Cornbread is one of those things that can cause fights across some dinner tables, and even more so on social media. Should it have sugar in it or not? I once saw a comment on a recipe blog: “No self-respecting Southerner would put sugar in their cornbread.” I was raised in the South, and I disagree. Should you add cheddar, bacon, and/or jalapenos, or make it plain? I personally like it plain, warm from the pan, dressed with an unreasonable amount of butter and jam, and eaten with a fork, but definitely give some of these other variations a try. Should it be cooked in a cast iron skillet or a square cake pan? While square cake pans allow for nice, square slices of cornbread, nothing beats a cast iron skillet for the delicious, crispy edge it gives the cornbread. I will happily sacrifice the nice squares and eat it in triangular wedges to get that incredible crust.
If there’s one thing on which virtually every self-respecting cornbread lover can agree, though, it’s that cornbread made from scratch beats the living daylights out of anything you can get from a mix. Please, stay away from the mixes. This one-bowl adaptation of a cornbread recipe from the Food Network could not be easier to make and is so much more delicious.
Ingredients
1 and 1/4 cups coarsely or medium ground corn meal (I like Bob’s Red Mill, but Albers will also do)
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 and 1/3 cup buttermilk*
2 large eggs
8 Tbsp (one stick) unsalted butter, melted in the microwave and cooled slightly (just enough so that it won’t cook the eggs)
* I never keep buttermilk on hand, because I rarely use it. So, I make my own. Add 1 Tbsp lemon juice to a 2 cup container, then fill to the 1 cup line with either whole or 2% milk. Add another 1/3 cup milk on top of that and stir. Voila, buttermilk, plus the additional 1/3 cup milk called for by the recipe.
Directions
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Place a rack in the middle and a 9″ cast iron skillet on the rack to heat.
In a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Whisk in the buttermilk, eggs and most of the melted butter. Reserve a couple of tablespoons butter for the skillet.
Remove the hot skillet from the oven and pour in the reserved butter. Carefully tilt to coat the bottom and sides of the skillet with the butter. Pour the batter into the skillet and place it on the middle rack. Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean. Let cool for 10-15 minutes before cutting and serving.
MaeNot Favorite Recipes 