Southern Cornbread

This morning while baking some cornbread I remembered that the first recipe I learned when I moved to Alabama came from Nancy; she taught me how to bake real southern cornbread. Unable to eat gluten this delicious cornbread hits the spot when I crave bread.

Preheat oven to 450° F

2 tsp baking soda

2 cups buttermilk or yogurt

2 eggs

2 Tbsp coconut oil or butter

2 cups cornmeal

1 tsp salt

Optional: sliced onion

Preheat the oven to 450° F

Melt the oil or butter in an iron cast skillet in the warm oven or on a Pyrex glass pan.

While stirring buttermilk with a fork add the baking soda and watch it bubble up; add the eggs and oil and continue to mix well. On a separate container mix dry ingredients and slowly stir into the wet mix. Then, if you like, add the sliced onion. Pour into greased cast iron skillet and bake at 450° F for 20-30 minutes until toothpick comes out clean.

To give southern cornbread a Mexican flare, try adding 1 cup of corn kernels, 1 sliced bell pepper, 2 Tbsp chopped green chilies, ½ tsp smoked paprika or cayenne pepper; when the cornbread is ready, turn off the oven and top with ½ cup shredded Cheddar or Monterrey Jack Cheese; let the cornbread stay in the oven an additional 10-15 minutes.

Serve with hot pepper jam or fresh tomato and parsley salsa, guacamole, Babaganoush, butter or fig jam…everything tastes so good when you spread it on southern cornbread.