My love for cast iron skillets is legendary. Cornbread made in said skillet? Another longtime love affair.
And a so-bad-it’s-good rhyme, pun, or alliterative alchemy? One more thing I can’t resist. Put it all together, and that’s basically my recipe for millet skillet cornbread.
Need I elaborate? It’s a universal truth that everything tastes better when cooked in a cast iron pan, and cornbread is one of the foremost examples of food elevated by this humble vessel.
You just can’t get those crispy edges, browned by the heat of sizzling bacon drippings, any other way.
(My dearly departed whalecat Harry was not so particular: he once ate the entire soft and springy middle out of a pan of jalapeño-laced cornbread that I stupidly left cooling on a rack, leaving the edges behind.)
So you’ve got undeniably perfect crispy edges, fragrant with savory bacon fat, balanced against the moist and tender crumb brought to you by the goodness of buttermilk. What could possibly make this more satisfying?
Bring the crunch of millet to this equation and you’re in for a triple treat.
If you’ve only known millet as a mushy hippie-era side dish or breakfast cereal, or as a seed that’s literally for the birds, let it showcase its snappy texture here.
A little more oversized than other seeds like sesame, flax, or chia, millet has a toasty, satisfying crunch when used as a whole, uncooked grain, adding a little pop to each bite of bread.
Because I’m a Northerner who loves to toast her cornbread and slather it with butter and honey for breakfast, I stir a touch of honey into my batter before pouring it into the skillet.
Far from making it a Jiffy-like cakey cornbread, it’s just a whisper of sweetness within the bread, a hint of caramel and clover.
Feel free to try different honey varieties, from rich chestnut or buckwheat honey to light and floral alfalfa or wildflower honey, to see which you like best.
Crumble this millet skillet cornbread for your Thanksgiving stuffing, serve it in thick wedges with your favorite chili or winter stew, or eat it with butter, honey, and jam for a morning indulgence.
Millet Skillet Cornbread
Yield: 8-10 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Millet skillet cornbread isn't just fun to say: it's a twist on classic cast iron skillet cornbread that brings an irresistible crunch to every bite.
Ingredients
1 cup (160 grams) fine yellow cornmeal
2/3 cup (80 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (50 grams) millet
1/4 cup (42 grams) stone-ground polenta or cornmeal
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3 tablespoons (63 grams) honey
1 large egg
4 tablespoons (57 grams) unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
2 tablespoons bacon drippings
Instructions
Place a 9- or 10-inch cast iron skillet in the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Whisk the cornmeal, flour, millet, polenta, salt, baking powder, and baking soda together in a large bowl.
In a separate large bowl, stir the honey and egg together with a spatula to loosen up the honey. Stir in the buttermilk, then the melted butter until incorporated.
Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients just until combined—don't overmix the cornbread batter.
When the oven has preheated for 15 minutes, carefully remove the skillet using an oven mitt.
Add the bacon drippings to the skillet and swirl until melted.
(If using a pre-divided cornbread pan, as I did for the above photos, melt the drippings and use a basting brush to coat each wedge. You'll likely have leftover batter; grease a 6- or 8-inch skillet or small ceramic baking dish with the remaining drippings and bake the remaining batter.)
Pour in the cornbread batter, smoothing the top, and return to the oven.
Bake for about 20 minutes, until the cornbread is well-browned and domed on top, and a knife or toothpick inserted into the center of the cornbread comes out with only a few moist crumbs attached.
The nutritional information above is computer-generated and only an estimate.
Did you make this recipe?
Share a photo!
FTC Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Good. Food. Stories. receives a minuscule commission on all purchases made through Amazon links in our posts.
It's the perfect alternative for those who need to avoid corn, and it's surprisingly easy to prepare, too. No need for flour or tricky gluten-free starches! Millet is considered to be slightly alkaline in the body, and also happens to be a source of vitamin B3, magnesium, and calcium.
She notes that Northern cornbread is sweeter, lighter, and more cake-like than Southern cornbread. Not surprisingly, it includes sugar (or molasses, in the earlier centuries), unlike traditional Southern cornbread.
Soaking the cornmeal in buttermilk for a few hours, or even overnight, tenderizes the large grains of cornmeal, making the bread more moist and tender. This step is optional, however, and the bread is still delicious without the soaking step.
Compared to wheat, oats, and corn, millets often have higher levels of these nutrients, making them a more nutrient-dense choice. Gluten-Free: Millets are naturally gluten-free, which means they are suitable for individuals with gluten.
Millet has a mild, grassy, corn-like flavor that pairs well with both sweet and savory ingredients. It's delicious served on its own and can be used anywhere a recipe calls for couscous, bulgur, quinoa, or even brown rice.
Sugar in the cornbread interferes with the flavor of the vegetables. Don't put sugar in your cornbread! Traditional cornbread isn't sweet, but many favorite recipes have sugar in them.
Among them was a version of Indian bread made of cornmeal, salt and water called pone or corn pone. The name came from the Algonquin word apan, meaning "baked." The Narragansett word for cornbread, nokechick, became no-cake and then hoe-cake.
Butter adds flavor and color, while oil keeps the crumb tender and moist. Brown Sugar: We add some sugar to our cornbread and prefer to use brown sugar. The flavor combination of cornmeal and brown sugar works well. If you only have white sugar, that's okay.
LET the batter sit for 15-20 minutes before baking. This allows the baking powder to activate and incorporate more air. BE gentle!! When pouring your rested batter into the hot skillet, try to disturb the battle as little as possible – once you pop the air bubbles they don't come back.
I want to keep the cornbread taste, just less crumbly! I recommend extra egg yolk, adding corn, and using cast iron to bake. Also, try a little lower temperature.
It is a staple food in many Southern dishes and is often served with meals such as black-eyed peas, collard greens, and fried chicken. It can be made in a variety of ways, including as a savory bread to be served with a meal or as a sweeter bread to be eaten as a snack.
You can include several varieties of cornbread in your everyday meals. Cornbread has similar nutritional value and benefits as cornmeal. Thus, you can include cornbread in your daily diet. However, it can cause allergy-related sickness or high blood pressure if your digestive system does not allow consuming cornbread.
Yes!Cornbread is a nutritious, whole-grain food that can offer various health benefits. It can be a delicious way to improve your overall health. Eating cornbread offers benefits from reducing the risk of heart disease to promoting digestive health.
Millet flour is derived from millet, a group of small-seeded grasses that are grown for their edible grains. It has a mild, nutty flavor and a light, fluffy texture when used in baking. Corn flour, on the other hand, is made from dried corn kernels that have been ground into a fine powder.
There are some additional foods you can use in place of cornmeal. If you don't have any of the options above, you can consider ground oats, masa harina, bread crumbs, ground flaxseed, polenta flour, smashed cornflakes, homemade cornmeal, or hominy grits.
Yellow Corn grits are the best substitute for cornmeal. Cornmeal and yellow corn grits are made from the same process and ingredient, and the only difference is corn grits isn't as refined. Use the most refined yellow corn grits available for the best results.
Oat flour provides a similar consistency to traditional cornbread but with more protein and fiber. It's also a good option for those looking to reduce their gluten intake. Adding cooked quinoa to the batter increases the protein content and adds a pleasant crunch.
Introduction: My name is Pres. Lawanda Wiegand, I am a inquisitive, helpful, glamorous, cheerful, open, clever, innocent person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
We notice you're using an ad blocker
Without advertising income, we can't keep making this site awesome for you.
