Spent 4 hours trying to fix my grandma's cornbread recipe yesterday

My grandma used to make this cornbread that was just perfect, crispy on the outside and fluffy inside. I've tried making it for years and it always came out dry or crumbly. Yesterday I decided I was going to figure it out no matter what. I went through three batches, each time thinking I had it right. First batch was too dense, second was burnt on the bottom, third was still off. After four hours I finally realized I was using too much baking powder and not enough buttermilk. She always told me it's about the wet to dry ratio, but I never listened. Did anyone else have a family recipe that took way too many tries to get right?

3 comments

3 Comments

bennett.nora4d ago

Three batches in four hours? That's dedication, I'll give you that. But here's what I'm wondering - did you actually use her exact pan or just any old cast iron? Because my grandmother swore her cornbread never turned out right unless she used her specific 30-year-old skillet, and I thought she was just being superstitious until I tried it myself. The seasoning on that pan made a bigger difference than any ingredient ratio change I ever made.

jackson.matthew4d ago

So you're telling me that pan is basically a magic wand with grease on it?

kelly_craig3d ago

Hold on, wait. You're really saying that three batches in four hours is just "dedication"? I'm sitting here wondering if you lost feeling in your arm halfway through that marathon! And yes, the specific pan thing is real. My mom has this one beat up skillet she's had since before I was born, and her cornbread tastes completely different out of it than out of any other pan she owns. I thought she was just being picky until I tried making the same recipe in a brand new cast iron and it came out like a sad, flavorless hockey puck. The seasoning on that old pan is like its own secret ingredient, no joke.