Fresh-Milled Skillet Cornbread

Ingredients

Grain to Mill

Weigh the whole grain, then mill. You should land close to the same weight in meal and flour.

• 210g (1 heaping cup kernels) dry whole corn, popcorn or heirloom dent (mills to about 1½ cups cornmeal)
• 90g (½ cup) soft white wheat berries (mills to about ¾ cup flour)

Soak

Stirred together and left for 30 minutes. No leavening yet.

• 6g (1 teaspoon) fine sea salt
• 420g (1¾ cups) buttermilk
• 42g (2 tablespoons) honey (optional)

Finish and Skillet

Goes in after the soak, right before the batter hits the hot pan.

• 100g (2 eggs) large eggs
• 57g (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
• 8g (2 teaspoons) baking powder
• 3g (½ teaspoon) baking soda
• 28g (2 tablespoons) unsalted butter, for the skillet

Total flour: 300g

Hydration: 140%

Pro tip: Weigh the meal and flour after milling. Mill loss runs about 1 percent on most machines, so a gram or two short is normal. Much more than that and you top it up.

Equipment

Method

Mill the Corn and Wheat (Right before it goes in the bowl)

Most supermarket cornmeal is degerminated so it'll last on a shelf. The germ is where the flavor lives. Mill your own and your kitchen smells like sweet corn.

1. Mill the wheat fine. Run 90g of soft white wheat berries on your finest setting. You'll get about ¾ cup of flour. Soft white is the low-protein grain, so it keeps the crumb tender instead of chewy.
2. Mill the corn a little coarser. Make sure the corn is bone dry, then run 210g through the mill a step or two coarser than the wheat so the cornbread keeps a little tooth. Corn mills slower and warms the mill up, so don't rush it. You'll end up with about 1½ cups of meal.
3. Weigh what you got. Weigh the meal and flour together. You're looking for close to 300g. A couple grams short is normal mill loss.

Tip: Check your mill's manual before corn goes in the hopper. NutriMill lists popcorn and dried corn as millable on the Classic, Impact, and Harvest, but hand mills and some burr mills don't like hard corn. Oily or damp corn is a no on any machine.

Soak the Meal in Buttermilk (30 minutes on the counter)

Fresh bran is thirsty. The soak softens it so your cornbread isn't gritty or dry.

1. Stir it together. In a big bowl, stir together the cornmeal, wheat flour, salt, buttermilk, and honey until there are no dry pockets.
2. Cover and wait. Cover the bowl and let it sit 30 minutes on the counter. Hold the baking powder and baking soda for now. They start working the second they get wet, and you want that lift in the oven, not in the bowl.

Wait: PT30M

Tip: Start preheating the oven and skillet as soon as the soak starts. They finish about the same time.

Heat the Skillet (While the meal soaks)

A ripping hot cast iron skillet is what gives you that crunchy, butter-fried crust.

1. Preheat with the skillet inside. Set a rack in the middle, slide in your empty 10-inch skillet, and heat the oven to 425°F (220°C) for at least 20 minutes.
2. Melt the batter butter. Melt 4 tablespoons (57g) of the butter and let it cool a bit. Keep the other 2 tablespoons (28g) cold and handy for the skillet.

Tip: The skillet butter goes in at the last second, not during the preheat. Twenty minutes at 425°F will burn butter black.

Finish the Batter (Right before it goes in the pan)

Eggs, butter, then the leavening. Fold gently and get it into the hot skillet.

1. Whisk in eggs and butter. Whisk the eggs and melted butter into the soaked mix until smooth.
2. Fold in the leavening. Stir the baking powder and baking soda together, then sprinkle them evenly over the top so you don't get a soda pocket. Fold about 15 strokes, just until there are no streaks. It should pour thick, like pancake batter. Too stiff? Add buttermilk a tablespoon at a time.

Tip: Baking soda clumps. If yours is lumpy, push it through a small strainer before it goes on the batter.

Pour, Bake, and Rest (Listen for the sizzle)

Hot pan, hot fat, and batter in fast. You want to hear it sizzle. That's your crust.

1. Butter the skillet. Pull the skillet out (mitts!), drop in the 2 tablespoons of cold butter, and swirl it up the sides. It'll melt and foam in seconds.
2. Pour the batter. Pour the batter in right away and smooth the top. It should sizzle at the edges.
3. Bake. Bake 20 to 24 minutes, until the edges are deep golden brown and a toothpick in the center comes out clean. The center should read about 200°F (93°C) on an instant read thermometer.
4. Rest and cut. Let it rest 10 minutes in the skillet, then cut 8 wedges.

Tip: Bake it and drop a photo of your skillet in the Academy. I want to see those crusts, and I or someone in the community will take a look at your bake.

