Southern-style pan cornbread – Cornbread baked in golden brown pan with a crispy, crispy crust. A perfect accompaniment to a hot bowl of soup or chili.

This Southern-style pan cornbread is tender with a crispy, crispy crust and brings back childhood memories!

When I was in high school, I had an interesting history teacher. Rita was her first name, and we all affectionately called her that (behind her back… mostly). Rita was a bit crazy and old wide. A little too much treating us like a bunch of kindergarteners, and too much blue eyeshadow and helmet hair from the ’60s. Whatever her eccentricities, we generally liked her and at least knew what to expect from her.

One of the things we could count on was that she would show history-themed films related to what we were studying at the time. I’d swear we saw them all! If there was a movie about a war, we probably saw it. However, during the Civil War movies, she improved it and brought snacks for the class: cornbread and “goober peas.” Way to bring it, Rita!

Today I bring it to you. Cornbread, not goober peas. Cornbread has always been one of my favorites. I’ve made a couple of different versions, even gluten-free, but I’ve always wanted to make a pan cornbread. When I came across this recipe, I knew I needed to make it.

Did you know there are regional cornbreads? I don’t think I have, but I’m not necessarily surprised that there are Southern, northern style cornbreads. In general, the main difference between Southern-style cornbread and Northern-style cornbread is that the South contains no sugar or flour. The texture ends up being a little more crumbly than northern cornbread. Southern-style cornbread is made in a pan and results in a pleasant crispy golden-brown crust.

This recipe is quite easy and does not take long to make. Some things to keep in mind:

Cornmeal

• is roasted to deepen its flavor and result in a satisfying and complete flavor of the corn on the finished bread

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• It is important to let the cornmeal/whey mixture sit for at least five minutes to soften the cornmeal. We don’t want to bite crispy, gritty cornmeal.
• Leaving some butter/oil mixture in the pan after pouring most of it into the cornmeal mixture will ensure a crispy crust and easy release of the bread after baking. Keeping the pan warm and not letting it cool before adding the dough will also contribute to the crispy crust.
• Be very careful!! The pan will be extremely hot, so make sure you have some serious oven gloves.

I love this cornbread as an accompaniment to a hot bowl of chili or soup. Just what we need with the ridiculously cold weather we’ve been having in our forest neck lately! I took the liberty of drizzling honey on my cornbread, and it was delicious. I’m not sure if that’s sacrilegious with Southern-style cornbread, or not. If so, it’s good to be bad! I think a flavored butter would also be a great accompaniment.

What is your verdict? Southern-style or northern-style cornbread? Even coming from a Yankee, I don’t think you can go wrong with this one.