My preliminary attempts at serving traditional food for Juneteenth were laughable. All I wanted to do was to have some sort of red soda on hand. Strawberry soda is traditional, but I had doubts about finding it, and my suspicions proved accurate. I didn’t find any strawberry soda, but I did find black cherry. Good enough, right? Well, when we got home and had some for lunch, it turned out to be so healthy that it didn’t have any red coloring, which is the whole point. <Sigh.> Instead, I shifted gears and tried a different tactic for celebrating this uniquely American holiday: Cornbread.

Cornbread is All American

Cornbread is the perfect example of an “All-American” food. Native Americans were the first to have this as part of their diet. When British colonists arrived to American, they adapted this bread to be a little more fluffy and resemble what we know today. Because corn grew readily in the south, and was cheap, it was the staple of enslaved people and deeply entrenched in southern life.

Mix Ins

While I love this basic cornbread, you can also jazz it up with these different types of ingredients:

Bacon bits
Diced jalapeno or canned diced green chiles
Corn

Serving Suggestions

Want to Know More?

If you want to read up more about cornbread or Juneteeth, here are some great articles:

The Art of Cornbread, Oneida Indian Nation
Why Does Sugar in Cornbread Divide Races in the South, The Charlotte Observer
The Soul of Food, U.S. History Scene
Juneteenth.com

Jeff saved the day by going out to the store again and finding some red soda. Still no strawberry…just a different type of black cherry soda that we enjoyed with the cornbread and jambalaya for dinner.

Cornbread

Cornmeal is combined with flour, buttermilk, eggs, and baking powder then lightly sweetened with a bit of sugar to make for a fluffy bread with loads of corn flavor. Serve warm with butter and a bit of honey.

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 25

Total Time: 35

Servings:

Equipment

12" skillet

Ingredients

2 cup yellow cornmeal
2 cup all-purpose unbleached flour
1/2 cup granulated white sugar
2 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 eggs

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly grease a cast iron skillet with butter or cooking spray.
In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients: cornmeal, flour, baking powder, sugar, salt. Mix together until thoroughly combined.
In a smaller separate bowl, whisk together buttermilk, eggs, and oil until combined.
Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients. Mix together until just combined. Don't overstir. It's fine if it is a little lumpy.
Pour the batter into the skillet and bake about 25 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
Remove and serve immediately with butter and a little bit of honey.

Notes

If you don't have a 12" cast-iron skillet, you can use a 3-quart (13"x9") glass casserole dish.

Optionally, you can cut this recipe in half and use an 8x8 glass baking dish.

Tried this recipe?Leave a comment below or tag @fourtocookfor and hashtag #fourtocookfor on Instagram.

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