Folks that grow up in the south are raised on cornmeal. It’s one of the first foods we have as babies when trying solids for the first time. For me, cornmeal usually came in the form of either buttered grits, or cornbread, broken up and mixed with a little whole milk to soften. I have never convinced my son to love grits (silly boy!), but he does love his cornbread. Especially, if it is slathered in butter and doused in local honey. My husband loves cornbread too. It goes great alongside his famous chili, which if you haven’t tried yet, you should!
Cornbread is really easy to make. So, put away those pre-mixes and make this bread from scratch. It takes no time at all and comes out much better than the boxed variety.
There are loads of different ways to make cornbread and it really comes down to personal preference. Some like their cornbread sweet while others like it on the savory side. Some like their cornbread full of cheese while others like theirs’ spicy.
This is a basic cornbread recipe to get you started. Feel free to adapt it to your liking (although I think this recipe is damn near perfect). I use ¼ cup of sugar in this recipe. I think it is plenty sweet and I love the combination of the sweetness from the bread and the saltiness from the bacon drippings. However, if you like your cornbread sweeter and more cake-like, feel free to increase the sugar up to a ½ cup. This recipe is also fantastic with the addition of a handful of shredded cheddar cheese and diced fresh jalapeños. I encourage you to play around with the recipe to determine what you like best.
To make, add 2 tablespoons of bacon grease to a cast iron skillet. If you don’t have bacon grease, you can use butter, canola oil or vegetable shortening instead. Place the skillet in the oven and set to bake at 425°F.
While the oven comes up to temperature, mix the batter. In a large bowl, mix 1 cup of all-purpose flour, 1 cup of cornmeal (yellow or white) and ½ cup of sugar. Add 2 teaspoons of baking powder, ¼ teaspoon of baking soda and 1 teaspoon salt. Mix and set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk ¼ cup canola oil, 2 eggs and one cup of buttermilk.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until just incorporated. When the oven is ready, carefully take the skillet out of the oven and pour the batter into the skillet. Place the skillet back into the oven, being careful not to burn yourself. Bake at 425°F for 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cornbread comes out clean. Serve with butter and honey.
Skillet Cornbread
Ingredients
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup cornmeal
- ¼ cup sugar
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- ¼ tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. salt
- 2 eggs
- ¼ cup canola oil
- 1 cup buttermilk
Instructions
- Add 2 tablespoons of bacon grease to a cast iron skillet. Place the skillet in the oven and set to bake at 425°F.
- In a large bowl, mix together all-purpose flour, cornmeal (yellow or white) sugar, 2 baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, whisk canola oil, eggs and buttermilk.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until just incorporated.
- When the oven is ready, carefully take the skillet out of the oven and pour the batter into the skillet. Place the skillet back into the oven and bake at 425°F for 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cornbread comes out clean.
- Serve with butter and honey.
