MOM'S SKILLET CORNBREAD
Over the years my pantry has become a cast iron sanctuary. Unless I'm running a restaurant, what can I possibly do with 4 identical cast iron skillets? Certain foods take on a smoky hint of the outdoors that just can’t be replaced with cookware like enamel or steel and good ol' cornbread is no exception. The way the cast iron divides up the heat throughout, makes this dutch style of cooking ideal for something like cornbread.
This is a take on a mennonite version my Mom made growing up. I can still picture how crusted over her recipe index card is from all the times she's made it. I've tried different versions but in order to get that perfect blend of crumbly bread with the moistness of a bread pudding, adding creamed corn and sour cream is what takes this over the edge. I’ve tried subbing out ingredients, using gluten-free flour for instance, and it's good but it never tastes like the real thing. Greek yogurt can replace the sour cream but thats about all you can sub out. Have a go at it. Dust off that cast-iron and tell me what you think. When the cornbread is still warm out of the oven, I like to whip up 4 tablespoons of butter with equal parts maple syrup or forest honey and a pinch of sea salt and dollop the bread with it when serving.
CORNBREAD MIX: I keep this pre-blended + stored in MY pantry
1 ¼ cups coarsely ground yellow cornmeal
¾ cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
INGREDIENTS
(suitable for a 9 inch cast-iron skillet)
1 + 1/3 cup cornbread mix (dry mix blend recipe above)
2 teaspoons canola or vegetable oil
2 large eggs, whisked
¾ cup canned cream style corn
¾ cup sour cream or Greek style yogurt
½ teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 ¼ cups frozen yellow corn kernels
butter, maple syrup or honey, and sea salt for serving
METHOD
Preheat oven to 300 degrees fahrenheit. Use ½ teaspoon of the canola oil to coat the pan and place it in the oven for 10 minutes. Combine the wet ingredients (oil, eggs, creamed corn, sour cream) and mix well. Then combine the dry ingredients (cornbread mix, salt, sugar, and baking powder) in another bowl. Add the dry into the wet ingredients and fold gently, then add the frozen corn. Add the batter to the pan and bake about 25 minutes or until golden on top. Serve hot with your sweetened butter.
