Southern-Style Cornbread
by Ann M. Evans

Southerners do not make sweet cornbread, at least not those I grew up around in the summers I spent in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. My dad, a Yankee, used bacon grease in just about everything, including his cornbread, so I do too. Many Southern recipes for cornbread use more cornmeal than this recipe calls for and less flour, but they have better cornmeal available to them at a retail level. You can order great cornmeal, as well as grits, rice and field peas from Anson Mills, www.ansonmills.com. I raise bees, so I serve this with butter and honey.

1 cup yellow cornmeal
¾ cup flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk (low or non-fat milk can be used as a substitute)
2 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons melted bacon fat, canola or other vegetable oil plus ½ teaspoon for greasing the pan
Butter and honey for table (optional)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Grease an 8-inch square cake pan.

Mix the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.

Add the buttermilk, eggs and bacon fat or vegetable oil and mix well.

Pour into the greased pan. Place the pan in the hot oven and bake for 20 minutes.

Remove from oven and cool. Cut into squares.

Serves 8