Equipment

mixing bowl
9 or 10-inch cast iron skillet

Ingredients

1-1/2 cup self rising cornmeal
1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten
1-1/2 cups buttermilk (see instructions for making it below)
4 tablespoons vegetable oil (or bacon drippings if you happen to have any)

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400° F.

2. Stir together cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in mixing bowl. Add the beaten eggs and the buttermilk, stirring just until all the dry ingredients are wet. Do not overmix.

3. Add vegetable oil to the cast iron skillet and place in the hot oven for 3 to 4 minutes. You want the skillet hot, but you don’t want the oil to start smoking.

4. Remove hot pan from oven. Make sure that the pan is thoroughly coated with the oil, bottom and sides, then pour the excess oil into the batter and stir. Pour batter into the hot pan.

5. Bake for 25 minutes or until lightly browned.

Notes

If you do not keep buttermilk on hand (I usually don’t), you can make your own using white vinegar and milk. The ratio is 1 tablespoon of vinegar to 1 cup of skim milk (minus 1 tablespoon). So for this recipe, I use about 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon of vinegar. About 10 to 15 minutes before you make the cornbread, put the vinegar in a liquid measuring cup. Add skim milk to the 1-1/4 cup line and allow it to sit at room temperature.