Cornbread. Hold the Sugar.

I went to this "Cajun" restaurant once in Massachusetts. I wish there was something more emphatic than quotes to express just how allegedly "Cajun" this place was. I'm not trying to sound snooty, I promise. Ok maybe a little. It's just...Yankees do good lobster. Sorry, "lahbstuh." And it's called Boston Cream Pie for a reason. But the red beans and rice? Negatory. Sweet tea? Nonexistent. And, oh god, sin of sins. 

The cornbread.

Was.

Sweet.

I'll give you a moment to digest that. And have indigestion. And contemplate a bulimic episode. 

Sweet cornbread = corncake. Period. End of story. I'm sorry, I am a good Southerner and I took my oath and on this I cannot budge one single iota. That said, the BEST cornbread I've ever had was my great-grandmama's recipe. Probably my great-great-grandmama's recipe, since that's generally how great-grandmamas came by their recipes back then. Anyhow, it has never met its rival (unless we're talking about YOUR great-grandmama in which case, of course, hers is superior. Commence war of courtesy) 

And now, for the first time ever, I am publishing Granny Morris' Cornbread Recipe on the Internet. For you, dear 10 readers. For you.

So Let's Make Some Damn Cornbread!

Ingredients:

1 cup yellow or white cornmeal (I use yellow in this recipe)

1/2 cup all purpose flour

3 tsp baking soda

1 tsp sugar (stuff it)

1 tsp salt

1/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup sweet milk
1 egg

One of the most important parts of good, crispy cornbread is a good, well-seasoned and 

preheated  cast iron skillet.

If you're gonna use glass or steel, don't even bother. Just go home.

Preheat oven, with skillet inside, to 425 degrees F.

 In a medium bowl, whisk together cornmeal, flour, baking soda, sugar*, and salt.

*The sugar is ONLY to make the salt more prominent. Science is standing by to back me up.

In a large bowl, mix vegetable oil, milk, and egg. 

Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix thoroughly 

Test your skillet with a few drops of water. If there's no sizzle, slide that thing right on back in the oven, honey. It ain't ready.

Once you get some sparks, quickly pour the cornbread batter all at once into the hot pan.

::sizzle, sizzle, sizzle::

Bake at 425 until "golden brown" (Granny's instructions, First Baptist Church cookbook). 

I found this to be about 20 minutes in my oven.

Once the top is roughly the color of Simba, remove from oven and dump onto serving platter or cooling rack. 

Action shot!

Mmk now the best way to eat my Granny's cornbread is hot from the oven, split lengthwise, with butter. And y'all KNOW I love me some butter.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is gooooooood eatin'. I know thas right.

Here's the recipe, clipped from THE cookbook of the day (the Church's) and pasted in my grandmama's (Granny's daughter's) old Southern Living cookbook. Y'all are officially in the inner sanctum now, so wield this knowledge responsibly. And enjoy! 

Y'all come back now!

All photos by Michelle Chasser/Brainchild Theories