Grandma's Cornbread

September 15, 2013


While my children are not huge cornbread fans, I LOVE IT!  But, having said that, I really love my Grandma's cornbread best.  It is not a sweet cornbread, but rather a saltier, buttery tasting cornbread with a spongy texture.  It is dense and not cake like at all.  The most important thing about this recipe is that you MUST make it in a cast iron skillet.  If you do not already have one, do not buy a new one.  You need one that is already seasoned.  Go to  local antique store or flea market.  I remember years ago purchasing mine for the very reason of making this cornbread. 

Here are the ingredients you will need:

1 cup corn meal
1 heaping tbsp all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 pinch of sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg
1 tbsp. melted butter

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees.  Place 1 tbsp. of butter in a 10 inch cast iron skillet and place in oven while it is preheating.

 

 

2.  Place all of the dry ingredients in a bowl.  In a separate bowl, beat the egg with the buttermilk. 

 

 

3.  Pour all wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix well.  Carefully take cast iron skillet out of the oven and pour the melted butter into the mixture.  Stir well.  Transfer all of  mixture into cast iron skillet and bake for 12-15 minutes.  

 

 

 

 

 

I usually pop mine out of the skillet when it is done so that it doesn't continue to cook on the bottom.  Serve immediately with REAL butter.  The butter melts and the sponginess of the cornbread soaks it up so nicely.  This cornbread is really good with a pot of navy beans. 

 

 

One valuable lesson my Grandma taught me too was how to properly clean a cast iron skillet.  I've never googled this to see if this is the preferred method, but it has worked for me all these years.  First, never put any kind of soap on a cast iron skillet.  It will seep into the pores and make your food taste soapy for years to come!!  Rinse the pan well with warm water.  Use steel wool if needed to get out remaining debris.  The next step is super important so that your pan won't rust.  Place your empty pan over medium heat on your stove top.  This will dry out your pan so that it will not rust.  It will take a bit of time for it to completely dry, but don't walk away and forget about it!  (Been there, done that!) 

 

Hope you enjoy this recipe! 

 

The Tripcony Family