Cornbread in an Iron Skillet on the Kamado, with Brown Butter

Prep

20 min

Cook

45 min

Servings

8 servings

Temperature

200 °C

• fine cornmeal (not pre-cooked polenta)200 g
• plain wheat flour120 g
• baking powder2 tsp
• bicarbonate of soda0.5 tsp
• fine salt1 tsp
• sugar (optional)2 tbsp
• buttermilk, or 250 g plain yoghurt loosened with 100 ml milk350 ml
• medium eggs, at room temperature2
• unsalted butter, for browning90 g

1. 01

   Light and set the deflector

   Fill the firebox with charcoal and light it. When the coals catch, fit the deflector and the grate, and put the empty iron skillet in the centre. Bring the chamber to about 200 °C with the bottom vent open about two fingers and the top vent at half. Let it settle 15-20 minutes with the lid closed so the iron heats right through.

2. 02

   Brown the butter

   While the kamado settles, melt the 90 g of butter in a small pan over medium heat, stirring, until it stops foaming and smells of hazelnut, about 5 minutes. Take it off the heat at once, because it goes from browned to burnt in seconds. Set 2 tablespoons aside in a separate bowl for the skillet and let the rest cool a little.

3. 03

   Mix the dry ingredients

   In a large bowl combine the cornmeal, wheat flour, baking powder, bicarbonate, salt and sugar. Whisk to aerate and spread the raising agents evenly. Make a well in the centre.

4. 04

   Mix the wet and combine

   In another bowl whisk the buttermilk with the eggs and, still whisking, add the cooled brown butter (the part you did not set aside). Pour it all into the well of the dry mix and fold with a spatula just until no dry pockets remain, ten or twelve strokes. The batter is thick but pourable and slightly uneven. Work it more and the crumb turns rubbery. Rest it for 5 minutes while the iron finishes heating.

5. 05

   Burp the lid and check the iron

   Burp the lid: lift it about 5 cm, wait about 5 seconds, then open fully with your face turned away. Straight away, aim the infrared thermometer at the base of the skillet without taking it off the grate. Look for a reading around 190-220 °C; it is indicative, because bright metal reflects and reads low. If it reads much lower, close the lid, wait another 5 minutes and burp again before reopening.

6. 06

   Pour the batter into the hot skillet

   With gloves on, take the skillet out and set it on a heat-proof board, since the handle is at chamber temperature, and close the kamado lid so you do not lose heat. Add the 2 tablespoons of reserved butter, swirl to coat the base and sides, and pour in the batter in one go: it should sizzle. Burp the lid again and return the skillet to the centre of the grate.

7. 07

   Bake with the lid closed

   Close the lid and check that the chamber returns to 200 °C, adjusting the vents little by little. Bake 20-25 minutes without opening in the first 15. It is done when the edges pull away, the surface is golden and a toothpick comes out dry from the centre. If the top browns too fast, close the top vent slightly.

8. 08

   Rest and serve

   Open with burping and gloves, take out the skillet and leave it 5 minutes on a board. Run a knife round the edge and turn out onto a rack, or serve straight from the skillet. Close both vents fully to put out the coals. Cut into wedges and serve warm, with butter if you like.

About this recipe

Will it fit your kamado?

• Small

  33-40 cm · Joe Jr, MiniMax

  Won't fit

  The 28 cm skillet with handle probably won't fit; use a 20-24 cm one and check doneness earlier.

• Medium

  46-51 cm · Classic, Large

  Tight

  The 28 cm skillet with handle probably just fits; check cold that the lid closes.

• Large

  56-61 cm · Big Joe, XL

  Fits

  The skillet fits easily, handle included.

What to serve with it

Leftovers and storage

In the fridge

Best well wrapped at room temperature for 1-2 days; the fridge dries it out faster.

Freezing

Freezes well for 2-3 months in wrapped portions; thaw in the fridge and do not refreeze.

Reheating

Pan with a knob of butter, 2 min per side, or oven at 160 °C for 5 min wrapped in foil.

Using them up

Croutons for soups and salads, or breakfast toast with honey.

Cool and refrigerate within 2 hours. When in doubt, throw it out.

