“The Creek Indians in Tennessee and Georgia were using corn … for generations before the European settlers arrived…. This simple list of ingredients found in this famous Southern quick bread resembles Irish soda or wheaten and I cannot help but imagine how the Ulster-Scots settlers improvised and adapted to the new found colourful cornmeal.
“I love the crunchy outside contrasted with the soft cake-like consistency of this bread whilst the fennel seeds provide an interesting liquorish flavor that blends perfectly with the sweet figs and salty cheese!”
By Judith McLoughlin in The Ulster-Scot, official publication of the Ulster-Scots Agency, April 2011
Ingredients: [‘butter’, ‘all-purpose flour’, ‘cornmeal’, ‘sugar’, ‘salt’, ‘baking powder’, ‘cheddar cheese’, ‘buttermilk’, ‘vegetable oil’, ‘egg’, ‘figs’, ‘fennel seed’]
Quantity of Ingredients: [“2 tablespoons melted butter (or bacon fat)”,”1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour”,”1 cup stoneground cornmeal”,”2 tablespoons sugar”,”1/2 teaspoon salt”,”2 teaspoons baking powder”,”1 cup irish cheddar cheese (grated)”,”1 cup buttermilk”,”4 tablespoons vegetable oil (or melted butter)”,”1 egg (beaten)”,”8 figs (or 1/2 cup dried figs, remove stems and chopped)”,”1 tablespoon fennel seed”]
Number of Servings: 1
Steps: [‘Preheat oven to 400F / 200C degrees.’, ‘Grease a small 8″ cast iron skillet or baking pan with butter. Place in oven to preheat.’, ‘Sift flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt and baking powder into a mixing bowl.’, ‘In another bowl whisk together the buttermilk, vegetable and egg.’, ‘Combine wet and dry ingredients and stir with a large metal spoon to mix.’, ‘Fold in figs and fennel seeds.’, ‘Bake for 25 minutes.’, ‘Remove from oven and set skillet on a rack to cool for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.’]