Homemade Cornbread

 

EDIT 10/26/13:  Hey guys!  I posted an updated and even better version of this recipe recently, and you can find that one right here! Enjoy!

Homemade Cornbread

A couple of days ago I shared this photo on Twitter, and was immediately bombarded with requests to share the recipe! I wasn't planning on blogging this, so all I have is this iPhone photo, but the recipe works just the same. This is the same cornbread that my mom has been making since I was a kid and to this day it is my favorite way to do it. Serve it up with a big bowl of slow-cooked pinto beans, chili, or, our choice, a hearty vegetable beef stew.

What You'll Need:

2 cups self-rising yellow cornmeal
¼ cup self-rising flour
1 tbs sugar
1 egg
⅓ cup oil
1.5 cups of buttermilk
¼ cup oil (for the skillet)
cast iron skillet

What You'll Do:

Pre-heat oven to 420 degrees with the cast iron skillet inside. Meanwhile, mix all ingredients into a bowl. The batter should resemble pancake batter and should not be too thick. If it is, keep adding a lil buttermilk to thin it out. When the oven is ready, take out the skillet and pour ¼cup of oil into the bottom, then pour the batter on top (and enjoy the lovely sizzling sound it makes). Place it back into the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes until cornbread is a light golden color and has begun to pull away from the sides of the skillet. Remove from oven and invert over a large plate (if you have a well-seasoned skillet, it should fall right out) Cut and serve - you can crumble it up into your bowl of soup or beans, or eat it on the side with a drizzle of butter or honey (our favorite - YUM!)

Side note: The delicious crispy dark crust you see in the photo is from the underside of the bread after it was inverted onto a plate, and not the color you should be looking for to test for done-ness.  The other side should be just on the verge of turning golden/brown.