alyce’s cornbread 2020

Make your cornbread in a cast iron skillet. Buy one if you don’t have one; it’s a fine investment. That said, cornbread will also bake in a cake pan or a square glass Pyrex casserole dish in a pinch; there just won’t be that crunchy crust. And of course you can bake it in a muffin tin (it’ll take less time.) To reheat cornbread slices, butter them on the cut sides, and grill them over hot heat on both sides in a small grill pan or skillet until golden. You can also add grated cheese to the sides of the buttered bread before grilling. (Makes a 9-inch pan of bread.)

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Cornbread

Equipment

9-inch cast iron skillet

Ingredients

2 eggs
1 cup milk
¼ cup canola or other neutral oil + 1 tablespoon for bottom of pan -- can use melted, cooled butter
1 ¼ cups white or yellow cornmeal* + 1 tablespoon for the bottom of the pan
¾ cup all-purpose unbleached flour
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper-plus more to top batter just before baking
4 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons minced onion
Softened salted butter for serving

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and place rack at center.
In a large measuring cup, beat together the eggs, milk, and oil. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, mix together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, salt, pepper, and baking powder.
Pour the milk mixture into the bowl with the cornmeal mixture and stir until just combined. Stir in onion.
Place a 9-inch cast iron skillet on a burner and heat over medium flame for two minutes. Drizzle in the extra tablespoon of oil and let heat a minute. Swirl the pan or use a brush to make sure the oil covers the bottom and even up the sides a bit. Sprinkle the extra tablespoon of cornmeal evenly over the oiled pan. Heat until cornmeal shows just a little color—pale golden.
Pour the mixed cornbread batter into the hot pan, grate some pepper on top (4-6 grates) and give it two minutes or so to heat. A small bubble or two may appear at edges, and then it’s time to put the pan in the oven. Bake 15-20 minutes until quite brown around the edges and lightly golden on top. Remove from the oven, cut and serve hot, warm, at room temperature, or cold with butter. (Don’t forget grilling the leftovers, too.)

Notes

*I like Aunt Jemima cornmeal though some cooks like stoneground cornmeal.