Skillet Cornbread
Skillet cornbread is a Southern staple that takes under an hour and needs only a handful of pantry ingredients. The key is the pan: heating the skillet with bacon drippings until they smoke means the batter sizzles on contact and forms a crisp, brown bottom crust. Serve it beside a pot of brown beans. It can be baked a day or two ahead if you keep it well wrapped so it does not dry out.
Instructions
Heat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Grease the skillet with bacon drippings, which are ideal, or with oil. Butter is not recommended because it can burn while the skillet heats.
Put the greased skillet in the oven to preheat until the drippings or oil are smoking. This hot fat is what gives the cornbread a good crust on the bottom.
In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt, and stir them thoroughly. Add the cornmeal and mix it in.
In a second bowl, beat the egg well. Add the melted butter or pan drippings and the milk, and keep beating until the mixture is smooth and well combined.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix with quick strokes. Stop as soon as everything is combined, because overmixing makes the bread tough.
Pour the batter into the hot skillet and return it to the oven. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. It is done when the top is golden brown and a knife point or knitting needle inserted into the center comes out dry.
For a variation, stir ¼ to ½ cup of diced cooked ham or crumbled bacon into the batter before pouring it into the skillet. This may add a few minutes to the baking time.
Make it personal.
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