Cast Iron Skillet Cornbread

The cast iron skillet is the soul of cornbread. Without it, you are just baking corn-flavored cake. That sizzle when the batter hits the pan, the way the fat crisps the bottom into something almost lacey, the golden crust that forms while the inside stays tender and moist: this is the bayou way.

My grandmother Evangeline never measured a thing. She kept her cornmeal in a tin by the stove, her buttermilk in a crock by the back door, and her bacon drippings in a jar that never saw the inside of an icebox. Every Sunday morning, that skillet came out of the oven smoking hot, and we knew dinner was coming. The smell of cornbread baking meant family was gathering.

Now here is where I will lose some folks: no sugar. Real Southern cornbread has no business being sweet. That is cake masquerading as bread. The corn itself has natural sweetness that comes through when you use proper stone-ground meal. The buttermilk adds tang. A touch of cayenne, if you are feeling Louisiana about things, adds warmth without heat. This is honest bread for honest people.