How to make amazing Charlie Bread
When my wife wanted me to make Charlie bread for the first time, I was pretty sure I knew what I was making: cornbread.
Yes. But, no. Not really.
Charlie bread is cornbread baked in a cast iron pan and is made rich with creamed corn and sour cream.
Ingredients
Self-rising corn meal mix
Baking powder
Baking soda
Corn oil
Eggs
Creamed corn
Sour cream
Salt
Pepper
Tools
Whisk
Mixing bowls
Scale or measuring cups and spoons
Substitutions
Bacon fat, as mentioned in the recipe, is a good choice for the pan. You can also use bacon fat, or melted lard, in place of the peanut oil.
Regular canned corn will not perform as well as creamed corn. The starch and liquid are necessary for the right balance.
Fine grain corn meal will work, but the texture will be different.
Storage
Charlie bread freezes very nicely for up to a month as slices. We put them into snap top containers and freeze one piece per container. That’s perfect for work lunches.
People, time, and memory are fickle actors. Add food to that and getting it right is a tough task.
I was competing with a beloved grandma and years of fond memories of Charlie bread. How was I supposed to even twin grandma’s?
13 or so year on I am reminded, on occasion, that it is pretty good but not quite as good as Grandam Doris’. Fair enough.
Make and bake the Charlie Bread
Heat your oven to 450° F and place the cast iron pan inside to get hot.
Mix your Charlie bread like a muffin, all the liquids together and the dry folded into that.
Remove the cast iron pan from the oven and add a generous portion, 1 tablespoon or so, of fat to the pan. Lift and tilt the pan to coat the bottom and corner edges of the pan.
Pour the mixed batter into the prepared hot pan and return to the oven until it is done
Remove the pan. Give the pan a jiggle to see if there is a spot where the bread stuck. Use an offset spatula to press the edge of the bread toward the center and do that all the way around the pan. Turn the bread out and cut and eat. It doesn’t get better as it cools which really means it is just fine, but still piping hot is, OH! That’s good.
We find this particularly well suited as the side for chili.
Charlie Bread
A staple in my wife's family for years and years. Excellent alone with butter on top or with chili. Or, pretty much anytime.
Ingredients
Make the batter
- 185 g Corn meal mix-self rising
- 8 g Baking powder
- 4 g Baking soda
- 90 g Corn oil
- 2 each Eggs
- 1 each 8 oz can creamed corn
- 240 g Sour cream
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
Procedure
-
Place your 10" cast iron pan in an oven heated to 425°F.
-
Mix this the muffin method: Corn meal and baking powder in one bowl. Mix the creamed corn, oil, sour cream, and eggs together, pour the wet onto the dry and fold together.
-
Pour a small amount of corn oil (I use bacon grease) in the pan. Tilt the pan to and fro to cover the bottom of the pan with the oil, pour the Charlie Bread mix into the pan. Bake for 45 minutes or until the top is nicely golden brown.
-
Remove the pan. Give the pan a jiggle to see if there is a spot where the bread stuck. Use whatever kitchen tool you have to press the edge of the bread toward the center and do that all the way around the pan. Turn the bread out and cut and eat. It doesn’t get better as it cools which really means it is just fine, but still piping hot is, OH! That’s good.
Recipe Notes
I've always felt a few scallions cut very thin would be a great addition to this. But, some things aren't to be fussed with. In my house, this is one of those things.
If you prefer a taller bread, increase the recipe by 50%. It comes out nice and tall.