Recipe
1940s Cornmeal Muffins
Everyday cornmeal muffins from mid-century thrift cookery: quick bread for breakfast or supper alongside soups and stews.
Context
Cornmeal was inexpensive, kept well, and appeared constantly in wartime and early postwar breakfast tables. Recipes varied by region - some used buttermilk, some sweet milk - but the method stayed simple: dry ingredients stirred into a wet batter and baked hot.
Ingredients
- 1 cup yellow cornmeal
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- ¾ tsp salt
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 cup milk
- ¼ cup melted shortening or oil
Instructions
- Heat oven to 425°F (220°C). Grease a 12-cup muffin tin.
- Stir together cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
- In another bowl, combine egg, milk, and melted fat. Pour into dry ingredients and stir just until moistened.
- Fill muffin cups about two-thirds full. Bake 15–20 minutes until golden. Serve warm.