Southern corn bread is traditionally made with white cornmeal, buttermilk, eggs, leavening, and salt—and little, if any, flour or sugar. Some cooks stir in a tablespoon of bacon fat to enrich the batter. The resulting bread is moist and crusty. Rush this bread from oven to table. The batter may be baked in a muffin or corn stick pan, adjusting the baking time accordingly (see Corn Bread, Corn Muffins, or Corn Sticks).

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Place a 9-inch heavy ovenproof skillet in the oven as it preheats.

Whisk together thoroughly in a large bowl:

Whisk together in another bowl:

Add the buttermilk mixture to the cornmeal mixture and whisk just until blended. Take the skillet out of the oven and add to it:

Swirl to coat the skillet with the fat and pour in the batter all at once. Bake until the top is browned and the center feels firm when pressed, 20 to 25 minutes. Serve immediately from the skillet, cut into wedges or squares, along with:

Leftovers, though dry, are nice enough if wrapped in foil and rewarmed in a low oven. Megan likes to crumble leftover corn bread into a tall glass and pour buttermilk over it. Think of it as Southern breakfast cereal.