I bought myself a cast iron dutch oven and couldn’t wait to try it out. I’d been admiring these dutch ovens for a long time, you know how you do, dreaming one day of making something fabulous in it. Oh, is that just my fantasy? Well it finally went on sale and you know what that means, it went in the Amazon shopping cart.
When it was delivered, just taking it out of the packing materials and box I realized using this pot would be like working out with weights because it is heavy! I’ll have to weigh it and make sure I cook with it on the days I don’t go to the gym so I can add it into my weight regime. Seriously!
Let’s see how I can create a workout with it… lift dutch oven to countertop, fill with ingredients, squat to put pot in the oven (do several repeat squats while I’m there), check on pot in the oven (a few more squats), remove pot from the oven (squat and note to self: why didn’t I have the oven installed waist high?), twist to place pot on the counter. Whoops, twist to find trivet to place on the counter before putting the hot dutch oven down, twist back, (mental note: dutch oven is heavy!! put it down now!!)… well I see I have some work to do to create a proper workout while in the kitchen. So on to the recipe!
Cornbread is good any time of year and especially in the winter months to accompany soups, chili, and stews. This recipe is almost a “jiffy” box quick mix and takes just a few minutes to stir the ingredients together. And you don’t have to have a cast iron dutch oven to make it. A cake pan or baking dish will suffice as the baking vehicle for this delicious cornbread.
How many “squats” does it take to bake this cornbread? Should I give up the workout routine?
There are a few pats of butter on top of the cornbread that I hoped would add a golden sheen to the top but it didn’t, it just left divots. Oh well, it tasted good even though it wasn’t as beautifully golden as I desired.
Yields 8
Save RecipeIngredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup yellow cornmeal
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/3 cup melted butter
- 1 egg
- 1 cup whole milk
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 9-inch round cake pan or cast iron dutch oven (or skillet) and set aside.
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt, and baking powder.
- Make a well in the center of dry ingredients and add the butter, milk, and egg. Stir just until the mixture comes together and becomes smooth.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 20-25 minutes until the top is a golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.