There is something about sweet corn bread that I find so homey and satisfying, even though I didn't actually eat corn bread until I was in college. It was a dining hall treat that they'd offer to us randomly maybe once a month. Each time I made sure to eat more than my fair share, enjoying every sweet, mealy bite with a little bit of butter. Since then I've gotten corn bread with the occasional meal at a restaurant (both sweet and savory) but I've never made it myself from scratch (I've tried the Jiffy brand box mix and it's pretty good). I've longed to find a recipe that satisfies my sweet tooth and my ambition to have a great corn bread recipe that puts others to shame. I think I may have found it--and on the first try, no less!

Skillet Corn Bread
From Once Upon a Tart...Soups, Salads, Muffins, and More by Frank Mentesana and Jerome Audureau

• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/3 cups cold milk
• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup whole-wheat flour
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
  

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 450°F.
• Smear a 9 or 10-inch cast iron skillet (or 5x9-inch loaf pan) with butter.
• Whisk the egg in a big bowl to break up the yolk.
• Whisk in the milk and butter.
• In a separate, medium sized bowl, whisk the flours, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt together.
• Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet, stirring gently with a wooden spoon until there is no flour visible.
• Pour the batter into your skillet (or loaf pan).
• Place the skillet in the center rack in the oven, and bake the corn bread for 25 - 30 minutes, until the top is completely browned and a small knife or toothpick inserted comes out clean.
• Remove skillet (or loaf pan) from the oven and set it on a wire rack to cool slightly.
• Serve warm or at room temperature, sliced like a pie, straight from the skillet.

About this recipe: The number one reason why I love this recipe is that it uses butter instead of lard. For any lacto-ovo vegetarians out there (like myself) this will be a happy thing.

A note on the ingredients: I didn't have whole-wheat flour so I simply substituted more all purpose flour and my cornbread came out just fine. So don't pass this up for lack of whole-wheat flour, please. I was stingy on the sugar by 2 - 3 tablespoons and I thought the corn bread still came out plenty sweet. I thought I could even cut it down more but my roomie assured me it was perfect as is. Oddly, the intro to this recipe suggests adding 1/3 cup of sugar to make it even sweeter if you'd like. If you're in need of a serious sugar hit I say go for it, or a trip to the dentist to fill some cavities.

I actually folllowed the instructions to mix the dry into the wet, which you know I never do to avoid lumps. Working slowly, I was able to incorporate a rounded 1/2 cup of the dry mixture at a time, stirring slowly with a wooden spoon as they suggest, and it came out alright in the end. It takes a few half cup fulls for it to smooth out and turn into a batter. I guess the cornmeal to flour ratio helps avoid the lumps.

The result: a moist, sweet, delicious corn bread. It was exactly what I was looking for in terms of flavor and consistency. I ate two large pieces warm soon after it came out of the oven (as did my roomie) and savored it over the next few days with a piece each morning for breakfast. If you like cornbread don't hesitate to make this--even if you don't have a skillet, although it helps. This recipe comes from the same book as the honey-cornmeal scones that's also a winner.