Recipe: Spider Cornbread

I found an old recipe for "Spider Cornbread" when I was looking for vintage recipes for the blog.  No the recipe doesn't call for mashed spiders or cobwebs, instead spider was an old fashioned name for a skillet/frying pan, usually made of cast iron.  Ok so it's skillet cornbread is what we're getting at.  This recipe comes from a 1920 book for teaching young girls how to be proper homemakers. 

Update 9/15/23 - I know sugar in cornbread is a divisive thing in the south as is flour.  Flour was used in the original recipe to help combat Pellagra a Niacin deficiency, I have included an option using only fine grind cornmeal and omitting the flour.  You can choose to omit the sugar but it helps balance out the flavor and its nowhere near the sugar content of the sweet cake like cornbread you find in stores.  



Spider Cornbread

1 1/2 Cups Corn Meal
1/2 Cup All Purpose Flour

---------- or ----------

2 Cups Fine Grind Cornmeal

1 teaspoon Baking Soda
2 Tablespoons Sugar
1 teaspoon Salt
2 Cups Buttermilk or 

Sour Milk (2 Cups fresh milk with 2 Tablespoons Vinegar mixed in and allow to sit 5 mins)
2 Eggs

3 Tablespoons Butter (or lard or bacon grease)

Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl and then add the milk and the egg mixing thoroughly, it will resemble a thick batter.  pre heat an oven to 425° and place a 10 1/2 inch cast iron skillet in to heat up for 15 mins.  remove hot pan from oven and add butter (or whatever fat you are using) swirling around to coat the pan.  Pour in batter quickly and return to oven cooking for 20-25 minutes until toothpick comes out almost clean ( a little should stick to the bottom of the toothpick, this is what you want).  Rest pan on stovetop for 5 minutes before serving.

I rather liked this recipe because it gives you a no nonsense cornbread.  It's not a sweet cornbread like most people prefer today but rather a down home style good for eating with fried chicken and mopping up the pot liquor from collard greens.

Yield 6 Servings

First Commenter:

Gina's Italian Kitchen

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