Cornbread has got to be one of the most delightful, simple, flavorful accompaniments to any meal. As a southerner from North Carolina, I grew up on corn bread (and biscuits and rice, but that’s another story or two). In the south, we do not eat sweet cornbread. First time I tasted sweet cornbread I actually spit it out of my mouth, thinking something was wrong with it! It wasn’t and now that I have been around some, I like all kinds of cornbread—sweet, spicy, savory, cheesy–and every variation. For a southern version, omit the sweeteners, use a 3/4 to 1/4 ratio of cornbread to flour, and substitute buttermilk for half and half (you can also add a tablespoon yogurt to warm milk to simulate buttermilk). But by all means, do try cornbread. My four-year-old cannot get enough of plain, old fresh buttered cornbread. Cornbread is seriously underappreciated and for no good reason that I can think of!
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 1/4 cup cornmeal
- 3/4 cup flour
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 cup half and half
- ¼ cup melted butter or shortening
Preparation:
- Preheat oven to 400° F.
- Sift together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt.
- Combine the half and half, eggs, fat, honey and sugar.
- Thoroughly grease and flour a 9″ × 9″ baking pan (or use a nonstick baking pan or a flexible silicone pan).
- Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ones and mix just until the flour is moistened, no more than ten seconds. The batter should be visibly lumpy — leave it that way! It’s extremely important not to overmix the batter.
- Once the liquid and dry ingredients have been combined, pan and bake the cornbread immediately.
- TIP: The dry and wet ingredients, respectively, can be mixed in advance, but as soon as the wet and dry ingredients have been combined with each other, the liquid will activate the baking powder and the batter must be baked right away.
- Bake 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cornbread comes out clean and the edge of the bread starts to separate from the pan.