Classic Cornbread

After moving from Los Angeles to Atlanta just over a year ago, I realized that I’d never really had good cornbread. Sure I’d had afterthought cornbread. The kind of stuff that’s served with a bowl of chili from a can. A barbecue joint/gas station on the outskirts of Amarillo, Texas changed my perception of cornbread forever. We were headed to our new home with a car full of kids and half the country behind us. We were tired and very hungry.

Before we had a waitress and before we had water, we had cornbread. Served up in a smokin’ hot skillet with a stern warning. Unless you want to spend the next night of your vacation in the burn unit, hands off. This cornbread was like none I’d ever tasted. Light, airy, and slightly sweet with crisp, buttery edges, and served with a carafe of local honey for drizzling. This cornbread was the definition of “farm to table” the staff made sure we knew the corn for our cornbread had been grown in the field just behind the restaurant and had been recently milled on site.

While nothing can touch that incredible gas station cornbread, this recipe makes classic cornbread that is delicious, understated, and actually good for you. Instead of sticks of butter, this recipe swaps a reasonable amount of coconut oil. Instead of added sugar, a touch of honey is baked right in. Serve it with a bowl of homemade chili, barbecued meat, or even a holiday meal.