Cornbread was in North America long before the first European settlers arrived. Corn was already a major food source of the people living here. The first cornbread was a simple mixture of cornmeal, salt, and water. My husband would probably have been fond of that, since he prefers his cornbread so dry that it sucks all the moisture out of your mouth.

Me? I like mine to be a bit more moist, with maybe a hint of sweetness to it. With the following recipe I seemed to find a happy medium that satisfies both of us.

Piping hot cornbread with butter spread on it to melt goes with just about any meal. The following recipe makes a 6-inch pone of cornbread. Double the recipe if you want a larger pone.

1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup cornmeal
11/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 pinch baking soda (1 pinch = 1/8 teaspoon)
1 teaspoon salt
¾ cup buttermilk
1 large egg
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

If you don’t have any buttermilk, place ½ tablespoon + ¾ teaspoon in a measuring cup. Now fill up to ¾ cup mark with milk. Allow to sit for a few minutes and you will have buttermilk suitable for cooking.

If you use self-rising cornmeal, you can leave out the baking powder and salt, but you must determine the ratio of cornmeal to flour you will need to use. The ratio you use will determine whether your cornbread has the consistency of muffins or cornbread. I find it easier to just use plain cornmeal.

In a bowl mix together, the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. To this mixture add the buttermilk, egg, and 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil.

Pour the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil in a 6-inch cast iron or stainless steel skillet. Heat this over medium-high heat until the oil becomes hot and wavy. Pour your cornbread batter into the heated skillet and let it cook for about 1 minute. Be careful here - if you let it sizzle for too long the cornbread will burn. You can smell it starting to burn if you leave it cooking for too long.

Bake in preheated 475 degree oven for 12 to 15 minutes.

If you would rather have corn muffins, use equal amounts of cornmeal and flour. Also throw in a tablespoon of sugar.