Cast Iron Cornbread

[vagriller]

A guy at church yesterday mentioned that he liked to pre-heat his CI skillet in the oven, then pour the batter into the skillet and put it back in the oven. What purpose would this serve? And would I need to treat the pan with butter or some kind of oil to do this and not have the CB stick?

 

[licia]

The purpose is to form a good crust on the corn bread and get the bread cooking more quickly. I use this method even when I make it in a non stick pan. Since our children are no longer home, I make my cornbread in a square non stick pan. We love the corners. But I enjoy the ci corn bread too - the pan is just too big for the two of us.

 

[Andy M.]

My recipe calls for a hot CI skillet as well. It promotes even cooking. Apologies to Uncle Bob, I make Northern style "corn cake" but we call it corn bread.

I've followed that same process with an All-Clad skillet but the bread cooks a little differently.

 

[vagriller]

The purpose is to form a good crust on the corn bread and get the bread cooking more quickly. I use this method even when I make it in a non stick pan. Since our children are no longer home, I make my cornbread in a square non stick pan. We love the corners. But I enjoy the ci corn bread too - the pan is just too big for the two of us.

Well this would be for the church chili cookoff, so the more the better! I would probably serve it right out of the pan.

So I don't need to put any extra butter or grease in the pan?

 

[vagriller]

Here is the recipe I used last time, and it made great cornbread. We like it a little sweet in my house. When it cooled it was a little too sweet for me. This recipe is for a 8" square pan. I wonder if I doubled it if that would be too much for a 10.25" skillet.

Grandmother's Buttermilk Cornbread - All Recipes

Feel free to post your 10" skillet recipes!

 

[Andy M.]

I would spread butter on the CI skillet before preheating it.
Here's the recipe I use:

http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f23/iso-perfect-cornbread-11197.html#post120028

 

[Uncle Bob]

A guy at church yesterday mentioned that he liked to pre-heat his CI skillet in the oven, then pour the batter into the skillet and put it back in the oven. What purpose would this serve? And would I need to treat the pan with butter or some kind of oil to do this and not have the CB stick?

As Miss Licia stated pre-heating the skillet helps to form a nice yummy crust on the bottom and sides of the bread....I heat my skillet on a burner rather than in the oven until the Corn Oil is smoking hot. Most of the hot Corn Oil is poured into the batter and quickly stirred in...the batter is then poured into the skillet where you can see and hear it "fry"...Let it continue to set on the burner long enough to walk to the sink and rinse out your bowl...then put it in the oven to bake. As a personal taste preference, I do not include sugar in cornbread, nor do I include Wheat Flour in Corn Bread. I do however use a small amount (2-3 Tbls). of Corn flour...

Have Fun!

 

[vagriller]

I would spread butter on the CI skillet before preheating it.
Here's the recipe I use:

http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f23/iso-perfect-cornbread-11197.html#post120028

That is the recipe I used last night, and it was great! For chili though I might back off the sugar a bit.

 

[BettyR]

My recipe calls for a hot CI skillet as well. It promotes even cooking. Apologies to Uncle Bob, I make Northern style "corn cake" but we call it corn bread.

I've followed that same process with an All-Clad skillet but the bread cooks a little differently.

I live in the South and my family prefers the "corn cake" type corn bread as well and I still cook it in a cast iron skillet. I don't really think it has that much to do with were you live as it does your own personal taste. That's why they make chocolate and vanilla...not everyone likes the same thing.

This is the recipe that I use.

Golden Corn Bread

1-2/3 cup flour
2/3-cup cornmeal
1/4-cup sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2-teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1/4-cup oil
1-cup milk

Put a cast iron skillet into the oven and preheat the oven and the skillet to 400°.

Mix the dry ingredients together; make a well in the middle. Add oil, eggs, and milk in the well and mix with a wire whisk. Add more milk if needed to make a medium batter.


Take the hot skillet out of the oven and place it on the stove over high heat. Put just enough oil in the skillet to swish it around good and heat the oil. Pour the batter into the hot pan and place it in the oven and bake at 400° for 20 minutes or until golden brown and set in the center.

 

[vagriller]

Well, apparently one of the guys at church will make a big batch of CB in a large hotel pan. So I'm off the hook this time.

 

[babetoo]

i like both kinds. i picked up a couple pieces of cake like corn bread with jalapeño peppers. had for dinner, only one half of very large pieces) for dinner with loin chop.

 

[Silversage]

I do it similar to Uncle Bob. No flour, just stone ground cornmeal. No sugar. Buttermilk. I use part butter and part oil for flavor, heat in CI skillet, then pour in the batter.

I've never tried your on-the-stove part before putting in the oven. That sounds good. I' think I'll try it next time.

If you want it sweet, here's what you do.

 

[BettyR]

The 1/4 cup of sugar that goes into my cornbread recipe really doesn't make it taste sweet but it gives the crust a nice brown color. It's a lot like Irish Soda Bread in that the sugar enhances the flavors and the color but you really aren't eating sweet bread.

I have eaten cornbread in restaurants that was every bit as sweet as a sweet muffin. It was very tasty but not something I would want to eat all the time.

 

[Elf]

I also use a CI pan, my family likes sweet corn bread, so we settled on Jiff corn bread mix. Not too sweet but sweet enough. I put the pan in when I preheat the oven, then use a paper towel and some solid Crisco and wipe down the bottom and sides, if a little puddle on the bottom, it doesn't matter. I use an 8" pan and it feed 4. We like the crisp crust over a corn bread cooked in a 8" square pan.
I have seen recipes that call for 1/4 to 1/2 cup of lard or bacon fat, the claim that it makes crispy crust. I haven't tried that, my inter self screams too much oil.