We’re rounding out our week of cornbread with one of the most oft-requested recipes from Crescent Dragonwagon’s The Cornbread Gospels. It’s a cornbread that is unique for many reasons, not least of which is the pre-baking sizzle step that gives it its trademark crust. Enjoy, and check out Crescent Dragonwagon’s video demonstration here.
Dairy Hollow House Skillet-Sizzled Cornbread
Makes 8 wedges
“This is the cornbread I served when I owned and ran Dairy Hollow House; it was its single most requested recipe. It is the first Southern food I ever learned to fix and the one that started me on my cornbread journey. I learned how to make it in the Fort Greene section of Brooklyn, New York, in 1969, when I was very young and living in a brownstone with seven other people. Viola, the soft-spoken lady friend of a kind neighbor, taught it to me. Viola was from Georgia, and it was she who initiated me into baking cornbread in an already-hot skillet.
I’ve served this cornbread to a president (Bill Clinton) and a princess (Princess Elizabeth of Yugoslavia). Countless people have told me it’s become their house cornbread and signature dish—the one they take to potlucks and serve to company. While I love cornbreads of all kinds, I come back to this one over, and over, again.”
- Vegetable oil cooking spray
- 1 cup unbleached white flour
- 1 cup stone-ground yellow cornmeal
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1¼ cups buttermilk
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup mild vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons butter, or mild vegetable oil
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Spray a 10-inch cast-iron skillet with oil and set aside.
2. Sift together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl.
3. In a smaller bowl, stir the baking soda into the buttermilk. Whisk in the sugar, egg, and the ¼ cup oil.
4. Put the prepared skillet over medium heat, add the butter, and heat until the butter melts and is just starting to sizzle. Tilt the pan to coat the sides and bottom.
5. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and combine them quickly, using as few strokes as possible. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake the cornbread until it is golden brown, about 20 minutes. Let cool for a few moments, and slice into wedges to serve.
From Crescent Dragonwagon, here’s an impassioned celebration of all things cornbread. With over 200 recipes that evoke the heart, soul, and taste of home, it includes sweet cornbreads and savory cornbreads, fritters, spoonbreads, pancakes, and more.
