Buttermilk Cornbread
Not to get the cornbread controversy going, but I need to say up front I'm a fan of the sweet cornbread. This recipe is on the money. It makes a delightful skillet of cornbread that rises high and has a fine texture. If you are a fan of the sweet cornbread, then you will love this recipe!
Buttermilk Cornbread
1/4 pound butter
2/3 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 375º. Grease an 8 inch cast iron skillet. Melt butter in skillet. Pour butter into mixing bowl. Return skillet to oven to keep hot. Add the sugar to the butter in the mixing bowl and mix well. Quickly add eggs to butter and beat until well blended. Combine buttermilk with baking soda and stir into bowl. Stir in cornmeal, flour, and salt until well blended and few lumps remain. Pour batter into the hot skillet. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes.
A few years ago I purchased a cast iron skillet from Good Will. It was not very pretty...had rust. So, I did some research and found this way seemed the best for me. My method involves a self-cleaning oven.
Cast Iron Skillet Seasoning
1. TO PREPARE FOR SEASONING (and burning off old cure): First, scrub any loose rust off. I even took an SOS pad to it. Dry it off. Put in in your oven (do not put grease on it at this time) and run the self-clean cycle. You will probably have some smoke, so turn on the vents. Let it cool completely. When cool, brush off any remaining residue and scrub any left over stubborn spots with an SOS pad again.
2. TO SEASON: Preheat oven to 500º. Using your fingers or a kitchen towel, smear solid shortening over every surface and into every nook and cranny. (Important note here...do not use anything but solid shortening here, ie Crisco. The use of spray oils or vegetable oil at any point in the curing of the skillet is said to leave a sticky, brown, uneven cure.) You want this coating to be very thin. Put the skillet upside down on a rack in the middle of the oven. Put another rack directly under it with a piece of aluminum foil to catch the oil drippings. Let it bake for 2 hours. You may need the vent again. Now, let the skillet completely cool in the oven before moving it. The long cool down is essential. You should repeat these instructions in #2 one more time before actually using the skillet.
3. GENERAL CARE:
~Do not wash with soap after skillet is properly seasoned.
~Usually a rinse with hot water is all that is needed.
~For really caked on/burnt on food, put a little pure canola oil in the skillet. Pour Kosher salt into the pan to create a paste and use a clean sponge to scrub the burnt on food. The salt works as a scouring agent, and washes out easily. Wipe out the pan, apply a thin coating of shortening, and then wipe it off, and the piece is ready to be stored.
~Always dry the skillet well before storing.
The skillet you see in the picture with the cornbread is that very skillet that I seasoned using this method!
Labels: breads, buttermilk, cast iron skillets
By: Sharon Pickering | 12/13/2006 at 4:54 PM | If you want, you can leave a comment by clicking here.
There
happiness father and son
@咖啡鱼
I don't quite understand what you are trying to say. Excuse my ignorance. But, keeping with the spirit of your comment...Happiness to your family also.
Thanks for stopping by!
annie! hi :) love cornbread and seeing as i have an abundance of 3 types of cornmeal i will have to try this to deplete the stock! looks good. every try putting corn and red chilis in it?
Hey Bureka!! Glad to see you made it back from your grocery trip. I did think about jalapeño peppers, but my husband wanted straight up cornbread. So, that is what he got! But, I have never actually put corn in my cornbread. Do you use plain ole canned corn? Drained of course. Bet it gives it a great added texture.
yup, straight from the can. as you said, drained for a few minutes to get rid of the moisture.
i have also wanted to make the one with creamed corn. i LOVE that stuff.
i'd stay away from adding candied corn though :))))) hehehe --- may stick to your teeth. but, damn, is it pretty or what?!
This comment has been removed by the author.
@bureka, I love the creamed corn too. I made something with that in it, but I wouldn't call it cornbread. More like corn pudding.
I like those 'corn' pans. Never used them...scared I think that the cornbread would never come out, lol.
The code to add a link in a post is:
<a href="URL">LINK TITLE</a>
@bureka, Oh, I haven't forgotten about the la cloche! Don't be silly!!
If you want to try the post URL code, write the comment again using the code. Then delete the first one. (Only reason I got to follow the link is because I get my comments in my email and it wrapped the URL.) That way others can visit the corn pan!
cornbread pan (cast iron)
i reposted and then the whole comment disappeared!!! reposting now. (if the other one shows, please delete this annie).
thanks for the link/posting info.
@bureka, well, the good news is the looooonnnnnggggg URL is gone! You did good.
Thank you for the cast iron directions--and I love sweet cornbread. My dad, from the south where they eat it UNsweetened, calls the sweetened stuff "corn cake". We call the sweet stuff "Johnny cake" and the not-sweet, cornbread.
@jenlo, That method of seasoning cast iron works well. My little skillet is slick as a whistle!
I didn't know about the cornbread terms. So my preference is 'Johnny Cakes' I like that!
Seeing how i ate the actual cornbread pictured here i was quite eager to try making some!! I don't have a nice skillet yet though. Sigh. I did a little searchin' on the internets and noticed that recipes are about the same be they muffins or be they skillets soooo i made cornbread muffins and *Glory Be* they were yummy!
One thing about muffins vs. skillet is the muffins don't rise nearly as nicely as the skillet bread!
I served mine with Boston Baked Beans :-)
Love you Mom!
nikki
@nikki, I'm surprised that the muffins didn't rise as much as the skillet bread. I wonder why. But, as long as they tasted good...
How was the Boston Baked Beans?
Love ya,
Mom
Hi,
I like your recipes, thanks for sharing them. I had problems seasoning my cast iron frying pan, until I started washing it with Baking Soda.
-- For those who can't seem to get their pans seasoned --
I cook regularly on my cast iron frying pan, after each use, I wash the pan with baking soda and water (no soap at all!). I smear baking soda paste all over it before putting it into the closet to keep it from rusting. When I need it again, I just rinse it down and use it -- it hasn't stuck in over two years now.
@cowpoke, That is certainly a different approach to cleaning a cast iron skillet. And one I haven't heard of yet. Thanks for sharing!