Salt and Pepper Skillet Cornbread

Name: Salt and Pepper Skillet Cornbread
Yield: makes one 9- or 10-inch skillet
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons bacon grease or olive oil; 1 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal; 1/2 cup all-purpose flour; 1/4 cup sugar; 2 teaspoons baking powder; 2 teaspoons sea salt, plus more for sprinkling on top; 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for sprinkling on top; 1/2 teaspoon baking soda; 2 cups well-shaken buttermilk; 2 large eggs, lightly beaten; 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

December 14, 2011

Some Southerners will happily argue till they are blue in the face defending the honor of unsweetened cornbread, a preference that tends to divide the South from the North. But I find that a touch of sugar adds a layer of complexity that is well worth breaking the rules. More important to me is the baking vessel: specifically, a cast-iron skillet, preferably one that is slicked with bacon grease.

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