| Time:
10 minutes plus 25 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 1/2 cup of
cornmeal with unbleached 1/2 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 skillet, a large bowl, a whisk, a 4-cup
glass measure, and a rubber spatula.
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups (12 ounces) Anson Mills Coarse White or Yellow Cornmeal
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and lukewarm
1 large egg, room temperature, beaten
1 1/2 cups whole milk, room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons vegetable oil
Directions
1. Adjust the racks to the lower-middle and upper-middle positions
and heat the oven to 425 degrees. Heat an empty 8-
to 9-inch cast iron skillet over medium-high heat
for 10 minutes.
2. While the skillet 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. Add 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 lower oven rack and bake for 15 minutes.
Transfer the skillet to the upper rack and continue
baking until the cornbread 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
onto a cutting board. Cut into wedges and serve with butter
and honey or apple butter.
Serves 6 to 8 |
