Did you know…
Renowned author, Mark Twain, once stated, “Perhaps no bread in the world is quite as good as Southern cornbread, and perhaps no bread in the world is quite so bad as the Northern imitation of it.” No matter what side of the Mason Dixon line you reside on, I’m sure we can all agree cornbread has a special place in this country’s heart.
With luxury wheat flour out of reach for many rural farmers, corn was a crucial crop in the colonial South due to its hardiness and multitude of uses. The nixtamalization process developed and perfected by the Mesoamericans provided colonists with an affordable alternative to expensive wheat flour.
What is nixtamalization?
This 3,500 year old practice involves breaking down dried corn stalk, boiling it with an alkaline mixture which softens the kernels enough to remove the inedible exterior shell, resulting in a malleable dough that serves as the backbone for a little over 600 Mexican dishes. Now, we have modern factories that make quick work of this otherwise laborious task which makes it easy for folks around the world to enjoy cornmeal recipes.
Evolution of cornbread
There are several dishes that technically constitute cornbread – think johnnycakes, hushpuppies, and hoecakes. However, the quintessentially cake-like dish that our nation has come to love was developed in the late 20th century. With the improvement of milling technology, efficient steel rolling mills began producing finer, but less sweet corn kernels. This in turn forced consumers to incorporate sugar, wheat flour, and chemical leaveners which ultimately led to the sweet, indulgent version that we enjoy today.
In writing this recipe, I actually discovered there’s a lot of debate about whether Southern cornbread is or should be sweet. I’ve lived in Georgia my whole life and my fiance in rural North Carolina and all we’ve ever known was slightly sweet cornbread. On the other hand, some folks believe sugar has no place in Southern cornbread. Regardless of where you land on the issue, I wanted to share my favorite way to prepare this yummy dish. It’s moist, easy (because YES I do cheat by using Jiffy) and the perfect side dish for your next Sunday dinner.
“Perhaps no bread in the world is quite as good as Southern cornbread, and perhaps no bread in the world is quite so bad as the Northern imitation of it.”
Mark twain
Sweet Skillet Cornbread
Ingredients
- 2 boxes Jiffy cornbread
- 2 tbsp sour cream
- 2/3 cup whole milk
- 2 eggs large
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tbsp butter salted
Instructions
- Preheat: First, let’s preheat the oven to 375 degrees Farenheit and place your empty cast iron skillet into the oven for about 5-10 minutes as it heats up.
- Mix: Combine all the ingredients (except the butter) in a large mixing bowl. Mix until well combined, noting that lumps in the mixture is completely normal so no need to overwork it.
- Coat: Remove the warm skillet from the oven, drop the butter in the skillet and swirl around until it has evenly coated the skillet.
- Pour: Pour the cornbread batter into the skillet and place the skillet in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes. We recently moved and I’ve learned the hard way that our new oven is somehow far hotter than the one we had at our old place. Since oven temperatures can vary.
- Test: I’d suggest checking the cornbread at the 20 minute mark by poking a toothpick or butter knife in the center. The toothpick should be clean when you remove it. Once done, remove the skillet from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes before slicing.
- Eat!: Serve with butter, honey or a homemade berry jam (recipe to come soon).
Notes
- Extracts are an easy way to flavor your cornbread, so feel free to get creative.
- If sweet cornbread isn’t your thing, try adding some savory ingredients – one of my favorites is a jalapeno cheddar cornbread.
- Adding in creamed corn or corn kernels is a great way to turn this into a casserole or give your dish some extra bite.
- The extra fat in sour cream is what helps make the cornbread rich and moist which is key to ensuring the cornbread doesn’t turn out crumbly.
