Buttermilk Cornbread

 

If  you grow up in the south, you are pretty much required to learn how to make good biscuits and cornbread. They are the staples of almost any meal. I own my mother’s cast iron skillet and it’s one of my favorite kitchen items for many reasons. Every time I make cornbread, I think of her and the time we spent together when she taught me how to make this recipe. Unfortunately, my mother wasn’t big on letting me help out in the kitchen, so when she did let me in there to help or to teach me something, it was a big deal.

 

I need to warn you. There is no sugar in this cornbread. That was a big no-no as far as my mom (and a lot of southerners) was concerned.

Things you will need:

2 cups White Self-rising corn meal. My mother insisted that the Martha White brand was best, so that’s what I use.

2 cups Buttermilk. Your cornbread will turn out much better if you use whole cultured buttermilk – not reduced fat.

An Egg

2-3 T Mayonnaise. I know. That seems weird. Will you just trust me on this and see if your cornbread doesn’t turn out just wonderful?

 

First things first, put some vegetable or canola oil in your cast iron skillet and put it into an oven preheated to about 430 degrees. You basically just cover the bottom of the skillet with a thin layer of oil. Let it sit in there and get hot while you are mixing up the cornbread. If you don’t own a skillet, you can use muffin tins.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dump all of the above ingredients into a bowl and mix well. You want the batter to be thin enough to pour. Today I’m making just plain old cornbread, but you can doctor this up with chopped jalapenos, shredded cheddar cheese, and even a small can of creamed corn. This is where you can really get creative and do lots of different add ins, depending on what you are planning to serve. One time I put crumbled up bacon in the batter. The results were magical.

 

 

You’ll know your oil is ready when you can start to smell it heating up. Remove it from the oven and pour your batter in. You will hear an instant sizzle, which is what makes that completely delicious crust on the bottom of your bread. Put it in the oven and cook until golden brown. Put a plate on top of your skillet and invert it and the bread should drop right out onto your plate. It’s best served as soon as possible. It never hurts to put some butter on it – but it’s delicious without too! Speaking of butter, did you know that you can make your own butter pretty easily? I will show you how to do that soon!