People. Do you know what occurred to me yesterday?
I have never shared my cornbread recipe with you.
I can’t even believe it. THREE YEARS I’ve been “writing” this interweb blogsite, and somehow I have neglected the cornbread. I mean, we’ve talked about butterbeans, about blackeyed peas, about pound cake – and heaven knows we’ve talked about fried chicken.
But the cornbread? Not so much. Frankly, I can’t help but feel that I’ve failed you. And I do apologize.
Because oh, I adore the cornbread. It’s one of the very best parts of fall and winter (along with flannel pajama bottoms, soft blankets, blazing fires and long-sleeved t-shirts). And over the years, I’ve taken the cornbread recipes from my mama, my friend NK’s mama, the back of the Martha White corn meal bag (not to mention the lovely Ms. Paula Deen) and blended them into some crazy amalgamation that sounds super-weird in theory but is utterly delicious in practice.
So. Before you make this cornbread, you need to know that there is one non-negotiable part of the process: a cast-iron skillet. You can’t pour this concoction into a Pyrex dish and expect to get anywhere near the optimal result. And if you don’t have a cast-iron skillet, run – RUN! – to your local hardware store and get one. It’s the best kitchen-related $20 you’ll ever spend, hallelujah.
I also think this is a critical component:
I’ve tried all the mixes. I’ve tried using corn meal and flour and salt. But this stuff is the best. It’s finely ground and makes a really dense cornbread. It can also be a little hard to find, but it’s worth tracking down. Because it’s special.
And with all that being said, the recipe:
2 cups White Lily White Cornmeal mix
2 eggs
1 cup creamed corn
1 cup sour cream
1 1/3 cups milk
1 tablespoon sugar (optional)
1/4 cup canola oil
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Put your skillet on top of your stove over medium high heat. Once the skillet is hot, add the canola oil, then sprinkle about 2-3 tablespoons of cornmeal mix on top. While the cornmeal mix is browning, mix together all your remaining ingredients in a bowl.
Once the oil is hot and the cornmeal is browned, pour about 1/2 of the oil from the skillet into your mixture, then return your skillet to the stove (CAREFUL! FOR THE LOVE OF PETE, BE CAREFUL!). Quickly stir your batter and pour all the batter into the skillet.
And then? THEN? It will sizzle like it’s on FI-IRE.
Let the skillet sit on the stove over medium heat for about two minutes (it’s making you a delicious crispy present). When the time’s up, put the skillet in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes.
And I don’t mean to taunt you or anything, but just look at the results:
THAT CRUST? IS YOUR FRIEND.
Yesterday for lunch we had some blackeyed peas with our cornbread, a combination that is utterly perfect on a chilly fall day.
And, you know, I may have added a little butter to my cornbread.
Don’t worry. It was just a pat. Or six.
I’m sure you understand.
Oh my Sweet Lord in heaven. I’m in a hotel room and nowhere near a kitchen or I would be cookin’ me up some of that fine amalgamation.
I’m dying here.
DYING.
You have no idea how I have longed for this very RECIPE. Some of my deeply southern church people used to make this when I was a kid. I would literally hover over the church potluck table guarding (hoarding) this bread with all my life.
The gratitude I wish to extend you simply can not be contained with words.
Off to buy that skillet.
Do the cast iron skillets come black or can you teach us that process as well???
Oh how I wish I had that dish right here right now on this chilly fall evening! Can’t wait to try it at home myself… thanks for the recipe.
Mmm… cornbread. Do some of your older relatives still call it “corn pone” like mine? I’m a deep-rooted southerner. Obviously.
This one of my favorite meals.
Except I use Jiffy cornbread, from a box.
Which is wrong, considering I live in Texas.
But, maybe I’ll stretch my cooking abilities and make yours.
For Christmas dinner. Of course.
We’re all about The Fancy.
mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmgood!
I am gonna try this cornbread! You can get a cast iron skillet at Cracker Barrel for $10.00! YUP! TEN! I bought one and love, love, love it. It was already seasoned too!!!!!!
So your saying the mix I buy a tthe grocery store and just add water to isn’t exactly authentic? Your recipe looks heavenly. And very lo-cal too, I must say!
Ooh, I love cornbread. But black-eyed peas? YUCK! (I know, my southern mama can’t believe it, but they’re just NASTY!)
