We LOVE the 50 nifty United States of this awesome country and believe each state is special. Every Monday we feature a sandwich unique to its state as part of our “50 Sandwiches, 50 States, 50 Weeks” series beginning with Alabama and ending with Wyoming.
Choosing the sandwich for Alabama and Arizona was a snap. However, Arkansas was like Alaska… No definitive “this is THE sandwich.” We saw a fried bologna, fried catfish, a reuben, and then we discovered this basic ham and cheese cornbread sandwich which we thought was really interesting.
So this recipe is really about the bread. I’ve never thought of replacing regular sandwich bread with cornbread. But hey, why not? Especially if it’s cheesy cornbread!
Here’s the problem with swapping cornbread with regular bread: cornbread is typically very crumbly and doesn’t hold together very well. In other words, you gotta eat it with a fork if using it for sandwich bread. While we’re in no way opposed to open faced sandwiches, we wanted to see if we could make a simple cornbread that would stay together if you ate it like you would a regular sandwich- with your hands.
After 3 tries, we got it! All you need is a box of 85 cent Jiffy cornbread mix, a few other ingredients, and a 9 x 13 inch baking dish.
Even though we used a box of Jiffy mix, we did not make it according to the package instructions. We did not use egg because we wanted to keep the bread dense. So we had to triple the amount of milk. The addition of cheese and oil keeps the bread moist, pliable, and helps it stay together. The result is thin, delicious, slightly crumbly corn bread that can take on some serious sandwich fillings!
We loved this sandwich. It’s so versatile. You can add jalapenos, green chilies, or broccoli to the cornbread batter and fill with anything you want. Give it a try!
- 1 box Jiffy Cornbread Mix
- 1 cup milk or buttermilk
- ½ Tbsp. vegetable oil
- 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded, divided
- 12 slices of ham
- tomato, sliced
- red onion, thinly sliced
- lettuce
- 4 slices of swiss cheese
- mayo
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
- Mix Jiffy mix, milk, vegetable oil, and ½ cup cheddar cheese together.
- Pour into a well greased 9 x 13 inch baking dish and top with remaining ½ cup of cheddar cheese.
- Bake 20-23 minutes until golden brown.
- Cool 1 hour on a wire rack.
- Slice in half lengthwise, then in 4 even slices widthwise. You will have 8 approx. 4 x 3 inch pieces of bread.
- Place each 3 pieces of ham on on a piece of the cornbread. Top with tomato, onion, lettuce, and cheese. Spread mayo on another piece of cornbread and place on top of the sandwich and dig in.
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