Black Skillet Cornbread
Time: 10 minutes plus 25 minutes to bake
Cornbread is
a religion in the South. Quintessentially Southern, black
skillet cornbread has a coarse, open crumb and a deep,
crackling finish. Its sweetness comes from the natural
sweetness of the cornmeal itself—or from a drizzle of
sorghum or honey after baking—not from sugar in its
batter. Many cooks consider the addition of wheat
flour—in any proportion—objectionable. That
being said, you may, if you wish, replace one-half cup of
cornmeal with one half- cup of all-purpose flour in the
recipe.
Equipment Mise en Place
For this recipe you will need a well seasoned 8- to 9-inch
cast iron pan, a large bowl, a whisk, a 4-cup glass
measure, and a rubber spatula.
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups (12 ounces) coarse yellow cornmeal
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and lukewarm
1 large room temperature egg, beaten
1 1/2 cups whole milk, room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons vegetable oil
Directions
1. Adjust the racks to the lower and upper middle positions
and heat the oven to 425º F. Heat an empty 8- to 9-inch
cast iron skillet over medium-high heat for 10 minutes.
2. While the pan heats, turn the cornmeal, salt, and baking
powder into a large bowl and whisk to combine.
3. Pour the melted butter into a 4-cup glass measure. Add
the egg and whisk until smooth. Stir in the milk and whisk
until smooth. (If the surface of the liquid appears beaded
with butter, warm the glass measuring cup and its contents
in the microwave for 20 seconds.)
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and whisk lightly
until smooth. The batter will be fairly thin. Add the
vegetable oil to the hot skillet and tilt to distribute the
oil. Scrape the batter into the skillet with a rubber
spatula—it should sizzle. Immediately place the
skillet on the lowest oven rack bake 15 minutes. Transfer
the skillet to the upper rack and continue baking until the
corn bread is golden brown on top and tests clean with a
toothpick, 5 to 10 minutes more. Remove the skillet from
the oven and invert the cornbread cutting board. Cut into
wedges and serve with butter and honey or apple butter.
Makes one black skillet corn bread.