Corn Light Bread, a favorite barbecue side in middle Tennessee, breaks all the Southern cornbread rules. It’s loaded with flour and sugar and it’s baked in a loaf pan. Why sweet cornbread with barbecue? Our guess is that sweet-sauced barbecue calls for a sweeter bread, just like the customary pairing of a sweet wine with a sweet dessert. Anything not sweet enough just tastes sour. Judging how most of the country prefers sweet cornbread, this may be the one that tastes the most like home.

　　

Ingredients

makes 1 loaf

　　2 cups cornmeal

　　1 cup all-purpose flour

　　1/2 cup sugar

　　1 tablespoon baking powder

　　1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

　　1 large egg

　　1 1/2 cups buttermilk

　　1/3 cup vegetable oil

　　

Step 1

HEAT the oven to 375°F. Grease a 9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pan.

　　

Step 2

STIR the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl.

　　

Step 3

ADD the egg, buttermilk, and vegetable oil. Stir until well blended. The batter should be thick, but creamy and pourable. If the batter seems too thick, add a tablespoon or two of water.

　　

Step 4

POUR the batter into the loaf pan. Bake for 45 minutes, until golden brown.

　　

Step 5

COOL the bread for 5 to 10 minutes in the pan, then remove from the pan and cool on a wire rack. Store tightly wrapped in aluminum foil.

　　

Note

Step 6

You can substitute 2 cups self-rising cornmeal mix and 1 cup self-rising flour for the cornmeal, all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt.

　　Cheater BBQ