Country Cornbread

Here's a quick country cookin' recipe for you, in case dinner sneaks up on you like this weekend has done to me.  

This recipe is a basic and simple, homemade cornbread that keeps you away from using the box.  But you can jazz it up all you want, if you have the resources to do so.  

Despite its simplicity, this cornbread demands your attention.  The edges are perfectly crispy, while the middle stays dense and moist.  Each bite is a little bit sweet with the perfect texture to keep it from being too gritty or dry.  

When we first moved to Southern California, our church hosted a chili cook-off.  Some members of our congregation also signed up to bring cornbread, so we'd have a "well-rounded" meal.  I opted to bring both. While my chili did get some attention for being unique (it was Cincinnati style chili--recipe soon!), it was the cornbread that the older gentlemen in the group stood around munching until it was gone.  After sampling many different varieties of cornbread, this one won the church-goers first prize.

You can adapt this recipe by using buttermilk in place of the milk, which will give it a little more lift and richer flavor.  For a savory twist, saute peppers and onions and stir those into the batter.  Or a can of creamed corn.  Or both!  I actually love this for breakfast with maple syrup or honey drizzled on it.  So many options.

A note about dishes:  you can use fewer dishes by first melting your butter in the dish you're going to mix in.  To really cut down on the cleanup (while providing even crispier edges), preheat a large cast iron skillet and melt the butter in there, and proceed with mixing your batter right in the skillet.  Then transfer to the oven.

Either way, combine wet ingredients first, then mix in the dries.

Give it a good stir, but don't over-mix--there will be lumps.  Pour into a greased baking dish.

Bake in preheated oven until golden brown.

Country Cornbread

slightly adapted from allrecipes.com

1/2 cup butter, melted

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 cup milk 

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup cornmeal

1 cup flour

Preheat oven to 375.  Combine wet ingredients, including sugar, in medium mixing bowl.  Add dry ingredients and stir until just moistened.  Pour into greased 8" square pan.  Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until golden and toothpick inserted comes out clean.