Skillet-baked cornbread

Not sure where I found this one, but it's good.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Melt 1/2 stick butter (I use unsalted butter) in a cast iron skillet.

Take the skillet off the heat. Blend in 2/3 cup white sugar and 2 eggs.

In a small dish, combine 1 cup buttermilk and 1/2 teaspoon baking soda. Stir this into the mix in the pan.

Stir in:
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt

Smooth out, and bake 30-40 minutes. Enjoy!

I'd just like to testify to the delicious awesomeness of this recipe.

Also, last time I made it I had some whole wheat flour I needed to use up, so I did half all-purpose and half WW, and it was lovely.

Gee, thanks!

Wish I had some just now.

that looks a lot like what i do, too!

only i use 1 cup of gluten free blend flours (i make my own) that has xanthan gum amended into it - OR - for more traditional johnny cake, I just double the cornmeal and omit the g/f flours altogether.


and i only use 2-3 T of sugar
and many times i use coconut milk - 'cause i like the flavor it adds.

i actually found at auction the cutest little cast iron pan that makes individual corn shaped bread. the kids love it!

oh yeah, i add in actual corn, too - just whatever was leftover in fridge from the meal the day before. i like the texture and pop of flavor.

i ALWAYS serve this with butter and honey. yum.

I do think this bread comes out rather sweet -- I haven't yet started to fiddle with the amounts of sugar, but like you say, I may cut it down. Like you, I have put in some whole corn, and I've also added a little chopped jalapeno or other hot pepper for some kick. It is good stuff! And oooh... butter and honey

megan - toss in cheese, bacon, diced green peppers or tomatoes from the garden, garlic, onion (all from garden - oh heaven on earth!)

it's such a basic recipe and so forgiving.

i actually use closer to 2T than 3T when making this - esp since again, we serve with honey.

we've served it as a main dish when i'm particularly lazy - because with all the add ins it can be practically a casserole. *grin*

Come on, Ander.... you know you want to!!!!

I did cut the sugar to 1/3 cup when I used the WW flour (I had totally forgotten about that!) since whole wheat is rather sweeter to begin with. I think it could be cut more, but it was delicious anyway

Sometimes I think I must be the only person in the world who does not like/eat/use sugar or honey in homemade cornbread! Then again, I don't inundate French fries with catsup, either....

I received a VERY delightful email from Ander regarding use of sugar in cornbread. I am hoping she'll be willing to share it with the rest of us....

The cornbread recipe sounded so yummy I had to have a go. By the time the oven was warm, I realized I had no cornmeal. We don't use it a lot in England. I found some popping corn and tried to grind it in my wheat grinder, but it kept seizing up the motor. Popping corn must be extra hard, because the grinder has no problem with grinding dried beans. Undeterred, I ground it bit by bit in my Magic Bullet. After managing about 3/4 of a cup, I realized it had smashed the top of my Bullet. I sifted out the broken bits of plastic and made up the rest with whole wheat flour. No buttermilk either, so I used Yoghurt mixed with milk instead. Sugar seemed very excessive to our British taste, so settled for 1/3 cup. I greased a bread tin, wondering what size I would need and if this kind of bread rises, then put the loaf in the oven.
Should have realized 'skillet' and used the pot I mixed it all up in. Duh!

But it turned out delicious! Still a bit too sweet, but I will certainly make it again, after I buy some cornmeal! Thanks for the recipe.

Oh my gosh... you are one DETERMINED baker!!!

So glad it worked out for you, and best wishes on your next batch! A cast iron skillet is typically about 10" diameter and round. Cornbread is typically fairly flat -- maybe a couple inches tall at most.

Veggiequeen wrote:The cornbread recipe sounded so yummy I had to have a go. By the time the oven was warm, I realized I had no cornmeal. We don't use it a lot in England. I found some popping corn and tried to grind it in my wheat grinder, but it kept seizing up the motor. Popping corn must be extra hard, because the grinder has no problem with grinding dried beans. Undeterred, I ground it bit by bit in my Magic Bullet. After managing about 3/4 of a cup, I realized it had smashed the top of my Bullet. I sifted out the broken bits of plastic and made up the rest with whole wheat flour. No buttermilk either, so I used Yoghurt mixed with milk instead. Sugar seemed very excessive to our British taste, so settled for 1/3 cup. I greased a bread tin, wondering what size I would need and if this kind of bread rises, then put the loaf in the oven.
Should have realized 'skillet' and used the pot I mixed it all up in. Duh!

