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Cornbread
Serves 8 Prep 10 min Cook 25 min Total 35 min Type Side Origin American

Cornbread

Skillet cornbread: a hot well-buttered cast-iron pan with a crisp golden crust beneath a slightly sweet crumb. Eaten with chilli, fried chicken or honey.

Serves 8 Prep 10 minutes Cook 25 minutes Units Rate

Overview

A 25 cm cast-iron skillet is preheated in the hot oven with a generous knob of butter, the butter browns slightly while the pan heats. The batter is fast: cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, plus buttermilk, eggs and melted butter. The batter is poured into the hot pan; the cornmeal sears immediately on contact, giving the crisp golden crust. 25 minutes; tipped out and sliced.

Ingredients

  • 200 g coarse yellow cornmeal (or polenta)
  • 150 g plain flour
  • 60 g caster sugar (reduce to 1 tablespoon for the Southern style)
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
  • 350 ml buttermilk
  • 2 eggs (large)
  • 80 g unsalted butter (melted)
  • 50 g unsalted butter (extra, for the pan)

Method

Stage 1 - Heat the pan

  1. Heat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan).
  2. Place the 50 g of butter in a 25 cm cast-iron skillet (or 23 cm cake tin).
  3. Set in the oven 5 minutes - the butter should melt and just start to colour.

Stage 2 - Dry mix

  1. Whisk the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and bicarb in a large bowl.

Stage 3 - Wet mix

  1. Whisk the buttermilk, eggs and 80 g melted butter in a separate bowl.

Stage 4 - Combine

  1. Pour the wet mixture into the dry; whisk until just combined (some lumps OK; don't overmix).

Stage 5 - Bake

  1. Pull the hot skillet from the oven.
  2. Swirl the melted butter to coat the bottom and sides.
  3. Pour any excess into the batter; whisk in.
  4. Pour the batter into the hot skillet - listen for the sizzle.
  5. Bake 22-26 minutes until deep golden on top and a skewer in the centre comes out clean.

Stage 6 - Rest and serve

  1. Cool 5 minutes in the pan.
  2. Run a knife around the edge; tip out onto a board.
  3. Cut into wedges. Serve warm with butter.

Notes

  • Hot skillet, hot pan: The bottom crust depends on the batter hitting hot buttered iron. Cold skillet cornbread is just cake.
  • Buttermilk: Real buttermilk tenderises and tangs the bread. If using milk + lemon juice as a substitute, let it sit 5 minutes.
  • Sweetness is regional: 60 g sugar is moderate. Reduce for a Southern, savoury bread; double for sweet, cake-like cornbread.

Storage

  • Best fresh and warm. Keeps 2 days at room temperature; reheat at 180°C for 5 minutes to revive.
  • Stale cornbread crumbles into stuffings or turns into cornbread pudding.

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