Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups white cornmeal
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups buttermilk
1 large egg
3 tablespoon shortening or bacon grease
Instructions:
Start by preheating your oven to 450 degrees.
Put a 9″ cast iron skillet on the stove over medium heat and put the shortening in the skillet.
Mix all the dry ingredients together in one bowl.
Mix the egg and buttermilk together in another bowl.
Mix the dry and wet ingredients together.
When you start to see little wisps of smoke coming from the hot shortening, pour most, not all of the shortening into the cornbread batter and mix well.
Then pour the batter into the hot skillet and enjoy the sizzling sound that guarantees a nice crisp crust.
Place in the middle of the preheated oven and bake about 30 minutes, until nice and brown on top.
Note: Serve with butter, pinto beans or collards with pot liquor, and consider yourself blessed.
And if you want something sweet, put some molasses on there with the butter.