But it turned out delicious! Still a bit too sweet, but I will certainly make it again, after I buy some cornmeal! Thanks for the recipe.

BRAVO!

Megan wrote:Come on, Ander.... you know you want to!!!!

LOL. Okay, here goes the message I PM'd to Megan.

"Sugar in the cornbread?!? Lawsy me!" (Said in my best Scarlet O'Hara
voice.)

Your recipe reminded me of an editorial I once read in an Atlanta newspaper when we were there on business. It was a tongue-in-cheek discussion that the real reason for the Civil War was that Yankees were putting sugar in their cornbread and every good Southerner knew that would be the end of civilization if it wasn't stopped. We might allow cousins with Yankee blood to get away with adding a spoonful or two of sugar, but any more than that would cause the great-aunts to have the vapors and swoon, or even worse, to have hissy fits.

Hubby once made cornbread for me to take to church when I was too busy to do it myself. He followed the recipe on the cornmeal bag which called for 1 T. of sugar. I forgot to tell him that I always omit that. When we got to
church, one of my friends who is from Alabama put a piece of cornbread on
her plate, took one bite, and said, "Who put sugar in the cornbread???" It
was one tablespoon in a whole skillet, but she knew it right away. You can't
fool those ladies. They're on 24-hour watch.

I hope your HOA doesn't contact you about this recipe.

(Here is my iron skillet cornbread recipe - not a hissy fit in sight with this one.)

3 Tbsp. fat (I prefer lard or bacon grease, but if you must, substitute oil or butter)
2 c. plain cornmeal (I prefer yellow, but white is okay, too)
1/3 c. flour
1 tbsp. fresh baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 to 1 1/2 c. milk
1 x-large egg

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Add fat to skillet and place in oven to heat. (You want the skillet hot enough for the batter to sizzle when you pour it in. You can put the skillet on the burner if needed to get it hotter.)
After allowing the fat to heat for a few minutes, mix cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. In a large glass measuring cup, measure 1 c. milk. Add egg and stir. When grease is just below smoking in oven, remove skillet and pour about 2/3 of the fat into the milk mixture, leaving remaining in skillet. Mix well, and pour milk mixture into dry ingredients. Mix just until dry ingredients are moistened. Do not overbeat. The mixture should be moist and fluffy, barely pourable, but not runny like pancake batter. If needed, add more milk a little at a time until all the cornmeal is moistened. Pour mixture into the remaining fat in the hot skillet, and bake about 25 minutes until cooked through and golden brown.

(If you want buttermilk cornbread, substitute buttermilk for the milk and add 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda to the dry ingredients.)

Having the fat in the skillet sizzling makes a crispy brown coating on the outside of cornbread, which makes it SO good.

*drool* bacon fat

now you're welcome in my kitchen ANYTIME!

bacon fat and butter 2 of the best fats on earth.

Thank you, Ander for straightening them out.

I remember when I first married DH. His Aunt lived with us and decided to make cornbread one day while I was working. I sat to the table that evening with my mouth watering and took a large bite of buttered cornbread and almost spit it back out in front of everyone!

I was expecting cornbread like my Mama made. This was cornbread from a Jiffy brand box. YUCK!!! SWEET CORNBREAD? Whoever heard of such? lol

I'm sad to say I didn't pay attention to Mama when she was making cornbread and haven't gotten mine to taste like her's, yet.

But, I'm trying.

Betty

Betty, in my opinion, Jiffy mix is evil. If I want cake, I make cake. If I want cornbread I make cornbread, and "never the 'twain shall meet". Of course we know the real reason we don't put sugar in our cornbread - it's to save it all for the iced tea.

That reminds me of a story about a friend of my nephew. He was in St. Louis and took his wife to a very nice restaurant. The waiter asked what they wanted to drink and both ordered iced tea. A few minutes later the waiter brought them a large bottle of sparkling wine. They asked him what it was. He told them it was their order. They replied they had ordered iced tea, and he pointed to the label and said, "That's exactly what I brought you - Asti."

happyfrog wrote:*drool* bacon fat

now you're welcome in my kitchen ANYTIME!

bacon fat and butter 2 of the best fats on earth.

