Sweet cornbread and cornbread without sugar are both very popular. Loyal fans generally stick to one kind. I like both. Whatever I’m feelin’ at the moment is what I’ll bake.
This hearty white cornbread is filled with fabulous flavor from bacon drippings (or cracklings). No sugar. Excellent with beans, cabbage, collards, and turnips. Also good slathered with butter and honey. Superb in cornbread dressing.
My precious aunt (72 years young) provided helpful tips for the recipe. Easy to make with a few ingredients.
Want sweet cornbread? Try Homemade Self-Rising Cornbread. Enjoy!
| Prep Time | 20 minutes |
| Cook Time | 25 minutes |
| Servings |
servings
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- 1 cup self-rising white cornmeal mix
- 1/2 cup self-rising flour, sifted See recipe notes for all-purpose flour.
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 3 tablespoons bacon drippings See recipe notes for cured salt pork drippings.
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Ingredients
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- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Fry 2 strips of bacon Remove from heat. Should have 2 to 3 tablespoons of drippings. While cooling, make cornbread. See recipe notes for preparing cured salt pork (cracklings).
- In a medium sized bowl, combine cornmeal mix, flour, corn muffin mix, sugar (if using), eggs, buttermilk. Stir together until smooth and pourable. Add cooled drippings and salt. Stir until evenly combined. Small lumps okay. Set aside.
- Add 2 tablespoons vegetable oil to an 8" cast iron skillet (thick cornbread) OR a 9" cast iron skillet (thin cornbread). On top of stove over low heat, slowly preheat vegetable oil until it sizzles. Avoid smoking hot. Turn off heat.
- Stir batter until smooth. Carefully pour into hot skillet with hot vegetable oil.
- Reduce oven to 375. Bake 20 to 25 minutes OR until knife inserted in center comes out clean and cornbread is golden brown. Watch carefully to prevent burning.
- Serve hot. Delicious slathered with butter, honey, or maple syrup.
Substitute all-purpose flour self-rising flour. In a medium sized bowl, sift together 1 cup of all-purpose flour, 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon salt.
Cured salt pork drippings (cracklings). Place 3 strips in skillet on top of stove. Cover with water. Simmer 10 minutes over medium heat to get rid of salt. Water will turn cloudy. Drain. Discard water.
Leave pork strips in skillet. Cover with lid. Cook over low heat. Pork will release fat. Cook until golden brown on both sides. Watch carefully to prevent burning.
Turn off heat. Removed crispy fried pork (aka cracklings) from hot fat. Cut away hard skin which is hard enough to crack teeth while chewing. Snack carefully or discard. Set aside soft strips (minus hard skin).
Cool hot oil/drippings for 10 minutes. Remove 3 tablespoons of fat/drippings. Stir into cornbread batter. If desired, also add crumble fried pork (minus hard skin). Leave remaining fat/drippings in skillet. Warm over low heat before adding cornbread batter. Bake as instructed.