By I got a library card this week. I know that should not feel significant but it does. I walked into the Prattville Public Library on my lunch break, drove over, ate my sandwich in the parking lot, went in, got the card, and checked out two cookbooks. One on Southern baking and one on cast iron cooking. You can just do that. Just walk in and take knowledge home for free. I think about that sometimes, how many things I did not know existed because no one showed them to me.
The cast iron cookbook has a whole chapter on seasoning and care that I read cover to cover Tuesday night. Gloria has a skillet that is fifty years old, her mother before her, and it is the most perfect cooking surface I have ever seen. Black as night and utterly smooth. I bought a Lodge cast iron skillet at the thrift store in February for ten dollars and have been cooking with it but I think I have been mistreating it. Not drying it fast enough after washing. The cookbook says to put it on a burner over low heat right after washing to drive out all the moisture. I have been doing this wrong. Fixed now.
Made cornbread in the skillet this Sunday. Her recipe, buttermilk, no sugar, because she has strong opinions about sweet cornbread and calls that cake not bread, and it came out with a crust on the bottom that crackled when I cut it. I stood at the counter and ate a warm piece with butter and felt something close to uncomplicated happiness. Just warm bread, butter, my own kitchen.
Lucy at the daycare has been clingy this week. Her parents are separating and she has been following me around all morning. I let her. I carry her sometimes when she needs it. Some kids just need to be held until the world makes sense again. I know something about that.
Rosemary is still alive. Basil less so.
I’ve been sharing cornbread in this space for a few weeks now, but Sunday’s version felt like the one worth writing down—the cast iron finally seasoned right, the buttermilk doing what buttermilk is supposed to do, and that crackling bottom crust that I genuinely did not expect. Some weeks the simple things are the only things that hold, and this was one of them. Here’s how to make it.
Southern Buttermilk Skillet Cornbread
Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 22 min | Total Time: 32 min | Servings: 8 wedges
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups yellow stone-ground cornmeal
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon fine salt
- 1 3/4 cups full-fat buttermilk, shaken
- 2 large eggs
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided (2 tablespoons melted, 1 tablespoon for the skillet)
Instructions
- Heat the skillet. Place a 10-inch cast iron skillet in the oven and preheat to 425°F. Let the skillet heat for at least 15 minutes while you mix the batter. A genuinely hot skillet is what gives the bottom crust its crackle.
- Mix dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt until evenly combined.
- Mix wet ingredients. In a separate bowl or large measuring cup, whisk together the buttermilk, eggs, and 2 tablespoons of melted butter.
- Combine. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir just until no dry streaks remain. Do not overmix — the batter will be lumpy and thick, and that is correct.
- Grease and pour. Carefully remove the hot skillet from the oven using oven mitts. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter and swirl quickly to coat the bottom and sides — it will smoke and sizzle. Immediately pour in the batter and spread it to the edges.
- Bake. Return to the oven and bake 20 to 22 minutes, until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The edges will pull slightly from the sides of the skillet.
- Cool and dry the skillet. Let the cornbread rest in the pan for 5 minutes before cutting into wedges. After serving, place the empty skillet over low heat on the stovetop for 3 to 4 minutes to drive out any remaining moisture before storing.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 210 | Protein: 6g | Fat: 7g | Carbs: 31g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 370mg