The Cornbread Pan

Every Southerner you meet has a cornbread story. They might have their Memaw's recipe; or they could have the iron skillet the cornbread was baked in, which has been passed down through multiple generations. But most true Southerners have a recipe and a story to go with it.

My story involves "the cornbread pan." I still have the pan (included in the original set of cookware that my parents bought in 1952), called a "double fry pan" by the manufacturer, Miracle Maid Cookware.

Our parents, grandparents, and assorted aunts and uncles bought a set of this cookware when they "set up housekeeping." It's no longer on the market but can occasionally be purchased on eBay or in an antique store.

I also have the spoon, butter knife, and Tupperware mixing bowl we used (photos below). The melted, jagged edge on one side of the bowl was created by me as a child. I was too short to lift the hot pan high enough to add the melted Crisco without resting the pan on the edge of the bowl. I clearly had the bowl facing the same way every time as there are marks only on one side.

The majority of cornbread made in the South is baked in the oven in an iron skillet. Don't get me wrong; it's good cornbread. But I never knew the oven method existed until I was a teenager. The only meals we had outside of our own home were with other family members who had the same pan we did! Our cornbread was always cooked on the stove top in the double fry pan, which, in our house, was just called the "cornbread pan." According to the manufacturer, it has many uses. We just never used it for anything except cornbread.

Momma always used locally ground, plain white cornmeal. I'm not sure if this was her preference or if it was before self-rising cornmeal mix was commonly available. We had cornbread every night with our supper. Our parents were feeding four kids on a very limited income. So our evening meal usually consisted of pinto beans, fried potatoes, and cornbread. On good nights, there might be an addition of salmon patties or fried Spam. My job was to have everything ready for Daddy to make when he got home from work. He got home before Momma; so he cooked supper on weeknights (except for Wednesdays when she worked half-days. Wednesday was spaghetti night, but that's a story/recipe for another post).

To prepare the mix, the dry ingredients were put into the sifter. Since the cornmeal was locally ground, it had the odd piece of corn in it. Baking powder, baking soda, salt, and plain flour were added to the cornmeal and sifted together. Momma would say, "Don't stump your toe when you measure the baking soda or you'll have yellow cornbread!" She used the handle end of a serving spoon (photo above) to measure the soda. The exact measurement was to "cover the flower at the end of spoon." Any more than that and you had yellow cornbread with a slight soda taste. Then came the buttermilk, egg, and a little water (measurements weren't used much except for the salt, soda, and baking powder). A large tablespoon of melted Crisco shortening (melted in the cornbread pan while making the batter) was added to the batter just before pouring it into the prepared pan.

If you are lucky enough to have or find a double fry pan and want to try your hand at the original recipe, this is my best attempt at quantities/instructions:

INGREDIENTS:

• 1½ cups of plain white cornmeal

• ⅛ teaspoon of baking soda

• 1 tablespoon plain or self-rising flour (I don't think the type of flour matters with this small amount)

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1 egg

• ¾ cup full-fat buttermilk

• 1 tablespoon melted Crisco Shortening

• Butter for greasing the pan

• 2 tablespoons cornmeal for dusting the pan

METHOD:

• Sift the dry ingredients together. If you don't have a sifter, you can just mix dry ingredients thoroughly.

• Add egg and buttermilk. If the batter is too thick, add water a little at a time until you have a pourable batter. It will take practice to get the preferred thickness. If you get the batter too thin, you can add a little cornmeal into the batter to thicken it.

• Melt the Crisco in one side of the pan and add it to the batter, mixing it in well. Coat both sides of the pan with butter. Sprinkle cornmeal on both sides and allow to brown. After the cornmeal is browned, pour the batter into one side and close the pan.

• As far as cooking heat goes, I've only made cornbread using a gas stove top. I brown the cornmeal on medium heat and then reduce a little bit to cook the cornbread. This may be an experimental process if you are using an electric stove top. Practice makes perfect!

• After approximately ten minutes, the batter will set; and the bottom side will be brown and crispy. Take a butter knife and run around the outside of the cornbread to loosen it in case it sticks. Close the pan and flip it over so the other side can brown. After another five minutes or so, check to be sure the "pone" is firm and both sides are nice and brown.

• This method produces the best cornbread, in my opinion. The outside is nice and crispy, and the inside is very moist.

I've only ever known this cornbread to be made by members of my family. We would love to hear from you if your family made cornbread using this method.

If you would like to make a modern version and use a more traditional pan, this is a recipe that you can loosely follow. This recipe can be found on Martha White Self-Rising Buttermilk Corn Meal Mix.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 teaspoon all-vegetable shortening or pure vegetable oil

• 1 large egg

• 1⅓ cups of milk (I use buttermilk even though there is buttermilk in the mix)

• ¼ cup pure vegetable oil (I use melted Crisco Shortening. Yes, I know it's bad for you.)

• 2 cups Martha White Self-Rising Buttermilk Corn Meal Mix (can be purchased on Amazon if you don't live in the South.)

• This recipe lists sugar as an optional ingredient. True Southern cornbread should never be sweet! I omitted it from the recipe to save you from a tragic mistake. If you don't believe me, then trust in Kathryn Tucker Windham!

METHOD:

• Heat oven to 450 degrees F. Spoon teaspoon of shortening into 8-inch cast iron skillet or round baking pan (glass or metal will work). Place skillet or pan in oven to heat for about 5 minutes.

• Whisk egg in medium bowl. Stir in milk, oil, and cornmeal mix until smooth (this is where I substitute the melted Crisco in place of the oil). Batter should be creamy and pourable. If too thick, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of additional milk. Carefully tilt skillet to cover the bottom of the pan with melted shortening. Pour batter into skillet.

• Bake 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown.

• Serves 8-10.