Crunchy Cast Iron Cornbread
This recipe for Crunchy Cast Iron Cornbread is simple … nothin' fancy! But it's a sure fire way to have a crunchy crust and a tender inside.
Ingredients
- 1½ cup cornmeal
- ½ cup all-purpose flour or 1:1 gluten-free flour blend
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 eggs
- 1½ cup buttermilk (see notes)
- ¼ cup bacon fat melted in the skillet (see notes)
Instructions
- Heat oven to 450°F.
- Put the shortening or bacon fat in the skillet and set it over medium high heat. Keep an eye on it while you mix the cornbread up. You want it to get fairly hot, almost smoking, so KEEP AN EYE ON IT!
- Put the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk or stir well to combine.
- Break the eggs into the dry mixture, then pour in the buttermilk. Stir well to combine.
- Turn the heat off under the skillet and pour the hot grease into the batter. Stir to combine, then pour the batter into the hot skillet. You should hear it sizzling.
- Place the skillet in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes. Remove from the oven and immediately invert onto a platter.
- Cut into 8 wedges and serve immediately with lots of BUTTAH!
Notes
The all-purpose flour can successfully be substituted with 1:1 gluten-free flour blend.
If you don't have buttermilk, put 1 ½ Tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar (apple cider or white) in the measuring cup, then pour milk in to equal 1 ½ cups.
I use bacon lard or beef tallow because they are healthier than shortening, which is what was used for many years.
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