Few people outside of the south seem to know what real cornbread is or how to make it. Restaurants serve it sweet, with something sticky on top, probably honey. That just isn't right. Real cornbread is a staple, a basic bread to go along with your down home meal. It is used to sop up the gravy from black-eyed and purple-hull peas. You put butter on it but nothing else. You can, like my Daddy, put it in a glass and pour milk over it --especially if it is a day old.
Here's how to make it:
Use a 10-inch iron skillet that is well-seasoned. (This means it is black. If you have a new iron skillet, rub lard into it and put it in the oven. Repeat until it is seasoned. Don't ever put your skillet in the dishwasher or leave it to soak, or it will rust.)
Use real hog lard. If you just can't do that, then use Crisco, but it won't be authentic cornbread.
Using a large serving spoon, dip a spoonful of lard and put it into the skillet. Turn the oven on at 425 degrees and put the skillet into the oven.
While the skillet is getting hot, assemble the rest of the ingredients.
In a medium bowl, pour 3/4 c of whole milk and one egg. Mix thoroughly with a fork-- not an eggbeater.
Add about 3/4 c of yellow cornmeal, 1/2 c of all-purpose flour, a tablespoon of baking powder, a tablespoon of sugar (no more!) and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
Mix until all ingredients are moistened; the batter will be lumpy.
By this time your lard should be pretty hot. It should sizzle but not be burnt. Being careful not to burn yourself, use a thick hotpad to remove the skillet from the oven. Pour the lard into the cornbread mixture and set the skillet down on a burn-proof surface.
Mix the hot lard into the cornbread batter just enough to blend it, then pour the batter into the skillet.
Bake for about 20 minutes. The edges will be dark brown and the top a golden brown. Remove from the oven and immediately turn upside down onto a plate. Cut into wedges and serve hot with butter.
Posted by Sheila at October 27, 2004 09:08 AM Posted to Breads | Recipes | TrackBackMajorly yummy sounding. Thanks for sharing your recipe, although where does one acquire hog lard? Would poured off drippings of bacon suffice?
Posted by: marti on October 27, 2004 01:01 PMMixing the lard in is one thing I would never think to do. Thanks for the recipe! And for the other commenter you can find Lard in a lot of Mexican markets - manteca or meteca de cerdo.
Posted by: Susan Aguirre on October 27, 2004 02:05 PMYes, Manteca is available here as well, at least it is at Tops (Haggens). When I was growing up we got our lard from my grandfather, who raised pigs among other things. Bacon grease will work, but it will impart bacon flavor to the cornbread, so it won't be exactly right.
Every once in a while my grandmother would put chitlins in the cornbread, but I prefer it plain, hot with butter.
Posted by: Sheila on October 27, 2004 03:13 PMUgh, more southern cornbread. Long live Johnny Cake! (Sweet, yankee cornbread!)
Posted by: Theresa on October 27, 2004 06:45 PMMmm... cornbread. That along with ice tea... those are the things I remember from living in Alabama. People here in CA like to put honey butter on theirs and look at me funny when I tell them regular butter is what's supposed to go in cornbread....
mmm.. slightly warm cornbread with cold butter... now I'm hungry.
Ok I now am having extreme cravings! I will definately be trying this recipe with my soups from now on. Thank you!!
Posted by: Deb on October 27, 2004 10:37 PMMy Grandmother in Atlanta,GA always used Buttermilk, during WW2 she used to smear it with worm-a-diddle, butter was rationed.
Sue in sunny FL
worm-a-diddle? As something one ate?
Yum--reminds me of how my dad ate it--crumbled cold left overs in a huge glass of ice cold whole milk--and no sugar in it at all! I still like it hot out of the oven with butter. Forget the Marie Calendar's sickly sweet stuff!
Posted by: Jan on October 28, 2004 02:23 PM