The Cast-Iron Cornbread That Actually Has a Crust

There are two kinds of cornbread: the kind with a browned, lacy edge that crackles when you cut it, and the kind that sits in the pan looking pale and apologetic. We are making the first kind.

Buy medium-ground yellow cornmeal, not the fine stuff that turns into a yellow cake, and check that it smells sweet and faintly grassy. You’ll also need all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt, an egg, buttermilk, and butter. If your cornmeal has been lurking in the pantry since the previous presidential administration, replace it. Stale cornmeal tastes dusty, and no amount of honey can rescue it.

Put a 10-inch cast-iron skillet in the oven and heat it to 425 degrees. Yes, the empty pan goes in first. Cast iron is not a delicate little flower; it wants a proper preheat. While it gets hot, whisk together 1 cup cornmeal, 1 cup flour, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt, and 2 tablespoons sugar. The sugar is not there to make dessert. It rounds out the corn’s flavor and helps the crust bronze.

In another bowl, whisk 1 1/4 cups buttermilk, 1 egg, and 4 tablespoons melted butter. Pour the wet into the dry and stir just until no dry patches remain. A few lumps are fine. Overmixing makes cornbread tight and bouncy, like it has been doing paperwork all day.

Carefully pull out the hot skillet. Add 1 tablespoon butter and swirl it around. It should hiss immediately and smell nutty. Pour in the batter; the edges ought to sizzle. That sound is the whole point. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, until the top is golden and a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs.

Here’s what happens if you skip preheating the skillet: the batter slowly settles against cold iron, and you get a soft, thick bottom instead of that crisp, fried-looking edge. Still edible, certainly. But it will be the cornbread equivalent of wearing pajamas to a wedding.

Let the bread rest for 10 minutes, then cut it into wedges. The crust should be deeply golden and crunchy, the center tender and slightly crumbly, with a warm corn smell and just enough sweetness to make salted butter taste magnificent. Serve it beside chili, beans, greens, or a pot of soup. And keep the cast iron. Nothing else does this job as well.