Best Real Southern Cornbread Recipes

REAL SOUTHERN CORNBREAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl mix together the corn meal, flour, salt, and baking powder.
• In a separate bowl mix together the eggs, butter, and buttermilk. Add to the dry ingredients and stir until well blended.
• Heat a dry 12 inch cast iron skillet over high heat for 2 minutes. Add corn oil to skillet, swirl oil around to coat bottom and sides. Leave remaining oil in pan. Return to high heat for 1 minute.
• Pour the cornbread batter into the skillet and cook on high heat until bubbles start to form in the center. Remove from stove.
• Bake in a preheated 400 degree F (200 degree C) oven for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Serve warm.

REAL SOUTHERN CORNBREAD

Steps:

• Put the skillet in the oven and preheat to 375 degrees.
• Combine the dry ingredients except for the baking soda in a bowl.
• In another bowl, mix the buttermilk and the baking soda.
• Set aside.
• In a small bowl, beat the egg with the sugar until combined.
• Add the oil and mix until combined.
• Pour this mixture into the buttermilk/baking soda, and mix.
• When the oven is preheated, toss the butter into the skillet and let it melt.
• Meanwhile, pour the wet ingredients into the dry, and mix in as few strokes as it takes to just make the dough come together.
• Pull the skillet out of the oven, swirling to get the butter covering the bottom and up the sides of the skillet.
• Pour the batter immediately into the pan, smoothing the top, then back into the oven for about 25 minutes, or until golden brown and pulled away from the sides of the pan.
• Turn out onto a cutting board, cut into wedges and serve.
• NOTE: IMNSHO- cornbread isn't worth making if you don't make it in a cast-iron skillet.
• It may just be my upbringing, but it tastes better somehow.
• And please do not add the baking soda to the dry ingredients.
• I can't explain why, but adding it to the buttermilk makes a big difference in the texture.

REAL SOUTHERN HERBED CORNBREAD STUFFING

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
• Place crumbled cornbread into a large bowl.
• Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat and saute onion, apple, and celery until onion is soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add to crumbled cornbread. Season with sage, parsley, rosemary, thyme, marjoram, and salt. Add turkey broth 1 cup at a time and stir after each addition until stuffing is moist. Adjust turkey broth amount to your liking, less if you like the stuffing a little drier or more of you like it more moist. Place stuffing in a large baking pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes, turning stuffing over every 20 minutes by scraping the bottom of the pan.

REAL SOUTHERN CORNBREAD

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
• 2. Place oil in a 9-inch cast-iron skillet or similar-size glass or corning ware baking dish and transfer to the pre-heating oven.
• 3. Mix cornmeal, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Add egg and milk (or buttermilk); stir until just combined. Remove the pan from the oven and very carefully swirl the oil to coat the bottom and a little way up the sides. Again, Very carefully pour the excess hot oil into the cornmeal mixture; stir until just combined. Pour the batter into the hot pan. NOTE: The key is the oiled, preheated cast iron pan, which gives the finished bread that incredible crisp edged texture.
• 4. Bake until the bread is firm in the middle and lightly golden on top with a nice brown crust on the bottom, about 20 minutes. It will be pulling away from the sides of the skillet. Let cool for 5 minutes before slicing. Serve warm.

REAL SOUTHERN CORNBREAD

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. If using soured heavy cream, add the vinegar to the heavy cream while the oven is preheating, and allow to sit for five minutes.
• 2. When the oven starts to get hot, put butter in a 9 inch cast iron skillet. Put skillet in the oven and let it get hot while you mix the batter. Butter should become bubbly or even browned, but don't burn.
• 3. Mix cornmeal, salt, baking soda and baking powder in a bowl, then create a well in the center. Drop egg and soured cream or buttermilk into well and stir until just blended. DO NOT BEAT.
• 4. Remove skillet from oven and swirl melted butter around skillet. Pour butter into cornbread mix and stir just enough to incorporate, then pour batter back into the skillet and put it back into the oven.
• 5. Bake 20 minutes. Run a knife around the edges to make sure there's no sticking, then turn the pone onto its serving plate. Serve hot with butter.
• 6. Note: I recommend real butter only for this recipe. Using margarine or other butter substitutes will not provide the best results. Part of what gives this such a marvelous flavor and a hint of crust is browning the butter in the cast iron pan. Margarine will melt, but not brown as nicely, and makes for a greasy texture and less flavor. I do not recommend self-rising cornmeal, either. Stone ground cornmeal not only has a better texture, but it's also healthier because it's minimally processed and retains more natural nutrients. In comparison, self-rising cornmeal has a more floury texture and more additives, including extra salt. Stone ground cornmeal is also superb in any dish which uses cornmeal for breading, such as frying catfish.