Simple Guide To Perfect Skillet Cornbread. If skillet cornbread has always been a mystery to you, let me help. After living in the South for over a decade, I know how important good cornbread is to a meal! With a few tips and tricks, we can have you baking perfect skillet cornbread in no time!
Tips For The Perfect Skillet Cornbread
Tips for the Perfect Cornbread:
- You will need a good cast iron skillet!
- Do not over-mix, this makes it tough, and no one wants that!
- Use enough leavener, I use baking powder
- Do not overtake, this is easily the most important thing about baking good cornbread in a skillet or otherwise
- *Cast iron holds a lot of heat so it’s good to pull it out a little undercooked as the cast iron will continue to cook your cornbread after it is removed from the oven.
- Bake in a hot oven, I bake mine at 400 degrees.
- Pre-heat, or put your cast iron into the oven about 5 minutes prior to pouring your batter in. You want your skillet good and hot before you add your butter in. *This will give your cornbread those nice crispy edges.
Cast Iron Skillet
I recommend you buy a pre-seasoned cast iron skillet. I was gifted this Camp Chef pie pan from Walt’s Army Navy Store and love it!! Taking care of your cast iron is different from other pans. It does take a little extra time for cleaning, but I promise, if you take care of your cast iron, it will take care of you! Most of mine I have had for about 20 years with little sign of wear. You don’t want to use soap if you can help it, this will take off the finish. Try to simply brush out the cast iron after use, using only water to rinse when necessary. The finish is everything on a cast iron, and you should do everything you can to protect it. One of these days I will write up a post just about this, but for now, this post has really awesome info!
Mise En Place
Keep in mind that you want to have everything prepped and ready to go as everything needs to go together very quickly.
This is a jalapeño cheddar cornbread, with fresh corn aside from the cornmeal. First you will cut your jalapeños, grate the cheddar.
Mix your dry ingredients in one bowl and your wet ingredients in a separate bowl. After mixing your dry and wet ingredients separately, you will bring them all together to mix at the same time.
Once the leavener is in the batter you will want to act quickly. Add in your cheese, jalapenos, and corn. Remember, only mix to combine! Don’t overdo it.
Baking The Perfect Skillet Cornbread
Next, take your pre-heated cast iron out of the oven and brush generously, and I mean generously with butter. Pour your batter into your cast iron and put it right into the back of your oven. I put mine in the back of my oven so it can bake in the hottest area of the oven.
The Finished Skillet Cornbread
Your cornbread should bake to a deep, golden brown. Around the edges, it should be a little darker, these will be nice and crispy.
One thing you should know, my cornbread is very lightly sweetened, not very sweet, as I wasn’t going for a dessert. If you like sweeter cornbread, I will add some adjustments you can make in the recipe below.
The cornbread is perfect just like it is, the jalapenos, cheddar, and fresh corn are everything. If you want to add to the awesomeness, you can also slather it in butter too. That is up to you!
Now that you have mastered cornbread, how about biscuits? These green onions and gruyere are just perfect. Light and totally fluffy! I am also a huge fan of these green chili and jack drop biscuits. They are so delicious!
Jalapeno Cheddar Skillet Cornbread
Equipment
- 10 inch diameter cast iron skillet
Ingredients
- 1 cup yellow cornmeal you can also use white if you prefer
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup whole wheat flour I prefer a whole wheat pastry flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar you can also use honey if you prefer, but I like the texture of the granulated sugar better.
- 1 cup fresh corn I used frozen, but thawed it in warm water and drained it well.
- 1/2 cup milk
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 cup oil I used canola, but you can use any other neutral oil of choice
- 1/4 cup melted butter
- 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
- 1/2-3/4 cup chopped jalapenos
- butter for pan
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.One thing to note before you start mixing, your cast iron will need to go in the oven at least 5 minutes before you are ready to bake. You want it to be good and hot before the batters goes in, so keep that in mind when you are prepping your ingredients. It is important to make sure everything is ready to go before you start mixing. It should come together really quickly. So, cut up your jalapenos and grate your cheese. Then mix together the flours, baking powder, salt, and sugar. In another bowl, mix your eggs, milk, oil, and butter. Combine the wet and dry, remember to only mix to combine. You don't need to overdo this! Add in your cheddar and jalapenos. Mix to combine. Remove your hot cast iron from the oven and grease generously with butter. Pour in the batter and place immediately in the oven.Bake for 15-25 minutes. This will depend on the actual heat of your oven. I check for a few things when baking- one is color. You are looking for that beautiful golden brown color, the edges will be slightly darker. I also check by touch. If you press gently in the center of the cornbread you will be able to tell whether or not it is too underbaked. The last way to check is with a toothpick. Just remember, you want it to be SLIGHTLY underbaked, so you don't want the toothpick to come out completely clean. Just mostly. When it is cooked, remove it from the oven and allow it to cool about 5-10 minutes before serving. You want it to finish baking to perfection. Now, sit back and enjoy. You deserve it!!