A Good Bread For A Cast Iron Skillet

I love my cast iron skillet. I have a small one and a large one and I use one or both almost every day. The little one is great for the breakfast egg and the big one is perfect for so many things, from pan-seared pork chops to home fries. It has been rainy around here for so long that most meals are cooked in the kitchen, not the BBQ, and they have to be ones that warm you up.

A great way to make cornbread is in a cast iron skillet that you pre-heat in the oven while you mix the batter. You get an amazing crust that way, but the bread in the middle stays soft and moist. It's the way my Mom learned to make cornbread in North Carolina when she was a new bride.

I made this recently to take to a dinner party where the menu included smoked chicken and brisket, steamed mustard greens, delicious slow cooked beans and some dilly bean pickles that were familiar. I used some stone ground cornmeal from a friend and instead of buttermilk used 3/4 cup soy creamer mixed with 1/4 cup plain yogurt. So delicious! Didn't need butter or anything.

This is a quick, easy bread to go with soups and stews, so it's perfect for this time of year.

Here is Mom's recipe:

Mom’s Skillet Corn Bread

 1 ¼ cup yellow corn meal
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon sugar
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt (I used just a bit more, but not quite 1/2 teaspoon)
1 egg, beaten or 2 egg whites
1 cup buttermilk (or 3/4 cup soy creamer and 1/4 cup plain yogurt, mixed)
¼ cup vegetable oil, divided

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Place 1 tablespoon oil in a large cast iron skillet and place in preheated oven for 5 minutes.

Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add the egg, buttermilk and 3 tablespoons of the oil. Pour batter into preheated skillet and for 20 minutes. Top will be barely golden brown and edges by sides of skillet will be brown.

Serve hot.