Thursday, March 18, 2010

Appalachian Buttermilk Cornbread


This cornbread is the pinnacle -- it's easy, requires only 4 ingredients, and is always a hit! My grandmother made it and always had it around her house for snacks. The scent of warming buttermilk-laced bread makes me incredibly nostalgic. I share her recipe and technique here.

Note: Remember that trick a couple of posts ago where you make buttermilk using vinegar or lemon juice in regular milk? That will not work with this cornbread. You must use real buttermilk!


First, the ingredients:

1 3/4 cup self-rising flour
1 1/4 cup white cornmeal (yellow will be too sweet)
1 1/4 cup buttermilk
1 tbsp oil (vegetable, olive, canola)

Heat the oven to 425 degrees.


Pour the dry ingredients into a bowl, and mix with a spoon. Add the buttermilk slowly, mixing as you add. Once all of the flour is mixed and the dough is a wet, sticky texture, it is ready.


Coat the inside of an 8-inch cast-iron skillet with the oil, and dump in the dough.


Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack. Once the bread has cooled, cut into eighths for serving.

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