Cast-Iron Skillet Cornbread with Whipped Honey Butter

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A skillet-baked cornbread with a shatteringly crisp, deep-brown crust and a moist, buttermilk-tender crumb. The trick is heating the skillet and its fat in a 450°F oven until it just begins to smoke, so the batter sizzles the second it hits the pan. Served with honey butter whipped until it's as light as frosting (with an apple butter variation for fall).

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp bacon drippings, or unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 cups medium-grind yellow cornmeal
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tbsp granulated sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
• 1 3/4 cups buttermilk, well shaken
• 2 large eggs
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
• 2 tbsp honey

• 8 tbsp unsalted butter, softened to 65°F
• 3 tbsp honey
• 1/4 tsp flaky sea salt
• 1 pinch ground cinnamon (optional)
• 3 tbsp apple butter, to substitute for the honey (optional variation)

Instructions

1. Place a 10-inch cast-iron skillet on the middle rack of a cold oven and heat the oven to 450°F. Let the empty skillet heat for at least 20 minutes so it is thoroughly saturated with heat.
2. Meanwhile, make the whipped honey butter: beat the softened butter in a bowl with a hand mixer on medium-high for 2 minutes until pale and fluffy. Add the honey (or apple butter), flaky salt, and cinnamon if using, and beat 1 to 2 minutes more, scraping the bowl once, until it looks like frosting. Scrape into a small bowl and leave at room temperature.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until evenly combined and no lumps of soda remain.
4. In a second bowl, whisk the buttermilk, eggs, 4 tablespoons melted butter, and 2 tablespoons honey until smooth. Do not combine with the dry ingredients yet.
5. When the oven and skillet are fully heated, carefully pull out the rack, add the bacon drippings (or 3 tablespoons butter) to the hot skillet, and swirl to coat the bottom and about 1 inch up the sides. Return it to the oven for 3 to 5 minutes, until the fat shimmers and the first wisps of smoke appear — this is what gives you the crackly crust.
6. While the fat heats, pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir with a spatula just until no dry pockets remain, about 15 strokes. The batter should be thick and slightly lumpy; overmixing makes it tough.
7. Pull the skillet out onto the stovetop. Pour any excess sizzling fat from the skillet into the batter, give it two quick folds, then immediately pour the batter into the hot skillet — it should hiss and sputter at the edges. Smooth the top with the spatula in one pass.
8. Bake at 450°F for 22 to 26 minutes, until the top is deep golden, the edges have pulled away from the pan, and a toothpick in the center comes out clean. An instant-read thermometer should register 200 to 205°F in the middle.
9. Rest the cornbread in the skillet for 10 minutes, then run a thin knife around the edge and invert onto a board or flip it right-side-up onto a rack so the bottom crust stays crisp. Cut into 8 wedges and serve warm with the whipped honey butter.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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