Cast Iron Skillet Cornbread

The secret to great cast iron cornbread is a single step: preheat the empty, buttered skillet in a hot oven until it is genuinely hot, then pour the batter into it so the edges sizzle on contact. That is what fries the crust into the crackly, buttery, golden shell that a cold pan can never produce. Everything else is just a good batter.

Cornbreadand cast iron are a classic pairing for a reason — the skillet's heat retention gives the bread a crust nothing else matches. This is a Southern-style, barely-sweet cornbread; adjust the sugar to taste. It bakes in a 10.25-inch skillet, the size most people own from our skillet picks.

Ingredients

• 1½ cups (about 210 g) medium-grind cornmeal
• ½ cup (about 60 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon fine salt
• 1 to 2 tablespoons sugar (optional, to taste)
• 1¼ cups (300 ml) buttermilk
• 2 large eggs
• 4 tablespoons (55 g) butter, plus more for the pan

Method

1. Preheat the pan hot.Put a 10.25-inch cast iron skillet in the oven and heat the oven to 425°F (220°C) with the pan inside. Let the pan heat for at least 10 minutes after the oven comes up to temperature — a hot pan is the whole trick.
2. Mix the batter. Whisk the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar in a bowl. In another bowl whisk the buttermilk and eggs. Melt the 4 tablespoons of butter and whisk it into the wet ingredients, then stir the wet into the dry just until combined — a few lumps are fine. Do not overmix, which makes it tough.
3. Butter the hot pan. Carefully pull the screaming-hot skillet out (use dry mitts — the handle is oven-hot), drop in a tablespoon of butter, and swirl it up the sides as it foams. It should sizzle.
4. Pour and bake. Pour the batter into the hot, buttered pan; it should sizzle at the edges. Return it to the oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the top is golden and a toothpick comes out clean.
5. Turn it out. Let it cool for a few minutes, then run a knife around the edge and turn it out (or cut it in the pan). Serve warm.

Tips

Use buttermilk if you can — its acidity reacts with the baking soda for a tender, tangy crumb. Medium-grind cornmeal gives the best texture; very fine cornmeal bakes up more cake-like. Keep the sugar low for a traditional savory cornbread, or add more for a Northern-style sweeter loaf. Cornbread is buttery and does not stick to a well-seasoned pan, and baking it actually adds to the seasoning; a quick wipe-out is usually all the cleanup it needs.