Cornbread

I had to learn how to make cornbread because my husband loves it and he says it is almost the staple of Texans.  However, it is not only Texans who love it but also people from the Midwest to the South.  Even all the way to Mexico, except different regions or ethnicity have different recipes and there are numerous recipes you can find online. 

Procedure:

Add 2 to 3 TBS oil in a medium size cast iron skillet and tilt it in all directions to spread the oil around.  Put the skillet in the oven and set it to 450°F.  While waiting for the oven and skillet to pre-heat to 450° F prepare the batter.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup cornmeal (yellow or white)
• 1/3 cup flour
• ½ tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. sugar (optional)
• 1 egg (beaten)
• 2/3 cup milk
• 3 TBS Oil
• 2 to 3 TBS. oil for the skillet

Stir together the dry ingredients in a bowl. Beat the egg in a separate small bowl with a whisk then add the 2/3 cup of milk.  Whisk for a minute then add 3 TBS oil and whisk again to mix thoroughly.  Add this to the dry ingredients and STIR until moist.  The batter may still be lumpy but there should not be any dry flour. 

The skillet with oil in the oven should be smoking hot when the oven has reached 450°F.  If it is not, leave it in the oven for another minute or two longer until it is smoking hot.  This is the secret to a good cornbread.  When the skillet is ready, take it out of the oven making sure you don’t get burned then pour the cornbread batter in.  It will sizzle and look as though it is cooking.  Put it back in the oven and bake it for about 20 to 25 minutes.  The top should be golden brown with some darker blotches as in the photo.  Toothpick inserted should come out dry and clean.

Cool for 5 minutes before cutting in wedges.  The bottom and the sides should be crisp but the inside is moist but crumbly.

If you don’t have an iron skillet you can still bake this in a regular, generously oiled square baking pan.

To make Jalapeno cornbread, just add chopped Jalapenos in the batter.