Southern Cornbread

I like to make these with saved bacon drippings instead of butter for a better tasting cornbread. You can used a baking dish but I prefer to use my trusty old Iron Skillet.

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus butter for baking dish

1 cup cornmeal

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly grease an 8-inch baking dish or Iron Skillet. In a large bowl, mix together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, mix together the eggs, buttermilk, and butter. Pour the buttermilk mixture into the cornmeal mixture and fold together until there are no dry spots (the batter will still be lumpy). Pour the batter into an iron skillet that has been preheated in the oven and has been coated with about 1 tablespoon of oil. Bake until the top is golden brown and tester inserted into the middle of the corn bread comes out clean, about 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the cornbread from the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes before serving.