Pan Options

No shaping here. The pan does the work, and cast iron does it best.

10-inch Cast Iron Skillet (recommended)

The classic. Preheated iron fries the edges in butter and gives you the crunchiest crust.

1. Preheat the skillet empty. 425°F (220°C), at least 20 minutes.
2. Fat in at the last second. Butter or bacon grease, swirled up the sides, then batter straight in.

Muffins

Greased 12-cup muffin tin at 400°F (205°C) for 14 to 18 minutes. Softer edges, easier to pack.

1. Grease the tin. Butter or spray all 12 cups well. Whole-grain batter sticks.
2. Fill and bake. Fill each cup about three-quarters full and bake 14 to 18 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.

Proof test: There's no proof. The leavening is chemical and it starts working the moment it hits the wet batter, so the skillet should already be hot before you fold it in.

Bake in Hot Cast Iron

Preheated iron and hot fat make the crust. Don't skip either.

Oven: 220°C / 425°F. Internal temperature when done: 93°C / 200°F.

10-inch Cast Iron Skillet (Recommended) (recommended)

The way I make it. Crunchy edges, tender middle.

Equipment: 10-inch cast iron skillet, preheated

1. Preheat. Empty skillet in the oven at 425°F (220°C) for at least 20 minutes.
2. Butter and pour. Swirl 2 tablespoons (28g) butter in the hot skillet and pour the batter in right away.
3. Bake. 20 to 24 minutes, until deep golden at the edges and a toothpick comes out clean.
4. Rest. 10 minutes in the skillet, then cut.

Muffin Tin

Twelve muffins for lunches and bake sales.

Equipment: Greased 12-cup muffin tin

1. Preheat. 400°F (205°C).
2. Bake. 14 to 18 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.

Note: If the top is pale but the edges are dark, your skillet wasn't hot enough when the batter went in, so the bottom didn't get its head start. Give the preheat the full 20 minutes next time.

Storage

• Room temperature: 2 to 3 days, wrapped, on the counter.
• Refrigerated: Not needed and it dries the bread out. Fresh cornmeal is a different story: store extra meal in the freezer.
• Frozen: Wrap wedges tight and freeze up to 2 months. Leftover fresh cornmeal keeps best in the freezer too, since the oil in the germ goes stale fast at room temperature.
• Refresh: Day two, split a wedge and toast it in butter in a skillet.

Mill only what you need. Fresh cornmeal goes stale fast because the oil in the germ is still there.

Frequently Asked Questions

What kind of corn should I use?

Any dry whole corn works. Plain popcorn from the grocery store makes a sweet, fine meal. If you want to show off, use an heirloom dent like Bloody Butcher, which leaves red flecks all through the crumb. Here in South Carolina, Jimmy Red is the legend, if you can track some down. Don't use sweet corn from the produce aisle or frozen corn. It has to be dry.

Can my mill handle corn?

Check your manual first. NutriMill lists popcorn and dried corn as millable on the Classic, Impact, and Harvest. Hand mills and some burr mills struggle with hard corn. Whatever you run, the corn has to be bone dry.

Why soft white wheat instead of hard red?

Soft white is low in protein, so it builds less gluten and the crumb stays tender. Hard red makes a chewier, breadier cornbread. If hard wheat is all you have, it'll work. It just won't be as soft.

Can I make it all corn, no wheat?

Yes. Swap the 90g of wheat for 90g more corn. It'll be more crumbly and fall apart easier, which some folks like. Mill all of it a little finer so it holds together. If you need it gluten-free, check that your mill hasn't had wheat through it.

Why does it have to soak?

Fresh meal still has its bran and germ, and bran takes time to drink. Skip the soak and you get a gritty, dry cornbread. Thirty minutes fixes it.

Sweet or not sweet?

That's the sugar fight, and I'm staying out of it. Leave the honey out for old-school Southern cornbread, or go to 3 tablespoons (63g) if your people like it sweet.

No buttermilk. Now what?

Stir 1½ tablespoons of lemon juice into 1¾ cups of milk and let it sit 10 minutes. Real buttermilk is better, but this works.

Can I use bacon grease in the skillet?

Yes. Do it. Same 2 tablespoons, same timing: into the hot skillet right before the batter.

Can I double it?

Double everything and bake in two 10-inch skillets, or a 12-inch skillet plus a few muffins. Don't pile a double batch into one 10-inch pan. The middle won't set before the edges burn.

Nutrition

Per serving (1 wedge (about 110g)): 265 calories, 35g carbohydrates, 7g protein, 12g fat, 3g fiber, 590mg sodium. Makes 8 servings.