Fixing Cornbread in a Cast Iron Skillet

All my memories that involve cornbread feature this side dish in a well worn cast iron skillet. Every woman in my family had their own skillet that they always used to make corn bread in. So naturally I stuck with tradition. I now own my own 8-inch cast iron skillet that I make my corn bread in. My favorite recipe is one that my grandmother gave me, the title on it is Pawn Bread, but I've always called it corn bread and I'm not changing now.

Cornbread

Ingredients:
2 cups of cornmeal
2/3 cups of flour
1-1/2 tablespoons of baking powder
3/4 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of salt
a pinch of black pepper (though sometimes I add two)
1-2/3 cups of buttermilk
2-3 tablespoons of bacon drippings, in a pinch I've been known to use sausage grease. My mom would sometimes use lard instead.

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Place your bacon drippings into your cast iron skillet and use a paper towel to coat the interior sides of the skillet with your grease. Place skillet into the oven while it is preheating and while you are making the cornbread batter.

In a medium sized bowl add all of your dry ingredients and mix them well. Add about three fourths of your buttermilk and stir well. Remove your skillet from the oven and slowly add about 1 tablespoon of the hot oil from the skillet to your mixture being sure to stir well (and for goodness sakes use a pot holder to pick up that skillet!!!) Also your skillet and bacon grease should be hot but not smoking.

Carefully add the rest of your buttermilk, being sure to watch the consistency of your batter. Stir constantly. Your batter should be about the consistency of thick pancake batter. If your mix is to thick add a little more buttermilk, if it is too thin add a bit more cornmeal. Lightly sprinkle the skillet's bottom with dry corn meal and pour it into the batter and place your skillet immediately into your preheated oven. Bake at 400 degrees for about 25 minutes. The amount of time can vary due to the batter's consistency. Watch your cornbread after it has been baking for about 20 minutes and cook it until the top is a nice golden brown. Then remove from the oven and allow to cool a bit before serving.

I hope you try the above recipe and enjoy it! Corn bread is one of my favorite breads to have as a side with most meals.