Happyfrog, I use lard rendered from our own hogs raised on pasture, scraps, and a little grain, or I season with the grease left from cooking fresh side pork (uncured bacon) from those hogs. We prefer the fresh side to cured bacon, but we call it bacon because many people aren't familiar with fresh side pork.

I'm a big proponent of using lard if you don't have cultural or religious taboos against it. It is starting to find favor again as a healthy fat - in moderation, of course. It makes really flaky pastry, and there is nothing better for seasoning a fresh pot of greens from the garden.

Ander,

Being from the south, I know I'm supposed to like sweet tea, and did all of my life, until I went on a diet one time and gave up sugar.

Now sweet tea makes me very nauseated. Don't know why, but it does.
So, I drink my tea straight up - no sugar or sweetener of any kind.

When I married DH he put 2 CUPS of sugar in his tea when he made a pitcher!

Now that is sweet tea!

Betty

Lard here is called saindoux (sen-doo) -- sounds much nicer than lard!

My father’s side of the family is so deep south, somewhere we have relatives that never did come off the mountain. My grandmother on my dad's side lived in Georgia when I was growing up. And I only met her once. I may have been 6 or 7. I distinctly remember the rant she went on whilst teaching this grandchild of hers, the product of a Yank mother as well as being raised in CA, the proper way to make cornbread. I was very concerned for her heart as her voice got louder and louder telling me how if she wanted CAKE she'd make a cake...and that cornbread wasn't CAKE it was cornbread...and how cornbread with sugar was no bread at all it was Johnny cake and what kind of frosting goes on that?? This woman had a 3rd grade education...and I didn't understand a lot of what she said with such a thick accent at 6 years old...I had no idea where in Sam Hill up yonder and down yonder was....but I learned pretty quick sugar and cornbread mixed about as well as "white" cake and "black" frosting.....and yes that is how severely serious she was about not mixing black and white...not even frosting on cake.

LOL all that said....I like sugar in my cornbread....I guess that's technically not cornbread at all but Johnny Cake as grandma said...but then again what do you expect when your mamma was a yank and you grew up in CA.

ROFL...

Happy Frog:

only i use 1 cup of gluten free blend flours (i make my own) that has xanthan gum amended into it - OR - for more traditional johnny cake, I just double the cornmeal and omit the g/f flours altogether.


DH has celiac disease & I'm having a heck of a time making decent bread. I've used the Red Mill brand, but it uses beans & we don't like the flavor at all.

Would you share your flour recipe? (& any other recipes or links that might help).


We are weird deep south folks - sweet cornbread is the only way to go, with bacon fat always.

bettyd_z7_va wrote:Ander,

Being from the south, I know I'm supposed to like sweet tea, and did all of my life, until I went on a diet one time and gave up sugar.

Now sweet tea makes me very nauseated. Don't know why, but it does.
So, I drink my tea straight up - no sugar or sweetener of any kind.

When I married DH he put 2 CUPS of sugar in his tea when he made a pitcher!

Now that is sweet tea!

Betty

Yes, that is sweet tea! Most of the folks around here make it with one cup per pitcher. I agree, I can't handle it, but my sweetie likes his sweet, too. The only time I drink sweet tea is on Christmas morning when I indulge myself with a cup of hot Earl Grey to which I've added plenty of cream and sugar. I'm usually the only one up, and I sit and watch the sun rise as I enjoy the quiet before a hectic morning of cooking for family.

LaFee, isn't bacon called lardons in French? I never liked that word. It always gives me a mental image of putting the "lard on" my waistline which is already quite ample enough as it is.

Jennie, FYI, up yonder and down yonder are a little piece the other side of over yonder. (Just ask when you need to know these things.)

LaFee, isn't bacon called lardons in French? I never liked that word. It always gives me a mental image of putting the "lard on" my waistline which is already quite ample enough as it is.

Sort of -- lardons is the word for matchstick pieces of thick-sliced bacon. Regular bacon is called poitrine (rib), since that's where it comes from.

There is no shortage of eggs, bacon, creme, or butter anywhere in French cooking -- it's amazing...but yet because you don't snack, and you walk so many places, it stays away!