Skillet Corn Bread, Two Ways
According to Al Roker, weather and feature anchor and co-host of TODAY, corn bread baked in a cast-iron skillet is a simple, rustic pleasure that can be adapted any way you like. It can be a little sweet, or a little bit savory. You can add cheese or bacon, or just enjoy it hot out of the oven slathered with butter and a dab of honey. You can dress it up or you can dress it down, but it’s always a welcome addition to the Thanksgiving table.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (4 fl. oz./125 ml) vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 cups (10 1/2 oz./330 g) yellow cornmeal
- 1 1/2 cups (7 1/2 oz./235 g) all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup (2 oz./60 g) sugar
- 4 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 2 tsp. kosher salt
- 1 1/2 cups (12 fl. oz./375 ml) half-and-half or whole milk
- 2 eggs
For spicy corn bread (optional):
- 1 cup (4 oz./125 g) shredded Monterey jack cheese
- 1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
- 3 jalapeño chiles, stemmed, seeded and finely chopped
Directions
Preheat an oven to 450°F (230°C).
Pour the oil into a 10-inch (25-cm) cast-iron skillet and heat in the oven until the oil is almost smoking, 5 to 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, stir together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk together the half-and-half and eggs. Stir the half-and-half mixture into the cornmeal mixture. If making spicy corn bread, stir in the cheese, onion and jalapeños.
Carefully remove the skillet from the oven and add the hot oil to the batter in 3 additions, stirring after each addition. Spoon the batter into the hot skillet and return to the oven. Immediately reduce the oven temperature to 400°F (200°C). Bake until a knife inserted into the center of the corn bread comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes.
Transfer the skillet to a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edge and turn the corn bread out onto the rack. Invert the corn bread onto a serving platter, cut into wedges and serve warm or at room temperature. Serves 8.
Adapted from Al Roker's Big Bad Book of Barbecue, by Al Roker. Copyright 2002 by Al Roker. Reprinted by permission of Scribner, an Imprint of Simon & Schuster, Inc.