But, I assure you, it is all for a good cause. I was cooking up some BBQ ribs the other night and remembered that I have some cornmeal from a traditional mill in Tennessee that I bought on a road trip through the South. This cornmeal is far and away superior to what you can buy in stores – both finer in texture and more nuanced in flavor than a store-bought variety.

 

However, as excellent as the cornmeal was, the recipe it provided for cornbread fell far short of its potential, mainly due to a nonexistence of baking powder. I was skeptical, but went ahead with it, and came out with the expected results – dull, flat, hard cornbread that simply hadn’t risen.

 

This time around, however, I was going to find a much better recipe, and I did, at the Hungry Mouse. I will freely admit that this recipe is an exact replica of hers, including the eyebrow-raising extra virgin olive oil in lieu of butter. Yet, it was perfect, and there is nothing I would do to change it.

 

The Tennessee cornmeal gives it a wonderful buttery flavor, the consistency is light and fluffy, and this is about as easy as a baked dish can be. Mix dry, mix wet, mix together, pop in oven, and in 20 minutes you have wonderfully homey smelling cornbread.

 

Click here for a printable version of the recipe

Corn Bread, Serves 9

Adapted from The Hungry Mouse

 

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Baking Time: 20 Minutes

Total Preparation Time: 35 Minutes

 

Ingredients:

 

1 Cup Cornmeal, preferably stone-ground

1 Cup Flour

½ Cup Sugar

3 Tsp. Baking Powder

1 Tsp. Salt

½ Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2/3 Cup Buttermilk

2 Eggs

Cooking Spray

 

Preparation:

 

Preheat the oven to 400°.

 

Generously spray an 8×8 inch glass baking dish with cooking spray. Cover the bottom with a piece of parchment paper.*

 

Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.

 

Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix with a whisk until just combined. Do not over mix.

 

Pour the batter into the baking dish and bake for 20 minutes.

 

Remove the bread from the oven and test for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center; it should come out with moist crumbs but not raw batter.

 

Allow to sit for 5 minutes out of the oven, cut up, and serve with butter, jam, or on its own.

 

*Parchment paper is an invaluable tool for baking – whether it’s cookies, breads, or cakes, parchment paper not only prevents sticking, but also magically creates a more even cooking surface. For reasons unbeknownst to me, my baked goods come out much more uniform in color and texture when I use it, which is all the evidence that I need.