Southern Cornbread

In case you were not aware, cornbread can be a very controversial subject among Southerns. The debate of sugar vs no sugar in cornbread has led to many feuds. That is the only debate I will reference, cause we are not even going to discuss that abomination that is boxed cornbread! *shudders in southern* This is a strictly no sugar cornbread, just the way God intended, or at least in my opinion the way He intended it. I mean, if you are going to make a sweet cornbread, just go ahead and bake a cake.

This cornbread recipe was passed down from my mom, who got it from her mom, who I am fairly certain got it from her mom… you get the point here… getting the recipe written down took some effort, as when making cornbread the important technique to remember is eyeballing it. Nothing is more aggravating then trying to write down a recipe and being told “Now, add the milk until it looks right”…. uhm looks right to whom, what type of measurement is that! All that to say, after much practice and test runs, I finally got the ingredients down to actual type-able, understandable measurement.

I will go ahead and say, this recipe makes a cornbread with a dryer texture. When researching additional methods of making cornbread I came across an alarming number with the word “Moist” in the title (sorry for the use of that word Jamie). Now I do not know if it was just the way I was raised or what. In case you were wondering I was raise in the correct way, where our cornbread was not “Moist”. I guess the reason I love a dry cornbread is because cornbread was not meant to be eaten alone (other than the top crunchy part, that can be eaten anyway possible, mmmmmmm crunchy goodness).

Cornbread is meant to be eaten with sides that have enough juice in them to compensate for the cornbread’s dryness. There is nothing better than black-eyed peas, turnip greens, red beans, or chili over a piece of cornbread. When the cornbread has sat there long enough to soak up the juice and get all nice and moist. That is where I want my moisture to come from. Now if you want a moist cornbread, well go somewhere else. Just kidding! Just add extra milk to your mixture to make it moist. How much, no idea, never done it. 😉

The first thing you want to do, is make sure you have a cast iron skillet that is seasoned well. If your cast iron skilled isn’t seasoned properly your cornbread will stick. For help in seasoning your cast iron, see my post regarding How to Season Cast Iron. You can also use a corn stick mold. This is what I prefer as I like crispy, crunchy cornbread and this is the best way of accomplishing that.

Once you have the cast iron skillet you want to use, preheat your over to 450 degrees. Add Crisco to your cast iron skillet and place it in the oven for 8 minutes, or until the oil starts to lightly smoke. This step can also be done on the stove over high heat, if you prefer.

While your pan is in the over, start making your corn bread batter. In a large bowl mix together 2 cups of Corn Meal, 1 egg, and 1 1/3 cups of milk and stir until well blended.

If your batter looks grainy, then you need to add more milk. The batter needs to be a bit runny.

Once your oil has gotten to it’s smoking point, take the skillet out of the oven and carefully swirl the oil around to coat bottom and sides of the skillet.

Pour the excess hot oil into the cornbread batter and stir it. It will look like bits of the cornbread is being fried.

Immediately pour batter into skillet.

Bake in a preheated 450 degree oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a knife inserted
into the center comes out clean.

Serve warm and watch your fingers as your are fighting over the crunchy goodness on the top and sides.

The great thing about cornbread is just how versatile of a food it is. There are many varieties of cornbread you can make. See below for a listing of just some of the other alterations of cornbread you can make:

Mexican Cornbread – After you get the cornbread batter mixed, before you add the oil, add 1 can of Mexi-Corn, 1 cup of Shredded Cheddar Cheese and 1 jar of Pickled Jalapenos. Mix the batter, mix in the hot oil, and bake as directed in the traditional recipe.

Loaded Cornbread – After you get the cornbread batter mixed, before you add the oil, add 1 cup cooked bacon or sausage, 1 cup of Shredded Cheddar Cheese and 3 Chopped Green Onions. Mix the batter, mix in the hot oil, and bake as directed in the traditional recipe.

Lacy Cornbread – After you add the oil to the batter, put the cast iron skillet on the stove over medium heat. Instead of pouring all of the batter into the pan, you will be adding about 2 tablespoons, or one serving spoons worth, of batter to the hot pan. Using the spoon, gently spread batter from center to the outside of the pan. The batter will start to bubble and get a lacy look. Cook on the first side for about 3 minutes or until edges are brown. Carefully, turn and cook the other side for an additional 3 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack or a plate with a paper towel. Repeat with remaining batter, add more Crisco to pan as needed.

Sweet Cornbread – Not even going there!

Boxed Cornbread – Just go ahead and go now before I start blessing your heart.

Southern Cornbread

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Corn Meal (I only use Self Rising Martha White)
• 1/4 cup Oil (I prefer Crisco)
• 1 Egg
• 1 1/3 cups Milk

Directions:

1. Preheat over to 450 degrees.
2. Add Crisco to cast iron skillet and place it in the oven for 8 minutes, or until the oil starts to lightly smoke. This step can also be done on the stove over high heat, if you prefer.
3. In a large bowl mix together the corn meal, the eggs, and milk.
4. Stir until well blended.
5. Pour hot oil into the cornbread batter until bubbles start to form in the center and stir.
6. Immediately pour batter into skillet.
7. Bake in a preheated 450 degree oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a knife inserted
   into the center comes out clean.
8. Serve warm

Video coming soon!