Now, cornbread and milk? For breakfast? Mmmm…
Judging by your description and the comments of your readers, I shall assume the historic election of our nation’s first black president will all but be forgotten once Cracker Barrel starts selling out of its skillets and stoves everywhere begin making some corny goodness.
What? No onions? I have put chopped onions in my cornbread for years! But I may take your recipe, add onions, and bake away! Too bad we’ve already eaten dinner or I’d be recalculating!
Oh! My! Word! I’ll be right over!!! Oh the crust! YUMMMM!! Must make real cornbread soon! Sadly I’ve subsisted off of Jiffy Mix for the last decade since moving to live among Yankees (said with love, Folks.). Thank you for reminding me what real cornbread looks like. I swear I could almost smell it, too!
I had homemade vegetable soup and cornbread for dinner tonight. It was divine.
Especially since I have a stuffy nose.
sniff, sniff…
Mmmm…we just had some incredibly good cornbread tonight with our dinner! My cooking method is pretty much the same as yours, except I have to admit that I heat some bacon grease in my iron skillet instead of oil. I just love it when that batter sizzles as I pour it in. There’s nothing like delicious cornbread with the hint of bacon!
yum! can i just come over and eat yours?! haha i definitely need to try this recipe!
Words fail me (unusual) – that looks so delicious I can’t wait to make it. Thanks so much for the recipe!
My daughter (she’s 24 now; but when she was about 10) … she used to go to my grandmother’s after school, til I got off from work. My grandmother would make her a whole pone of cornbread (a “small” one – about 8 inches) and my daughter would open it just like a biscuit, fill it with LOTS of butter, and just eat the whole thing.
And yes – the cast iron skillet is a MUST!!
I just ate dinner, but I am still salivating. Cornbread. Yummy goodness.
Let me say that I think you may be my new bff! lol!!
Cornbread, in my humble opinion could stand alone as a meal. I have a cast iron skillet that has been in my family for over 30 years. Not only does it make great cornbread but great gravy to go along with homemade biscuits. I also use White Lily and I think it’s the best. I have my own recipe but it is a well kept secret since I was 18 years old. :))
I am certain your recipe is delicious and moist and I cannot wait to make it!!
Love,
Patty
A few things:
1. You used the word “amalgamation” in your blog…and correctly, I might add.
2. Scott, I believe, has a new name for your cornbread. He officially called it “corny goodness” and I laughed…out loud. I guess you could say I “LOL” or I ROFL or LORFL or what-not.
3. I will treasure this recipe forever…after I try it…and find the necessary ingredients. But then, it will be treasured.
Honey –oops no I wasn’t calling y’all an endearment – I put honey on my cornbread – it is heavenly – infact – I think manna was Hebrew for cornbread. My story and I’ll stick to it — for a while. Thank you for your recipe – it appears to be the creme de la creme of corniness!
Looks just like what I grew up with. Yum. Thanks!
So, I’m wondering if I’ll be able to find this miracle that is White Lily Corn Meal Mix where I live. I don’t recall ever seeing it before… is it a Deep South thing?
OH for crying out loud, would you stop sharing recipes for stuff i want but can not have!!!! that looks like some deliciousness goin on and a would be party in my mouth! MMMmmmmmmmmmmmmm (i just licked my lips)
Mmmmm, beans and cornbread. With LOTS of butter. Forget a pat. Or six. I’m using the whole darn stick if I want to!
My mama heats her skillet in the oven while it preheats with oil in it. It sizzles when you pour the batter(?) in and makes a crispy crust like yours. That’s the best part!! (With the butter. Must have the butter!)
I know what I’m fixin’ this week!
You are breaking my heart here. Cornbread and blackeyed peas (or pintos) were one of the staple meals of my childhood. Then I went and married a man from New York and he looks on beans and peas as side dishes, and ones that he doesn’t even like much. I may make it anyway and just eat it all myself.
I love cornbread. I’m gonna have to try this. I’ve never seen that brand of cornmeal mix. I’ll have to look around and see if I can find it. Sorry, you can keep the black-eyed peas. But now I’d fight you for that cornbread and some soup beans!!
Thanks for sharing the recipe.
