- 1/2 cup margarine (1 stick)
- 1-1/2 cups buttermilk (powdered
buttermilk is fine, or even yogurt or
sour milk would work)
- 2 medium eggs
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup yellow cornmeal
- 1 cup flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
You really need an iron skillet to make
this, but if you just don't have one, a nine
inch square or round cake pan will do. Get
your large iron skillet, or 9" pan and put
the margarine in it. Put the pan into the
oven at 400° allowing the margarine to melt,
and the pan to heat.
In a large bowl combine the buttermilk,
eggs, sugar and salt. Use a whisk to mix it
up really well. Pour in the melted
margarine, leaving about a tablespoon of it
left in the hot pan. Be careful pouring so
you don't get burned. Beat everything up
again. Finally add the cornmeal, flour and
baking soda. Whisk again until the batter is
mostly smooth. Turn the batter into the hot
skillet or pan, on top of the little bit of
margarine you saved in it. Carefully put the
skillet back into the oven. Bake the
cornbread at 400° for about 25 minutes. It
will be golden brown and the edges will pull
away from the sides of the pan. Remove the
pan from the oven and let it cool a little
while before slicing into 8 or 12 wedges.
The iron skillet gives this cornbread the
traditional crispy hillbilly crust. Another
pan will still cook it, but it will not be
quite the same. The buttermilk and sugar
make the cornbread very tender and sweet. A
perfect accompaniment for spicy dishes like
Chili and stew. This is the best cornbread I
have ever eaten, there is another recipe
though, of a heartier and coarser nature,
which is a little easier to make,
Plain Cornbread.
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