RECIPE: Reach for cornmeal and buttermilk this holiday season
When it comes to home baking, there are two ingredients that pack a punch yet are often overlooked: quality stone-ground cornmeal and whole-fat buttermilk.
I find people tend to stay away from recipes that call for these ingredients because they don’t want to buy cornmeal or buttermilk for one recipe and then have it sit around and go bad. This causes folks to miss out on a whole world of flavor and texture.
This classic skillet cornbread recipe highlights the delicious flavors and textures of cornmeal and buttermilk. However, I hope this week’s column inspires you to use quality Southern-made stone-ground cornmeal (Lindley Mills is my preferred brand) and whole-fat tangy buttermilk (try Banner Butter or Mayfield Dairy) in other recipes this holiday season.
Cornmeal’s gritty texture and moderate sweet and savory flavor lend a boost to cookies, cakes, focaccia, and even puddings and pies. Buttermilk, with its high acidity and flavorful fat, is a great addition not only to standard leavened pastries like biscuits, scones, muffins and cakes, but also as a tenderizer for meats and a base for salad dressings and marinades.
Use these Southern pantry staples to their full potential this holiday season. You won’t regret it.
Comfy Skillet Cornbread
- 85 grams (6 tablespoons) room-temperature butter, plus 14 grams (1 tablespoon) for greasing skillet
- 100 grams (1/2 cup) sugar
- 10 grams (1 3/4 teaspoons) salt
- 4 eggs, at room temperature
- 160 grams (1 cup) cornmeal
- 100 grams (3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons) all-purpose flour
- 30 grams (1/4 cup) whole-wheat flour
- 17 grams (1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon) baking powder
- 3/4 cup buttermilk (or whole-fat Greek yogurt)
- 3/4 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup olive oil or canola oil
- 2 tablespoons honey plus more for melting on top
- Set a 9-inch cast-iron skillet or an 8-inch-by-8-inch square pan inside oven. Heat oven to 375 degrees.
- Meanwhile, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter, sugar and salt on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time, scraping down sides of bowl between each addition.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together cornmeal, all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour and baking powder. Add to butter mix and mix on low speed until incorporated, about 1 minute.
- In the same medium bowl, combine buttermilk, milk, oil and honey. Add to butter-flour mix and mix on low speed until just incorporated. The batter will be wet and loose. Lumps are not a big deal, but try to mix in big lumps.
- Using an oven mitt or kitchen towel, carefully remove the hot skillet or pan from oven. Add remaining tablespoon butter. Allow it to sizzle and melt, and swirl the skillet or pan so butter coats the bottom. Pour in batter and bake 30 to 35 minutes, rotating 180 degrees after 15 minutes. The cornbread is done when a butter knife or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Remove from oven. Brush top with warm honey and salt to taste. Let cool 5 minutes before slicing.
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per serving: 363 calories (percent of calories from fat, 36), 8 grams protein, 51 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams fiber, 14 grams total fat (8 grams saturated), 124 milligrams cholesterol, 839 milligrams sodium.Sarah Dodge is an Atlanta-based bread baker, pastry chef and baking instructor. She is the owner of Bread is Good, which offers bread subscriptions to the general public and wholesale baked goods to local markets and restaurants.
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