I don’t know if I’ve ever actually commented here (I love it though), but I absolutely must since the issue at hand is cornbread. The first Christmas after I got married my grandmother gave me my very own seasoned cast iron skillet for cornbread – a prized gift. Of course, it is only to be used for cornbread lest I ruin its ability turn out a perfectly browned batch of cornbread. Although my family’s recipe is not exactly the same as yours, ours is the dense kind like yours. Looking at that picture made me really think I ought to cook some soon!
Oh I would love to make this! I live in Southern California and can not get White Lily products. What can I substitute for it?
PS love your blog, you make me laugh and I feel like you are a long lost girlfriend from another life! God Bless You!
OH my mercy! I swear I could hear the sizzle thru my computer screen! I LOVE the idea of adding cream corn and sour cream. Where has this recipe been my whole life? Thanks Boo Mama for sharing.
Now…tomorrow supper, soup and cornbread.
I love love LOVE cornbread! I have chili in the refrigerator that I just made yesterday. It would go perfect except for three things.
1. The kid has hand foot and mouth disease and I don’t want to infectate the entire NE Ohio area while on the quest for some illusive corn meal mix that I probably will never find because, HELLO! it’s the north.
2. I don’t have an iron skillet. Mom has one and she told me that I could have it. But then that’s traveling out.
3. Have I mentioned the kid, the disease and that I forgot what my third point was? Call it two days of continual fever and a mommy that hasn’t been sleeping because of it.
Oh shoot, just mail me some ‘kay?
I totally understand the cornbread, peas, and butter! That’s our kind of food.
Now you know that you just made my Southern Stomach growl, LOL. I LOVE me some Black Eyed Peas and Cornbread.
And don’t tell anyone, but I put mayo in them. :D
OH MY LANDS! I must try that recipe! Cooking cornbread in anything but a cast iron skillet should be a felony except for the occasional corn muffins. Thanks for sharing. Just last week me and the videographer at B.G.E.A. (who is from Memphis) were talking about “real cornbread” baked in a cast iron skillet after we had some kind of concoction passed off as cornbread in our work cafeteria…blech! It’s going to be a good weekend here in N.C. to try your recipe because it’s supposed to be cold and rainy.
Oh! The sight of that melting butter on that cornbread….I’m speechless.
Okay, I have a question: is this some “Northern” cornbread, or is it “Southern?” By which I mean to say (as a born-and-bred Northerner), is it sweet? Or…not? This is a point of cornbread contention I only recently discovered. It seems y’all don’t care for sweet cornbread. Can you confirm?
Hello! I’m interested in doing the Christmas Open house but have a couple questions. I attempted to use your email but its saying its not valid. Please email me and then I can ask for your help. Thank you Dawn
YUM!
I sooooo do not like to bake… soooooo… could you just send some cornbread my way… lololol… I’m sure yours would taste much better than my attempt… lol
Off to look around your blog… first time visiting… I think.
God bless – I love you girl! I love the cornbread slathered in butter as well. I can’t wait to try this recipe. :)
my husband’s gonna ask me to marry him all over again when i make this…
i’ve got to get a skillet. i admit i’ve been quite scared of the seasoning process. how does that work? i’ll read the directions, because i’ve got to make this cornbread.
thank you for this! perfect timing! i just pulled a SL cornbread stuffing recipe off the net yesterday so i could make it especially for my husby, so now i have perfect cornbread to start it off with!
but can we mourn for just a moment…i’m not able to get white lily products here in Big D. do any of your readers happen to know where i might be able to find it in d/fw? ’cause i’ll totally travel to get it!!
You know I’ve always loved you, but the bond grows stronger every day. I have been looking for a good cornbread recipe that is tried and true, and you have come to the rescue, my friend. This looks divine…and the fact that “it’s making you a delicious crispy present” makes it even more appealing!
Oh. My. Goodness. I can’t TELL YOU how much that means to me! Thank you sooo very much!
Seriously, I just can’t get it right, and you totally answered ALL my questions! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
I swear I could lick the computer screen if I thought I could taste that butter melting in that piece of cornbread! If it were not after 10 pm I would be off to look for White Lily cornbread mix. (Does WM carry that?)
