The most iconic of southern foods, cornbread is the food of the gods. I ate it at my grandmother’s house and my mother fixed it often as we had to have cornbread with fresh vegetables. Certain foods just call for cornbread.
When I married, my wife didn’t care for bread and I realized right away that I would have to learn to make my own if I wanted it regularly. So of course I went to my mom. You must have a cast iron skillet. Mom gave me a small one that was already seasoned and taught me how to make cornbread. This is her recipe. She was born in 1923, her mom in 18xx. I’m sure she learned from her mother and they all lived in rural Alabama.
You must have a seasoned, cast iron skillet. A small one, 6 to 8 inches in diameter is best for the kind of cornbread I like. (a high crust to bread ratio)
Preheat the oven to at least 450 degrees.
Ingredients
- 1 cup of corn meal mix. If the package just says “corn meal” then add a heaping tablespoon of self rising flour and about 1/2 tsp. baking powder and a 1/2 tsp salt.
- about 1 cup of buttermilk
- 1 to 2 tbs oil (I use olive or corn oil)
Put about 1 to 2 tbs oil in skillet and heat until very hot. Test with a drip of batter. It should sizzle. Add about 2/3 of the milk to the cornmeal mix and stir just a little. Add the oil and stir some more. Mix well but don’t overdo it. The batter should be pourable, but just. Pour into the hot skillet and watch out as some oil will likely pop. Place in a hot oven immediately. I don’t like a thick pone so I only pour in an inch to an inch and a half deep. Once you make it a few times you can decide how you like it best. I like the cornbread very well done. Watch the top of the “pone” as it browns. When it gets nice and brown, take from the oven and place on a hotpad. Slide a butter knife between the bread and cornbread. If the skillet is well seasoned, the pone will separate easily. If not, work the knife around the edge. Turn the skillet over a plate and when the pone falls out, immediately slide the knife under it. If you don’t, the bottom (which was the top) will “sweat” and really to me that just ruins it.
The secret to keeping the skillet non-stick is to just wipe the hot skillet with paper towels. If you wash it with soap and water the cornbread will stick the next few times you make it.
We have a running controversy in my family. For some reason, my mom will add an egg on very rare ocassions. My sister and I both know it immediately and don’t like it. Makes it too crumbly to me but apparently some people like it that way. When I was a kid the school served a cake like material they called cornbread. It was yellow, had lots of eggs and some sugar and I found it disgusting . My wife prefers it – but she’s not bread fanatic like me.
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