Many southerners object to the practice of adding sugar to corn bread, but associate food editor Alexis Touchet, who grew up in Louisiana, is all for it. Sugar, in fact, is listed as an optional ingredient in the recipe for "pain de maïs nonpareil" in The Picayune's Creole Cook Book, first published in 1901. It's important here that your cast-iron skillet is well seasoned and thoroughly preheated—you want the batter to sizzle when you pour it in.
Recipe information
Yield
Serves 8 to 10
Ingredients
Preparation
Preheat oven to 425° F. Melt butter and cool. Finely chop scallions. Into a bowl sift together cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Heat a dry well-seasoned 10-inch cast-iron skillet in middle of oven 10 minutes. Put shortening or bacon fat in skillet and heat 5 minutes. Swirl skillet to coat. While skillet is heating, make batter: Separate eggs. In a large bowl with an electric mixer beat yolks until pale and beat in butter and buttermilk. In a bowl with cleaned beaters beat whites until they just hold stiff peaks. Stir flour mixture into yolk mixture and fold in whites and scallions gently but thoroughly. Pour batter into hot skillet and, working quickly, spread evenly. Bake corn bread in middle of oven until a tester comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Corn bread may be made 4 hours ahead and kept, loosely covered, at room temperature.
