Daddy's Favorite Cornbread

This is the type of cornbread your father grew up eating and he absolutely flipped over it the first time I ever made it.  It has a buttery taste and is not as sweet as cornbread you find in most restaurants in the South.  He went about 35 years not being able to find a cornbread anywhere that tasted quite like this so we figured out how to make it!  Using a cast iron skillet is key!  This recipe is adapted from an Alex Guarnaschelli recipe.

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups stone ground yellow cornmeal
3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup whole milk
1 cup buttermilk
2 eggs lightly beaten
1 stick of butter (separated 6 1/2 and 1 1/2 tbs for a 12 inch cast iron or 5 and 1 tbs for a 10 inch skillet)

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 425 with a 10 or 12 inch cast iron skillet in it.
Whisk together all dry ingredients.
Add milk, buttermilk, and eggs to the dry mixture and combine.
Melt 6 1/2 tablespoons of butter and mix that into the mixture.
Melt the other 1 1/2 tablespoons in the hot skillet and use it to coat the skillet just before you pour in the batter.
Lower oven temp to 375 and bake 15 minutes for 12 inch skillet or 25 minutes for 9-10 inch skillet.
Keep a check on the cornbread so that it doesn't get too brown on top but a toothpick comes out clean.