Cornbread Recipe

I have a great aunt who makes phenomenal cornbread. She was visiting from out of state and I insisted she give me the recipe. Well, it wasn't that simple. Turns out she makes her cornbread based on how the dry ingredients feel. With a pen and paper in hand I began to take notes as she proceeded to make cornbread.

• 1 cup of cornmeal
• 1 cup of self-rising flour
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 2 eggs
• pinch of salt
• 1/4 cup of vegetable oil
• buttermilk or milk

Over the years I have played with the amount of sugar in the recipe. Adding 1/4 the total amount of flour and cornmeal gives it a sweet taste that's not overly sweet. Buttermilk reduces the amount of sweetness slightly and gives the cornbread a hint of a tang. I have used regular milk when I'm out of buttermilk and the cornbread is slightly sweeter. Whichever you are using add enough milk/buttermilk until the mixture reaches a cake batter consistency. You don't want it to be too thin, but you want to be able to stir the mixture by hand with a little resistance. The amount of oil added will determine how much moisture the cornbread has. Bake in a 400F oven until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. I often double or triple this recipe, it's about 25 minutes for the recipe above.

I like to also add black pepper to the recipe to round out the flavors. For a twist try adding corn kernels, jalapenos, or shredded cheese to the mixture.