The Skillet Cornbread Alton Brown Makes Every Year Packs A Controversial Twist

Alton Brown is known for applying his food science expertise to improve methodology and recipes. Consequently, he's not afraid to make controversial choices as evidenced by the skillet cornbread he makes every year. Brown deems his New Year's cornbread a Southern recipe, but some Southerners would beg to differ.

Brown's recipe uses equal parts white cornmeal and all-purpose flour, combined with sugar, oil, eggs, buttermilk, and leavening agents. However, traditional Southern cornbread started out as simply fried corn cakes, a three-ingredient recipe consisting of cornmeal, water, and fat; Southerners call this cornbread prototype corn pone, and you can try it for yourself with our recipe. Modernized versions have added sugar, leavening agents, and buttermilk, but many Southerners still opt for using only cornmeal. Brown recognizes the potential for an objection to labeling his skillet cornbread as a "Southern" recipe, offering another recipe that calls for a blend of yellow cornmeal and polenta, a coarse yellow corn grits that you can order online. 

That said, recipes claiming to be true Southern cornbread have adopted the mixture of wheat flour and cornmeal along with eggs and buttermilk because the result is a much fluffier, lighter crumb. The cast iron skillet is another modern tool that Southerners and Northerners alike utilize to achieve a delicious, almost fried cornbread crust. If you don't have one this skillet from Lodge is certainly worth the investment.

Some Southerners argue that white cornmeal is a more common ingredient in Southern cornbread than yellow cornmeal, which is why Brown uses it in his recipe. White cornmeal makes for a lighter-colored cornbread and a more delicate corn flavor. Yellow cornmeal has a more robust taste and makes for a more aesthetically pleasing golden crumb. In fact, modern recipes like this buttermilk cornbread recipe from Mark Steurer tend to use a blend of yellow cornmeal and wheat flour.

Cornbread made strictly with cornmeal will have a much denser, coarser texture and a much stronger corn flavor than a wheat flour blend. However, eggs, buttermilk, baking powder, and oil will help bind the ingredients and give them more of a lift than a traditional corn pone recipe. You can also use equal parts cornmeal and corn flour for a chewier, less crumbly consistency. Corn flour is much finer than coarsely ground cornmeal, and it's a gluten-free flour substitute that still contributes a robust corn flavor. Bob's Red Mill cornmeal and Bob's Red Mill corn flour are high-quality ingredients from a trusted brand that'll make your cornbread that much tastier.

Even if you decide to use Brown's controversial cornbread recipe, you can add Southern touches by incorporating pork cracklings into the batter or garnishing a slice with rich, sweet molasses. Serve it alongside black eyed peas, this Southern collard green recipe, or a steaming bowl of red beans and rice.