I am a true Southern Sweetheart from my baby blue eyes and blonde hair follicles to my big, red Dodge Ram 1500 Quad Cab. Sweet tea is the only real tea, your best jeans and rhinestone flip flops ARE your dress clothes, and I will Bless Your Heart in a skinny second for a multitude of reasons. You may just want to make sure of the intended meaning behind it when it’s directed at you. In a Southerner’s vocabulary three words never had quite so many different meanings. 😉 The definition is all in the eyes and facial expressions y’all. You’ll KNOW what’s meant. Boy, will you know.

When I came across this recipe for true, authentic Southern Cornbread from our friend Julie at the Texan New Yorker, I had to give it a shot. The Texan part had real promise, but I was a little skeptical of a New Yorker’s version of southern cornbread. They can rock a cheesecake, but cornbread? Yes, I can be skeptical. My daddy was a transplant from New York. That gives me some entitlement 🙂

I went to work with her recipe and y’all, this recipe is FABULOUS! It is a true, no sugar, original Southern cornbread if ever there was one. The color was as pretty as a sunny July morning, and the rise must be the part that came from New York as it definitely achieves skyscraper status. Light and airy, very moist and not dense, this recipe is a keeper. It reminds me of mama’s. 🙂

The only thing I added was a a little corn relish, because I love the texture of the kernels in the bread. This recipe doesn’t need it, or anything for that matter, I just happened to have some to use.

Don’t miss the original recipe and tons of other great food finds here at The Texan New Yorker blog. If I were you, I’d check out her Watermelon Cream Pie. I’m not even kidding y’all.

Thanks so much for sharing Julie! You’re one of the cool country kids now!

Authentic Southern Cornbread

From The Texan New Yorker

Ingredients:
¼ cup lard, bacon drippings, or vegetable oil
2 cups yellow cornmeal
½ cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp kosher salt
1 large egg, beaten
2 cups buttermilk, well shaken

         

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 450 F.
While the oven is heating, put the lard or oil into a 10” cast-iron skillet and place it in the oven for a few minutes until the lard is melted and sizzling. Remove from the oven as soon as it is sizzling to avoid burning it.
Meanwhile, combine the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium to large mixing bowl. In a smaller bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the egg and buttermilk. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. Whisk until just combined.
Take the cast-iron skillet and pour the batter into it. No need to stir anything. Immediately place the skillet into the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool just a few minutes, then slice into wedges and serve with pats of butter. The typical way is to take a regular butter knife and make a slit down the center of each wedge, lengthwise. Stick a pat of butter inside there. Then take another pat of butter and put it on the top of the cornbread. Slather it around as it’s melting for even coverage. Dig in!

Life is too short to eat ugly food y’all.

*Final Photo copyright The Texan New Yorker 2014