Cornbread

Cornbread

(from the kitchen of Nancy Deaton Mullins)

*2 cups cornmeal

*2 tablespoons baking powder

*1 teaspoon salt

1 ¾ cups buttermilk

1 large egg (use 2 eggs if they appear to be smaller in size)

¼ cup vegetable or canola oil

2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil, for skillet

*(or if you have made your own mix ahead of time, 2 cups of self-rising cornmeal mix.  To make mix, use  1 tablespoon of baking powder and ½ teaspoon salt for every 1 cup of cornmeal.)

In a 10” cast iron skillet, add 2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil.  Place skillet in oven and preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Let the oven completely preheat before you begin mixing your batter.  If you mix your batter ahead of time, it will sit and be way too thick to pour.  To get a good crust on the cornbread, the skillet needs to be nearly smoking hot.

Once the oven is preheated, in a bowl, whisk together the egg, buttermilk, and oil.  Add the cornmeal mix and stir until combined.  Remove the skillet from the oven—remember to use an oven mitt because those handles will be hot.  This batter will be fairly thick.  Pour the mixture into the hot skillet and place back into the oven.  Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.  Remove from oven and turn out onto a plate to serve.

During the last five minutes of baking, if you want the top crust to be as browned as the bottom, remove the skillet from the oven, grab a plate and carefully turn the cornbread on to it.  The slide it back into the skillet, top side down and bake for about 5 minutes longer.

Cornbread Wars