Editor's tips

• The skillet really must go in hot. If the batter does not sizzle when poured, the crust will be pale and stick: better to wait 5 more minutes with the lid closed than to bake on lukewarm iron.
• Do not overmix. Ten or twelve strokes of the spatula are enough; small lumps vanish in the bake, and every extra stroke develops gluten and toughens the crumb.
• If the chamber overshoots 220 °C, the base toasts before the centre sets. Close the bottom vent a little at a time, as the temperature control guide describes, and do not open the lid to cool it: air gets in and the coals flare up.
• Leftover cornbread keeps wrapped at room temperature for a day, and reheated in a pan with a little butter it gets its crust back. Next-day squares toasted in butter are among the best there is.

Gear for this recipe

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• 

  De Buyer 5130.28: 28 cm iron skillet with stainless handle

  This is the pan for the recipe: a 28 cm iron pan 2.5-3 mm thick that preheats on the grate so the batter lands on metal at about 200 °C and the crust turns out crisp. The de Buyer has a stainless steel handle and its listing marks it as oven safe. Honest drawback: it weighs about 2 kg, is hand-wash only, and the handle also reaches chamber temperature, so it has to come out with gloves.

  €44

  View on AmazonRead review
• 

  Inkbird INK-IFT01: surface infrared thermometer up to 550 °C

  It tells you whether the iron is ready before the batter goes in, without touching it. The Inkbird IFT01 reads from -50 to 550 °C, with a 12:1 distance-to-spot ratio, accuracy of 2% or 2 °C and adjustable emissivity from 0.1 to 1.0. Drawback: it reads surfaces only, never internal temperature, and bright metal reflects and gives low readings, so adjust the emissivity and take the figure as a guide.

  €26

  View on AmazonRead review
• 

  Kamado Bono Media 51 cm

  The recipe needs a kamado that holds a steady 200 °C with the deflector in for close to an hour, with room for a 28 cm skillet and its handle. The Kamado Bono Media measures 51 cm according to its listing and is sold as a bundle with a deflector included, so it can bake indirect from day one. Honest drawback: it weighs about 90 kg and, with the skillet’s long handle, it is worth testing the fit cold before lighting.

  €785

  View on AmazonRead review
• 

  Jealous Devil 100% White Quebracho lump charcoal 15.8 kg

  A good hour of kamado at a steady 200 °C calls for charcoal that does not burn away quickly or fill the firebox with ash. Jealous Devil is 100% quebracho blanco lump charcoal, a very dense wood, and its listing credits it with little ash (around 3%) and a neutral aroma that does not get into the bread. Drawback: it tends to run hotter than supermarket charcoal, so creep up to 200 °C slowly; whatever has not burned goes out when you close the vents and can be reused.

  €234

  View on AmazonRead review

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FAQ

• What can I use if I cannot find buttermilk?+

  Plain unsweetened yoghurt loosened with milk works almost the same: 250 g of yoghurt plus 100 ml of milk for every 350 ml of buttermilk. 350 ml of milk with a tablespoon of lemon juice, left for 10 minutes, also works. What matters is the acidity, because it reacts with the bicarbonate so the crumb rises and stays light.

• Can it be made in a small kamado?+

  Yes, but a 28 cm skillet with a long handle rarely fits with the lid closed in a kamado with a small grate (33-40 cm). There a 20-22 cm iron skillet, or one with short loop handles, works better: halve the recipe (with 1 egg) and start testing with a toothpick at 15-18 minutes.

• How do I know the cornbread is done?+

  Three signs: the edges pull away from the skillet, the surface is an even golden and a toothpick pushed into the centre comes out dry or with a few crumbs. If it comes out with wet batter, close the lid and give it 5 more minutes. At 200 °C it usually takes 20 to 25 minutes in a 28 cm skillet.

• Does cornbread have sugar?+

  It depends on the tradition. Southern cornbread usually has very little or none and is eaten as a savoury bread with stews and meats; the northern kind is sweeter. Here it is 2 tablespoons, optional: with them it comes out a little more tender and golden, without them drier and more cornmeal-forward.

• Can I make it ahead?+

  The dry and wet mixes can be prepared separately the day before and combined just before pouring. Baked cornbread keeps a day wrapped at room temperature and reheats for 10 minutes at 180 °C in the kamado itself or in a pan. It freezes well in wrapped portions for up to a month.

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