The Civil War may have ended more than a century ago, but the war between the North and South endures through cornbread. In the north, cornbread is light and fluffy, almost like a cake, with flour and a sweetener. In the South, cornbread is dense, made only with cornmeal, and absolutely not sweet. In the name of peace, we offer you both variations here.
Feeds 8
This is northern cornbread, for sure. Having been raised on it, Danny and I both like a touch of sweetness in our cornbread. Since cornbread doesn’t require the elastic qualities of gluten, our basic all-purpose flour blend works like a wonder here.
Prepare to cook. Preheat the oven to 425°F.
Mix the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
Cut in the shortening. Cut the shortening into the flours, the way you would when making a pie dough. You should end up with walnut-size pieces in a sandy flour.
Add the wet ingredients. In a small bowl, combine the eggs, milk, and honey. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the liquid. Stir with a rubber spatula until everything is combined.
Finish the batter. Stir in the cornmeal, whisking fast, until it is just combined. Do not overstir.
Bake the cornbread. Pour into a greased 9 x 9 x 2-inch pan. Slide it into the oven. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the sides of the cornbread are slightly shrinking from the pan and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then serve warm.