Southern Batter Bread Recipes

Steps:

• Mix together shortening, sugar, salt, yeast, and 1 1/5 cups flour. Add warm water and beat by hand about 300 strokes, or 3 minutes, with an electric mixer. Add remaining flour, scraping bowl often, and mix all together until smooth.
• Cover with a clean cloth and let rise until doubled in volume.
• Stir dough down gently, and spoon into a lightly greased 9x5 inch loaf pan (the batter should be sticky). Pat down with floured hands to help shape. Cover again, and let rise for about 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Bake for about 45 minutes. Place on a cooling rack, and brush top with melted butter.

Steps:

• Bring the water and margarine to a boil on the stove or in the microwave. While it is heating, combine the cornmeal, salt and baking powder in a large bowl. Pour the boiling water into the cornmeal mixture. Stir it up quickly with a whisk to prevent lumps. The cornmeal will swell up and absorb the water. Slowly add the milk to the hot cornmeal. If you add it to fast it will wind up lmpy, which is not real bad, but it's better if you try to keep it smooth. So slowly stir in the milk, a little at a time. When all the milk is added, break the eggs into the bowl too. You don't add the eggs before the milk because the hot cornmeal will cook them. Beat up the batter until the eggs are well incorporated. Then turn the batter into a well oiled 2-quart casserole, or 8-inch square pan, or even a ten inch iron skillet. Bake the bread at 375F for abot40 minutes. The top will be nicely browned and the mixture will jiggle a little bit when you shake the pan. Take it out of the oven and serve it hot.

Steps:

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the milk, butter, sugar, salt, eggs and 3 cups flour; beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. , Do not knead. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour., Stir the dough down. Spoon into a greased and floured 10-in. tube pan. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour. , Bake at 400° for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pan to a wire rack to cool., Combine the honey butter ingredients until smooth. Serve with bread.