking soda
teaspoon salt
cups buttermilk
cup vegetable oil
large eggs, lightly beaten
INSTRUCTIONS
1. COOK BACON Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. C ook bacon in 10-
inch heatproof skillet over medium heat until crisp, about 8 minutes. Transfer bacon to paper towel-lined
plate. Pour off fat from pan, re serving cup.
2. MIX BATTERCombine cornmea l, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in large bowl. Whisk in
buttermilk, 3 tablespoons oil, reserved bacon fat, eggs, and crisp bacon.
3. BAKE CORNBREAD Heat remaining oil in empty skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking.
Spoon cornmeal mixture, cup at a time, into skillet and bake until top begins to crack and sides a re
golden brown, 12 to 16 minutes. Cool in pan 5 minutes, then turn out onto wire rack. Serve.
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DO THE DOLLOP
If you dump the batter in, the hot oil that's greasing the skillet gets pushed to
the edge. Dolloping the batter guarantees the cornbread will release cleanly,
even in an underseasoned skillet.
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Beer-Batter Cheese BreadFrom Cook's Country
December/January 2008
Quick breads, like our
Beer-Batter Cheese Bread, can be on the table in less
than an hour. The basic recipe is simple enough, yet
our first attempts produced loaves that tasted sour,
like stale beer, while others had negligible cheese
flavor. And some attempts at this recipe were so
greasy that we had to pass out extra napkins. We
wanted a lighter loaf of cheese bread enhanced with
the yeasty flavor of beer and a big hit ofcheeseand
it had to be quick and easy. Mild, domestic lagers
provided a clean, subtle flavor without any sourness at
all. Cutting back the butter from a full stick to half a
stick made our Beer-Batter Cheese Bread recipe
considerably lighter, while still producing a craggy
crust.
Makes one 9-inch loaf
Insert the toothpick in a few spots when testing for doneness; it may hita pocket ofcheese, which
resembles uncooked batter on the toothpick. Strongly flavored beers make the bread bitter, so mild
Amer ican lagers like Budweiser work best here .
INGREDIENTS
ounces Gruyre cheese, 4 ounces shredded and 4 ounces cut into 1/4-inch cubes
cups all-purpose flour
tablespoons sugar
teaspoons baking powder
teaspoons salt
teaspoon pepper
1 (12-ounce) light-bodied beer, such as Budweiser (see note)
tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease 9 by 5-inch loafpan.
2. Combine shredded and cubed cheese, flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and pepper in large bowl. Stir
in beer and mix until well combined. Pour into loafpan, spreading batter to corners. Drizzle melted butter
evenly over top of batter.
3. Bake until deep golden brown and toothpick inserted into center of loaf comes out clean, 45 to 50
minutes. Cool bread in pan for 5 minutes, then turn out onto rack. Cool completely and slice as desired.
(Although this bread can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, after the
second day the bread is best toasted.)
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Beer-Batter Bread with
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Beer-Batter Cheese Bread
with Smoked Gouda and
Bacon
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SWISS CHEESE: THE HOLE TRUTH
We loved the nutty pungency of Gruyre cheese in our Beer-Batter Cheese Bread. Gruyre is a cow's-
milk cheese named after its birthplace, Gruyres, Switzerland. Like many Swiss-style cheeses of various
origins ("Swiss" cheeses are produced all over the world), each 100-pound wheel of Gruyre is pocked
with holes, or "eyes," that are formed when carbon dioxide gas (created by fermenting bacteria) is
released as the cheese is aging. Swiss-style cheeses without eyes are known as "blind" cheeses.
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Cinnamon Swirl Bread
From Cook's Country
April/May 2007
Cinnamon swirl bread
recipes sound appea ling, but often they yield
disastrous results: loaves that are chewy or dry,
cinnamon swirls that separate from the bread, and
filling that oozes out of the loaf. Using just egg yolks
gave us a Cinnamon Swirl Bread recipe that struck the
perfect balance between too lean and too bouncy.
Tasters preferred a filling of white and brown sugars,
with a hefty amount of cinnamon. A thin coat ofwater
sprayed on the dough made the cinnamon mixture
stick, and a second light coat sprayed directly onto the
mixture created a glue" that adhered to the
Cinnamon Swirl Bread when it was rolled.
Serves 8
You will need a spray bottle filled with water for this recipe. Whole milk is best in the dough, although
low-fatmilk will work; skim milk will make the bread too dry.
INGREDIENTS
Cinnamon Sugar
cup granulated sugar
cup packed light brown sugar
teaspoons ground cinnamon
Bread
cups milk, heated to 110 degrees
tablespoons unsalted butter, 3 tablespoons melted
large egg yolks
cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
envelope (2 1/4 teaspoons) rapid-rise yeast
tablespoon sugar
teaspoons salt
INSTRUCTIONS
1. For the cinnamon sugar: Combine ingredients in small bowl, breaking up clumps. Cover tightly with
plastic wrap.
