Name: skillet cornbread
Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients: ½ cup grapeseed oil; 1 cup plain unbleached flour; 1 cup plain yellow cornmeal, stoneground is great; 3 tbsp sugar, any kind; ¾ tsp fine sea salt; 1 tsp baking powder; 1 tsp baking soda; 2 eggs; 1 cup milk; ½ cup whole frozen corn; ½ cup creamed corn; ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese; ¼ cup coarse yellow grits; minced jalapenos; chopped cooked bacon; sliced green onions

This cornbread hits the spot whether you’re craving cake or bread or comfort, and it’s a lot easier than pie.

omg, that crust — omg, that glorious crust.

When you’re craving cornbread, you can get a little box of mix and make a reasonable facsimile, or maybe just go buy some yellow cornmeal, which might be the only thing you don’t already have in your house, and make this little wedge of heaven instead.

I included the ingredients that I typically use. I substitute things all the time, and so can you. You can use coarse or fine cornmeal, yellow or white or blue. You can substitute honey or agave for the sugar. I’ve used yogurt, cream, and buttermilk* in place of the milk (*don’t use buttermilk, you’ll make a volcano, don’t ask me). You can use gluten-free flour or Fasting Mix. You can melt butter or schmalz or use peanut, olive, sunflower, canola, or any other oil instead of grapeseed. So many positives!

The cast-iron skillet is pretty crucial to the gorgeous, crisp brown edge responsible for the irresistibility of this cornbread. If you’re at peace without it, use a buttered and floured cake pan.

Yields8 Servings

ingredients

½ cup grapeseed oil

1 cup plain unbleached flour

1 cup plain yellow cornmeal, stoneground is great

3 tbsp sugar, any kind

¾ tsp fine sea salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

2 eggs

1 cup milk

optional ingredients

½ cup whole frozen corn

½ cup creamed corn

½ cup shredded cheddar cheese

¼ cup coarse yellow grits

minced jalapenos

chopped cooked bacon

sliced green onions

Preheat your oven to 425ºF (Hot, 220ºC, gas mark 7). Add the grapeseed oil to a 10" cast iron pan and slide it into the oven to heat up. This is what makes the edges of the bread crispy and amazing.

Add the flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda (all of the dry ingredients) to a medium bowl and whisk the crap out of it. Whisking breaks up the leavenings, so nobody gets a big mouthful of sodium bicarb. You could alternatively sift the dry ingredients together, but cornbread ain't fancy, so I don't.

Make a well in the center of your beautifully whisked dry ingredients and plop in the eggs and milk. Don't mix it in yet.

Once the oven has preheated, grab a potholder and remove the pan, swirl the oil around to coat the sides of the pan, and set it on the top of your stove. Give everything in the bowl a rudimentary stir, then tip the hot oil from the pan right into the bowl, and put the pan back into the oven to stay hot. Mix the batter just until everything is incorporated. It might get foamy. It's cool when that happens.

You should have a thick batter—a bit runny, but not liquid, nor as thick as peanut butter. If your batter's too thick, add 1/4 cup or so of water or milk and stir it in real quick.

Add in any optional ingredients! Go almost nuts! Add a little bit of water if you need it, and keep the total additions to about a cup or so to be sure the inside cooks before the outside burns—a tricky balance, friends!

Dump the bowl into the still-hot cast iron skillet. Bake 30-40 minutes until golden on top, brown and bubbly around the edges, and solid-sounding when you tap it.

Cool and tip onto a plate if you'd like, or slice into wedges in the pan immediately. Don't feel bad at all about eating a slice before you tell everyone it's done. Serve the rest with soup, beans, chili... sky's the limit, babes!

I keep leftovers on the counter, covered with an upside-down soup bowl.

Ingredients