My rules on cornbread are pretty simple. It must be baked in a cast iron skillet. It must be crunchy on the outside. It must not be sweet.
That’s my cornbread philosophy in a nutshell.
Now, I’ve had perfectly passable cornbread baked in a square pan but to me, the authentic cornbread experience is cast iron skillet baked bread. Cornbread is a simple bread and it bakes quickly so you can understand why it was popular among Appalachian folks. Who wants to come home after a hard day in the tobacco fields and wait on bread to rise? Ain’t nobody got time for that.
There are more complicated cornbread recipes out there than the one I’m going to share. Some people put whole kernel corn in their cornbread. Some people use eggs. A popular variation these days is to add jalapeño peppers and cheese.
I use a 8 inch cast iron skillet like this one. I’m a big fan of Lodge Cast cast iron products. They are made in the USA and built to last. I love browsing the Lodge Cast store near Sevierville, Tennessee and usually walk out with several very heavy packages.
Simple Cornbread
You’ll need:
2 tablespoons of vegetable or canola oil for pan
1 cup of corn meal mix
1/2 to 2/3 cup of milk or buttermilk
3 tablespoons additional vegetable or canola oil
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Add 2 tablespoons of oil to a 8 inch cast iron skillet and put it in the oven to preheat. You want the skillet oil to be good and hot so I usually put the skillet in before I even get the corn meal mix out of the pantry.
I remember distinctly my mom using Uncle Sam Corn Meal. A quick Google tells me that it’s not around anymore but I can buy an empty 25 pound bag on eBay for $19.95 to quench my nostalgia if I want to. (I don’t but it was nice to see my mind’s eye remembered Uncle Sam perfectly). Now, it’s more common to find corn meal mix than straight corn meal so I generally use Aunt Jemima’s Buttermilk Corn Meal Mix.
In a medium bowl, mix together the corn meal mix, remaining 3 tablespoons of oil and enough milk to make batter that’s thin enough to pour easily. Since regular milk is thinner, you’ll need less of it than if you use buttermilk. I almost always use regular milk. To be honest, I use skim milk and it turns out fine. Cornbread is very forgiving so if you get the batter too thin, just add more corn meal mix. Likewise, if you put a little too much mix, just thin it out with more milk.
Carefully remove your hot skillet and pour the batter in. Do this gently so that the hot oil doesn’t pop up and burn you. Ideally, you’ll get a bit of sizzle when you pour the batter in. Tilt the pan to evenly distribute the batter. It’s ok if oil drifts over the top of your bread.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. You’ll notice the bread will start to brown around the edges and pull away from the sides of the pan. To get that ultimate brown crust on top, you may need to put the bread under the broiler for a couple of minutes.
Once you’ve removed your bread from the oven, let it set for a couple of minutes to settle. Then run a butter knife around the edges and flip it out onto a plate. There’s nothing more satisfying than the thunk of a yummy cornbread landing on a plate. I let mine rest upside down on the plate for a few minutes to let them heat escape then I flip it back over and cut it or break it.
Cornbread can be served with butter and of course, it’s delicious broken up in soup beans, vegetable soup, or beef stew.