American · American South
Cornbread
Southern cornbread is baked in a preheated cast iron skillet and has a dark, crispy base and sides from the contact with hot, seasoned iron. It is made with stone-ground cornmeal, no sugar (the Southern tradition — sweetened cornbread is a Northern variation), and buttermilk for tang and lift. The cornbread should be golden on top, crispy on the bottom, and have a tender, moist crumb that smells of corn and butter. Served with pulled pork, gumbo, chilli, or simply split and buttered.
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I
The Market List
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200g
cornmeal
stone-ground, yellow
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150g
all-purpose flour
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20g
sugar
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10g
baking powder
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5g
kosher salt
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2g
baking soda
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240ml
whole buttermilk
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2
large eggs
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60g
unsalted butter
melted
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II
The Method
1
Heat 23cm cast-iron skillet with 15g butter in 200°C oven for 10 minutes.
2
Whisk cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda together.
3
Combine buttermilk, eggs, and melted butter in separate bowl.
4
Fold wet ingredients into dry until just combined; pour into hot skillet.
5
Bake at 200°C for 20 minutes until golden brown and skewer exits clean.
6
Cool 5 minutes; invert onto wire rack.
IV
Sensory Tests
◇Where it lives or dies. The moment where cornbread lives or dies is the sizzle when the batter hits the pan — pour the batter into the preheated, greased cast iron and listen: there should be an immediate, aggressive sizzle as the batter contacts the hot fat. If there is no sizzle, the pan is not hot enough. Return the pan to the oven for another 5 minutes. The sizzle is what sets the base crust in the first 2 minutes of baking.
Pillars V — VII
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