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.

Warm Wonderful Corn Bread

We had the leftovers of the seafood chowder last night. At first I was going to make some biscuits to go with the soup but couldn't find the self rising flour and I was intent on making that version. Remembered in the middle of the night where I had put it. Isn't that always the way?

So I made corn bread instead, and it went so well with the flavors of the seafood and veggies. I made it in an 8" x 8" baking pan instead of a skillet, but it was just as delicious. It makes a wonderful addition to your Thanksgiving stuffing, too, if you have any left.

Here is the recipe from my book Comfort Food:

Skillet Corn Bread

1¼ cup yellow cornmeal
½ cup all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 egg, beaten or two egg whites
1 cup buttermilk
¼ cup vegetable oil, divided

Combine the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar in a large bowl. Add the egg, buttermilk and 3 tablespoons of the oil.  Mix just to combine the wet and dry ingredients.

Pour 1 tablespoon oil in an iron skillet (8” or 10 “). Place the skillet in a preheated 425 degree F oven for 5 minutes, then pour batter into the skillet and bake at 425 degree F for 20 minutes or until golden brown, (or grease a baking pan and pour in the batter, smooth the top and bake at 425 degrees F in a pre-heated oven until golden brown, about 20 minutes).

Serve hot. Serves 6 - 8.