Here’s a real southern style cornbread — perfect for eating with peas or with a bowl of vegan black bean chili!
My earliest cooking memories involve southern style cornbread.
I remember standing on a metal step stool in our pink kitchen on Avalon Drive.
Our housekeeper Della tied an apron on me and showed me how to make southern style cornbread batter from self-rising cornmeal, eggs, milk and oil.
Southern Style Cornbread Ingredients
Cooking by feel
Della was the first person who taught me to cook by feel.
Instead of using measuring cups and spoons, she showed me how measure the cornmeal by noticing how high it sat it the mixing bowl. We measured milk not in a measuring cups but by noting how long to tip the milk jug.
She also showed me, in a very basic way, how to adjust a recipe. Want extra fluffy corn bread? Use 2 eggs. Prefer crispy crusted bread? 1 egg will do.
When the batter was just right (not too thick!), we poured it into an almost smoking-hot, heavily-oiled cast iron skillet.
My favorite part was listening to the hot oil sizzle as it fried the bottom of the corn bread!
I also loved the anticipation of slathering it with lots of butter to eat with peas, butter beans and sliced tomatoes.
Looking back, I’m pretty sure we had cornbread every night.
Whatever we didn’t eat my dad crumbled up in a glass of cold milk for lunch the next day.
I found this disgusting but intriguing–right up there with my mother’s habit of smashing together butter and molasses to put on her biscuits…
Since my folks are gone (and with them the homegrown veggies) we don’t eat a lot of corn bread.
But now and again, when we’re feeling nostalgic or in need of comfort, David will cook “store bought” field peas and greens, and I’ll make a pan of cornbread.
We’ll listen for that familiar sizzle, then anticipate and remember.
a note on ingredients
This recipe for southern style cornbread uses cornmeal mix, NOT plain cornmeal.
Why is this important?
Because the cornmeal mix contains not only the cornmeal but also flour, baking powder and salt which you’ll need to get a proper rise.
Here’s the way Della taught me to make southern style cornbread
Southern Style Cornbread
Equipment
- Mixing Bowl
- Cast Iron Skillet
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp canola oil any mild flavored oil is fine
- 2 cups cornmeal MIX NOT plain cornmeal
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 cup canola oil any mild flavored oil is fine
- 1 cup milk
Instructions
- Pour 2 tablespoons of the oil into the cast iron skillet and place it in the oven.
- Preheat oven to 450.
- While oven heats, mix the remaining ingredients together to form the batter.
- When the oven is nice and hot, CAREFULLY remove the hot hot hot skillet and place it on a heat proof surface (top of the stove if it's empty). Pour in the cornbread batter and enjoy the sizzle.
- Quickly return the skillet to the oven and bake for about 15 minutes, until it's lightly golden and feels firm when you press the top.
- Turn the "pone" of cornbread out onto a plate. Cut in wedges, split open horizontally and fill with butter. (Do this while it's hot so the butter will melt and get into every nook and cranny of the bread.
- Enjoy with peas, butter beans, fried okra and home grown tomatoes. Of course, it's also delightful served with a bowl of chili!
Food connects us to the past. What are some of your favorite food memories?
