Sweet Kentucky Spoonbread Corn Pudding, a Southern classic that’s incredibly easy to make, creamy, buttery, eat-with-a-spoon comfort food.
Some have said it’s what you expect at grandma’s table for Sunday supper. Or in my book — Thanksgiving!
Spoonbread History
Believed to have Native American origins, spoonbread was commonly called Awendaw or Owendaw. The first print recipe appeared in Sarah Rutledge’s 1847 cookbook, “The Carolina Housewife.” Many have compared British Yorkshire pudding to spoonbread and hypothesize that early European settlers adapted their traditional recipe, swapping flour for native grown cornmeal.
Marion Cunningham, writing for the Los Angeles Times, says, “Tracing the evolution of cornbread from suppone (Indian corn) to spoon bread is in some ways similar to studying history through fossils and other artifacts. There is a rough parallel in these recipes with the social and cultural movement of people through history. A properly prepared dish of spoonbread can be taken as continued testimony to the perfectibility of humankind.”
As with all historically significant recipes, they evolve over time. Home cooks, generation after generation, add bits and pieces of ingredients, herbs, and techniques. Notes written and passed down from one to another survive because they’re delicious and have stories to tell.
The Difference Between Spoonbread and Corn Pudding
Some ask the difference between spoonbread and corn pudding. North Carolina’s Courier-Tribune says spoonbread is not a custard, and not cornbread. They say, “Spoonbread is unique. Some compare it to a souffle while others say it is more like a casserole. It’s not cornbread but it is cornbread. Just softer and creamier.”
While recipes vary from region to region, family to family… this is my version of this ever-so-soft and luscious spoonbread that has a place on Sunday tables and backyard BBQs. From Thanksgiving to Easter celebrations. And every occasion in-between.
Why? Because spoonbread is just perfect… in every way. It’s simplicity, at its finest.
Sweet Kentucky Spoonbread Corn Pudding
Sweet Kentucky Spoonbread Corn Pudding, a Southern classic that’s incredibly easy to make, creamy, buttery, eat-with-a-spoon comfort food.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 to 8 servings 1x
- Category: Sides
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
2 large eggs
15 ounce can cream style corn
1 cup corn kernels, (canned and drained or frozen and thawed)
4 tablespoons butter, melted
1 1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk
salt and pepper to taste
1 package (8-1/2 ounces) cornbread/muffin mix
2 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp fresh chives, snipped finely
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and butter or spray a 3 quart baking dish. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat the eggs until frothy. Then stir in the cream style corn, corn kernels, melted butter, sour cream, milk, salt and pepper. Fold in the combine cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, salt, cream style corn, corn kernels, eggs, melted butter, sour cream, milk, and chives.
Spread the spoon bread batter into the prepared pan. Bake until golden brown and set, about 35 to 40 minutes. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
- Calories: 215 calories
Keywords: Corn Spoon Bread
Typo in instructions.
★★★★