2. For the bread: Spray large bowl with cooking spray. Whisk milk, melted butter, and yolks in large
liquid measuring cup. Mix 1/4 cup cinnamon sugar, yeast, sugar, flour, and salt in large bowl of standing
mixer fitted with dough hook. Turn mixer to low and slowly add milk mixture. After dough comes
together, increase speed to medium and mix until dough is smooth and comes away from sides of bowl,
5 to 6 minutes. (If dough seems too sticky, add up to 1/4 cup more flour during kneading.) Turn dough
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Cinnamon Swirl
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Cinnamon
TASTE TEST
Unsalted Butter
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out onto unfloured counter and knead to form smooth, round ball. Transfer dough to greased bowl and
turn to coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
(Do not place in warm oven or sugar in dough will melt.)
3. Spray 9 by 5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray. On lightly floured surface, press dough into 20 by 8-
inch rectangle, with short side facing you. Using spray bottle, lightly and evenly spray dough with water.
Sprinkle 1/2 cup cinnamon sugar over dough, leaving 2-inch border along top edge. Lightly spray
cinnamon sugar with water until damp but not wet (see photo at left.) Starting at edge nearest you, roll
up dough, then pinch seam and ends closed. Place loaf seam side down in prepared pan, cover loosely
with plastic wrap, and let rise at room temperature until 1 inch above rim ofpan, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
4. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Melt remaining tablespoon butter
and brush over top ofdough. Sprinkle with remaining cinnamon sugar and bake until top is deep brown
and center of bread registers 185 to 190 degrees on instant-read thermometer, 45 to 60 minutes. Turnbread out onto rack and cool to room temperature, about 2 hours. Slice as desired. (Bread can be kept in
airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.)
SPRAY- ON SECRET
We found that waternot milk, butter, or beaten eggswas the trick to
anchoring the cinnamon sugar to the dough. Once the dough has been rolled
out, spray it with water, sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar, and then spray
the cinnamon sugar until slightly damp. Once rolled up and baked, the swirl
will remain attached to the bread, even when sliced thin for toasting.
GETTING THE RIGHT SWIRL
When testing other recipes, we uncovered two recurring problems: the swirl separa ting and the filling
leaking out. Using a modest amount of cinnamon sugar and gluing the cinnamon sugar to the dough with
water solved these common problems.
Swirl separates and filling oozes out
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Zucchini Bread
From Cook's Country
August/September 2005
We wanted our
Zucchini Bread to boast a rich flavor and a moistnot
soggytexture. We grated the zucchini on a box
grater, then wrung it out in a clean dishtowel to expel
much ofits moisture. We combined the dry and wet
ingredients separately, and then gently folded them
together until just combinedtoo much mixing can
cause the bread to become tough and dense. Finally,
we limited the spices to just cinnamon and allspice to
allow the zucchinis flavor to come through.
Makes one 9-inch loaf
Cut large zucchini in halflengthwise and scoop outthe seeds with a spoon before shredding.
INGREDIENTS
pound zucchini
cups all-purpose flour
teaspoon baking soda
teaspoon baking powder
teaspoon ground cinnamon
teaspoon ground allspice
teaspoon table salt
cups sugar
cup plain yogurt
large eggs
tablespoon lemon juice
tablespoons unsalted butter, me lted and cooled
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Generously coat 9 by 5-inch loaf
pan with cooking spray.
2. Following photos, shred and squeeze zucchini. Whisk flour, baking soda , baking powder, cinnamon,
allspice, and salt in large bowl. Whisk sugar, yogurt, eggs, lemon juice, and butter in bowl until combined.
3. Gently fold yogurt mixture and zucchini into flour mixture using spatula until just combined. Transfer
batter to prepared pan.
4. Bake until golden brown and skewer inserted in center comes out with a few crumbs attached, 45 to
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Spread
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55 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire rack to cool at least 1 hour. (Bread can be
wrapped in plastic and stored at room temperature for 3 days.)
SQUEEZING ZUCCHINI
Zucchini is more than 95 percent water, so it's no wonder that zucchini bread is notoriously soggy. This
technique rids the zucchini of much of its moisture and concentrates the flavor at the same time.
1. Using the coarse holes on a box grated, grate the zucchini, peel and all.
2. Place the grated zucchini in a clean dish towel and wring out as much
liquid as possible.
MAKING MUFFINS INSTEAD OF QUICK BREADS
Like most quick breads, our zucchini bread doesn't have to be baked in a loaf pan. A muffin tin is another
good option. In addition to being cute and easy to eat, muffins have the advantage of baking up in half
the time ofbread. To make zucchini muffins, coat a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray, fill each cup
three-quarters full, and bake on the middle rack of a preheated 375-degree oven until a skewer inserted
into the middle of a muffin comes out with a few crumbs attached, 22 to 27 minutes. These muffins are
best served warm.
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