This time of year, I make a lot more soups and stews, and nothing goes better with them than cornbread. I’m midwestern – my people have always been from-scratch cooks – and my husband is from deep in Appalachia; we tried a lot (A LOT) of recipes, trying to get one that was close to what he ate back home, and one that would be just right, IMO.

My problem was very Goldilocks coded: the recipes I found were either too dry or too sweet, and the famous little blue box just wasn’t cutting it. I wanted texture and depth and a moist crumb, and I didn’t want it to taste like cake. I also found that superfine ground cornmeal just doesn’t give me the bite I want, either – just get Bob’s Red Mill medim grind, and call it good, because it is. So, call us picky if you want, but I tried and modified a bunch of recipes, and this is the one I settled on – with full, enthusiastic spousal approval.

You’ll need:

1 C cornmeal

1 1/3 C milk or buttermilk (buttermilk powder is worth keeping on hand for baking)

1 C all purpose flour (King Arthur makes a great unbleached organic one, or Bob’s GF flour is terrific, if you’re avoiding gluten)

Scant 1/4 C organic cane sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt (I like pink himalayan salt)

2 eggs

1/3 C melted butter

Method:

Mix all dry ingredients except cornmeal, and set aside. Mix cornmeal and milk, and allow to rest for 10 minutes, or so. Combine beaten eggs and cooled butter, and add to the cornmeal mixture. Add dry ingredients, and stir gently, just until fully incorporated. Pour into greased 8 x 8 pan, pie pan, or small cast iron skillet, and bake in preheated 375 degree oven for 25 minutes, checking with a toothpick, and baking for another 5 minutes, if needed. If you’d rather have corn muffins, bake in a muffin tin for 15 minutes, or so.

Resist the temptation to eat it immediately – give it a few minutes to cool down before drenching it in butter and honey.