This is great bread for any meal, but one of my favorite ways to eat it is crumbled up in a big bowl with really cold milk. Mmmm! Beth likes it cold with buttermilk. Now that’s just wrong!

　　

Ingredients

serves 8

　　4 tablespoons corn oil or bacon drippings

　　3 cups self-rising cornmeal

　　2 1/2–3 cups buttermilk, well shaken

　　

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 450°F.

　　

Step 2

Pour 2 tablespoons of the oil into a well-seasoned 9-inch cast-iron skillet (see Note) and place over medium-high heat. Put the cornmeal in a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the cornmeal and add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil. With a fork, stir in enough of the buttermilk to make a batter that is thick but can be easily poured into the hot skillet. You may not need all 3 cups.

　　

Step 3

Carefully pour the batter into the skillet. The oil will come up around the edges. Use the back of a spoon to smooth this over the top of the batter. Continue to heat on the stovetop for 1 minute, and then transfer the skillet to the oven and bake the corn bread for 20 minutes, or until browned on top. Immediately turn the cornbread out onto a cooling rack to keep the crust crisp.

　　

Note

Step 4

Season a new cast-iron skillet by coating the inside with vegetable shortening (not butter) and heating the pan in a very hot oven (450°F) for 1 hour. Cool the skillet and wipe off any excess oil before using. To care for a seasoned skillet, wipe the interior after each use. Do not soak it in soapy water or put it in the dishwasher.

　　Reprinted with permission from Georgia Cooking in an Oklahoma Kitchen: Recipes from My Family to Yours by Trisha Yearwood with Gwen Yearwood and Beth Yearwood Bernard. Copyright © 2008 by Trisha Yearwood. Published by Crown Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved.Trisha Yearwood is a three-time Grammy-award winning country music star and the author of the bestselling cookbook Georgia Cooking in an Oklahoma Kitchen. She is married to megastar Garth Brooks.