The secret’s in the skillet. Seasoned. Cast iron.
Real buttermilk. And whether you use a mix or make your own, no sugar. NO SUGAR.
Don’t overmix your batter. Coat your skillet with bacon grease and GET SKILLET HOT (either on a burner or in your oven) before you pour the batter in. A hot skillet is key. Use a drop of water or a pinch of cornmeal and listen for the sizzle. Did I mention there’s no sugar in the mix?
Place in a 400-degree oven and keep an eye on it. Most mixes (cake or cornbread) shouldn’t bake as long as the directions call for. Knowing that will always prevent dryness. By the way: cake mix? Sugar. Cornbread mix? No sugar.
Golden on the top.
Brown on the bottom.
Light. Not dry. And NOT SWEET. Because there’s no sugar.
To those Southern cooks who might scoff at me for using a mix, I say, “People have wept over my cornbread.” And to those who use sugar, I weep over your cornbread. (Sorry, Shawn!)
Awesome. I never use sugar. It just ruins it for me. My biggest issue is that I don’t have a treated cast iron pan. And really, the treating they tell you to do online, doesn’t work. You need one from the past that has been used time and time again.
I love that you use bacon grease, which means you make bacon? Bacon and eggs in a cast iron…yummy.
Okay, so now that I am hungry, maybe I will go cook something.
Tonight, I think it’s steak and corn on the grill. I will make a salad with it.
So how much sugar am I supposed to add again? =)
0 x 1/4 cup should be good
OMG, this is absolutely great!!!
I can’t wait to try it for RedleatherBound
Cornbread
I’ll let you slide…until you taste my cornbread, that is. In addition to a tablespoon or two of SUGAR, I also add a can of corn and a can of green chilies, both drained. Men weep, I tell you. Tears of joy. Pure sugary-sweet joy. 😉
Shawn Lea
http://everythingandnothing.typepad.com
Seasoned cast iron skillets
I know that Lodge and many of the others sell the products seasoned already. And they are usually very cheap. (Like $15 for a pan the size Becky is showing at Wal-Mart or Target.)