Blanche’s gluten-free southern cast iron skillet cornbread

Our first recipe - the cornbread my husband’s grandmother Blanche made often enough that one taste still takes me right back to her kitchen. In the South cornbread is a way of life, it isn’t reserved for holidays or special occasions. It is everyday food - the kind that quietly shows up with simple foods and makes them complete. It fills hungry stomachs, stretches a meal and welcomes whoever happens to drop in.

When celiac disease changed our lives we weren’t giving up this generations old recipe. It took time, a fair amount of trial and error, more than one less-than perfect batch, but eventually we found our way to a version that still evokes the memories. Some things have changed over the years - including the cornmeal available - but the heart of the recipe never has. I can’t duplicate every recipe exactly as it was made decades ago but I can try to preserve what made it a memorable, using the ingredients and knowledge we have today.

I think Blanche, lovingly called Mimi by family, would give this recipe her seal of approval - I know her grandson does.

gluten-free, cornbread, cast iron skillet, crispy crust

bread

Southern, American, Soul

Yield: 8-10

Author: Susan Cazort

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Gluten-Free Southern Cast Iron Skillet Cornbread

A traditional Southern cornbread with a hot skillet crispy bottom and a perfect crumb - almost a century old family favorite that we refused to let gluten take away from us.

Prep time: 20 MinCook time: 15 MinTotal time: 35 Min

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Ingredients

• 1 1/2 T bacon grease
• 1 C Bob's Red Mill cornmeal
• 1 C + 2 T buttermilk divided
• 1 C King Arthur's Measure for Measure flour
• 3 t baking powder
• 1/2 t baking soda
• 1 t salt
• 1 T sugar
• 2 eggs

Instructions

First off -

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Place bacon grease in a 10 inch cast-iron skillet, go ahead and put in the oven as it preheats. This also greases the pan and is the first step toward creating that beautiful crispy bottom crust.

Cornmeal Soak

1. Place 3/4 cup of the buttermilk into a small (4 cup) mixing bowl and heat to "just" lukewarm - you don't want it hot or it'll curdle
2. Add the 1 cup cornmeal to the buttermilk and give it a quick stir to moisten
3. Set to the side for 15 minutes. Don't skip this step - it softens the cornmeal and eliminates the gritty texture that can happen with gluten-free cornbread.

Mix, Whisk and Blend

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the remaining dry ingredients - flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar
2. In a separate small bowl lightly beat the eggs then blend in the rest of the buttermilk (1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons)

Bringing it all together

1. To your large bowl of dry ingredients now add the soaked cornmeal and the wet mixture
2. Mix it all together - the batter will be very thick, lumpy and sluggish - it shouldn't look like cake batter.
3. Take the hot skillet out of the oven, the melted bacon grease has the skillet ready to spoon big dollops of the cornbread batter into it, gently spread with a spatula as it will not level out automatically
4. Bake at 375 degrees for about 15 minutes - As Mimi said "Give the middle a light thump. If it sounds hollow, it's done." If it doesn't, bake it another 2-3 minutes.

Notes

• the heated bacon grease is greasing the pan and providing the crispy crust
• Do not skip the cornmeal soak - this softens the cornmeal and helps eliminate the gritty texture that comes with a gluten-free or coarser ground cornmeal
• Keeping the wet and dry ingredients separate until the last moment ensures all the leavening agents engage allowing for a better rise to the cornbread

Nutrition Facts

Calories

144

Fat

5 g

Sat. Fat

2 g

Carbs

21 g

Fiber

3 g

Net carbs

18 g

Sugar

4 g

Protein

5 g

Sodium

902 mg

Cholesterol

46 mg

All rights reserved for Mozelle and Blanche

a few last thoughts… We were always lucky if we happened to be around when this cornbread came fresh out of the oven. That’s when it was at it’s very best - a nice big slice, split open and slathered with butter and maybe just a drizzle of molasses or homemade jam.

Most days though it took its place beside a pot of beans or a steaming bowl of soup. All the grandparents used to save a piece to crumble into a cold glass of buttermilk, then eat it with a spoon. The grandkids always responding so eloquently with “Yuck!” or “Gross!”.

Looking back, I think they simply knew how to make every delicious crumb count.

I hope Mimi’s cornbread finds a place at your table, too. Just remember her advice - before you pull it from the oven, give the middle a light thump. If it sounds hollow - supper’s ready.