You are cruel tonight, my friend, for getting us all hungry for some Deep South good fixins’ and now off to bed on a near-empty stomach……!! tee hee
You mean to tell me that you don’t use a cornbread mix in a bag? (jk!!) BTW – I thought of you last night as I sang with Angela/Travis’ home choir at the Tenn. Bpt Conv. Then I laughed b/c I looked across the choir room to see what kind of jeans she was wearing : ) Next time you see her, tell her that her choir is AWESOME!!!!
Not only do I have a cast iron skillet, but I have me a cornbread cast iron skillet that has the circle sectioned off into triangle cornbread slices!
I haven’t made cornbread in a long time. Guess it’s time to drag out that cornbread skillet and try your recipe!
Thanks!
Oh Boomama, this entry was my first introduction to your blog, and I am hooked. You just made my night. I have a friend with a cast-iron, and we’re going to get together and make this real soon.
Also, your site has made me realize I need a little more of the south in my life. Because I love the voice in my head when I read your posts.
I love cornbread! I don’t make it very often though, as my husband thinks it is weird. Here in Australia, I don’t think it is a very common thing to make. My hubby doesn’t like it, and his parents don’t, and I don’t know anyone else here who does. (I’m from the US, btw). My kids don’t like it all that much. So I end up with cornbread all to myself. :-) It’s great stuff! I have never made any in a cast iron skillet before though. Just in the oven.
Andrea
Oh, you and Big Mama have just decided to torture me today. As I’ve been exiled to the Great White North (northeastern Ohio) for the past 3 years, I’ve been forced to bake my cornbread using a combination of regular cornmeal and flour.
I’m crying, looking at your black-eyed peas and cornbread – no one’s heard of such a concoction up here. Do you know what they eat on New Years? Pork chops and sauerkraut.
Oh, I’m homesick today…it’s time to see what I can purchase on the interwebz.
The pictures did me in. I have a cornbread recipe that is dear to my heart and my family LOVES, but I am willing to try this one. When we were young and military people were paid less than poverty wages, we would literally have died without beans and cornbread.
Oh for the love of comfort food! I am going to try this one,and when my butter(at least 6 pats or so) melts,I am going to drizzle her with a little honey!YUMMY!
How long! How long have I waited for the perfect cornbread recipe that called for both sour cream and creamed corn! And I just know I can trust you – that this is delightful and not even a little bit dry. Oh BooMama, I luh ya.
Only you, BooMama, could make me laugh out loud in the midst of unpacking a new house over a cornbread recipe. Sadly, my boring family only likes the stuff from the bag. Heck, that’s actually all I know how to make… Sad. BTW, we moved. But, we know the people who live in our old house so they’ll bring me any mail that may or may not happen to come. :)
Oh I can not wait to try this recipe!! I live in Bham and LOVE all things southern. My grandmothers both had different cornbread recipes, but this one looks fabulous!
You better tell MOST of your northern readers how to properly season a black iron skillet!–they will probably have to go buy one!
Oooo, it does sound divine. I, for one, am so glad you listed the sugar as ‘optional.’ With sugar is it no longer cornBREAD, it becomes cornCAKE.
I also love the blackeyed peas, except have you ever noticed the packaging for them (cans, bags, whatever) always seems to leave off the ‘d’ on the end? They’re sold as ‘blackeye’ peas. Every time I buy them I think someone made a silly mistake when they printed the labels. They ARE blackeyeD peas, don’t they know??!!
Mercy sakes, I’m hungry.
Love It! I’ll have to ask my husband for a cast iron skillet for Christmas. We are a Jiffy Corn Bread family. We love to put green chili’s and mexi corn in ours for a tasty surprise.
Oh my friend, we are kindred spirits because the cast iron? It makes everything better. I mean, really. How can you make a proper pone of cornbread without a cast iron skillet? Or a roux? Now I need to go home, make a big pot of red beans and eat it over a hot piece of cornbread.
Xandra
I was all good until you added the blackeyed peas. My mouth is watering at 8:00 AM.
Would you please, please, pretty please come to my house and make me some of that?
Yummmmmmy!
Two things:
1. Don’tcha love it when you can use the word “amalgamation” in a post?
2. Your cornbread ministry is sure to earn you jewels in your crown. Hallelujah
oh my cornbread goodness – that big thick slab looked like a piece of cake sans chocolate icing.. who am i kidding? i can no longer have chocolate. Butter? lather it on, please!!!
Shut your mouth, that looks good! I have some turnip greens from my mama’s garden that will be mighty good with some of your cornbread, peas, and somebody else’s fried chicken….because I can’t fry it to save my life. (No lie — I’ve started a small fire every time I’ve tried. Sophie –help!)
Oh my word…you have got to be kidding me…I am a Texan living in Southern California….not sure I am going to be able to find the White lily mix. I will check wal-mart. And darn the luck I am not sure anyone in this state has ever heard of a Cracker Barrel (to get that already seasoned cast iron skillet). However, there is hope for me, I will be home for Christmas and will totally track that down if I cannot find it here, and just lug it back with me!! What will airport security say?? I love me some beans (even blackeyed peas)and cornbread and it is totally a meal all by itself… not many people around here know what it is either. How many of you love fried okra??? try finding some in California…and I am not talking about the frozen kind in the store, I am referring to fresh in the produce section so you can fry it yourself..it ain’t happening…!!! My boss laughs at my liking the “fuzzy weed”….I want to move back where the comfort food is comforting…and not a uncooked piece of tuna…pray for my swift return ;-)
OK ladies, I just checked White Lily’s website and store locator, it seems White Lily is not available west of Louisiana…however you can order it online from Smuckers.
http://onlinestore.smucker.com/display_category.cfm?cat_id=63
Gotta go place my order… :-)
THANK YOU! I have tried and failed so many cornbread recipes! (Thank God for Jiffy mix!) I’ll be giving this one a try next time I make your black eyed peas!
I’ve always been a fan of the cornbread.
But last year? I started making it in my new-old cast-iron skillet.
It rocked my WORLD, my friend. I believe I ate half the pan the first time I made it. And I’m not even joking.
I now consider cornbread to be made outside of a cast-iron skillet to be zombie cornbread: It may look similar, but it has no umph.
Looks amazing. I’ve never seen cornmeal in France, and no sour cream, either. too bad for this Texas girl :(
My southern heart (and stomach) thank you.
One of my all time favorite meals on this planet!!!! With some white beans too!! Mmmmmm Mmmmmm goood!!!
Would you believe there are people livin’ in THIS COUNTRY who don’t know what a blackeyed pea is? I met one the other day. Heartbreaking, isn’t it?
Oh, Boo! I LOVE black eyes….peas, that is.
When can I come to dinner?
Dear Jesus,
Thank you for placing it upon Sophie’s heart to share this fine Southern recipe. I repent of my gluttonous coveteousness right now. I also ask that you give me grace and mercy as I drag 5 children to Walmart tomorrow to pick up the ingredients that I am missing, since I cannot possibly wait to make this.
Amen.
Since I can’t scroll through all your comments, I am wondering if you get the same effect from heating the skillet up in the oven while it is pre-heating. Which is the way I currently do it.
It looks so delicious and the addition of corn sounds scrumptious!
Just printed this up–but alas in Colorado I can find no White Lily corn meal. I’ll have to look in Texas, when we go!
Hope you are having a wonder-filled day, friend! You know…I am praying for you.
Love,
Holly
As with the perfect hairstyle and the perfect brownies, I am always on the prowl for the perfect cornbread. Will definitely try your recipe! But I do have 2 questions: 1. The 2-3 tbsp. of mix that you brown in the oil–is that in addition to the 2 cups or out of it? 2. Do you pour some of the browned mix into the batter w/ the oil? Just need a little clarification so I can achieve corny perfection! And I love me some black-eye peas w/ it, too. And Hoppin’ John’s even better! Thanks, Sophie!
oh… my… stars…
that pictures stirs up every single little ol’ speck of the good southern girl in me. it reminds me of my granny and her garden (the peas of course) and everything southern is of course the cornbread. causes me to weep… just a little…
OH MY HEART.
Can’t find that kind of heavenly goodness up here in Boston. :(
Your cornbread recipe is to die for!!! I’m a Texas girl, so I added jalapenos. Thanks for sharing. I enjoy reading your blog….you sound like such fun!
I found the cornmeal mix!!! Unfortunately, I did not notice the need for sour cream and creamed corn in your recipe. So I’m going to have to wait to make it! Sound so yummy!